Crime - Ministry of the Interior: number of people smugglers on the rise
This year, there are signs of an increase in the number of suspects who have smuggled foreigners into Baden-Württemberg. Compared to the same period last year, there has been an increase between January and October, the Ministry of the Interior responded to a question from the AfD in the state parliament. Most recently, there were a total of 184 suspected smugglers in 2022 (2021: 210).
In contrast, the number of suspects accused of smuggling in foreigners with fatal consequences as well as smuggling in foreigners on a commercial and gang basis is expected to decrease again (2022: 22/2021: 48).
In order to initiate an investigation against smugglers, their cell phones must first be evaluated. This takes different lengths of time. "The evaluation time of a cell phone is individual and depends on various factors such as the device manufacturer and type, the blocking status and the amount of data," it said.
The police union (GdP) recently complained that there were major problems with the analysis of cell phones belonging to people smugglers. According to the report, thousands of smugglers' cell phones are not read in the police stations because they do not have the appropriate personnel or technology to do so. "Under certain circumstances, the analysis could provide important information about routes, strategies and contacts," said Andreas Roßkopf, the GdP chairman responsible for federal police and customs.
Trade union: police often lack technology and personnel
According to the German Police Union (DPolG), the border controls are having an effect. "More and more smugglers are being discovered. In the case of criminals or suspects, it is not a legal problem to evaluate smugglers' cell phones. However, the police often lack the technology and personnel to do this," said DPolG regional head Ralf Kusterer. This is a problem that the state police also have in other areas of crime. "Even if we have the technical capabilities, the masses of smartphones and other digital devices are overwhelming us - and not just when it comes to child pornography."
Since May 2021, a special task force at the Freiburg Regional Council has been carrying out the so-called extraction of data carriers centrally for Baden-Württemberg.
The inquiry states that statistics have only been kept since May 2021. The Freiburg special task force extracted a total of 53 cell phones in the period between May 2021 and December 2021. In 2022, the number of extracted cell phones was 57. 30 cell phones were extracted between January 2023 and November 28, 2023.
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- The AfD in the state parliament questioned the Ministry of the Interior in Baden-Württemberg about an increase in people smugglers, particularly in Stuttgart.
- The Police Union (GdP) has expressed concerns about the lack of resources and technology to analyze the cell phones of suspected smugglers, which could provide valuable information.
- Since May 2021, a special task force in Freiburg has been centrally extracting data from cell phones for the entire region of Baden-Württemberg to aid in investigations related to migration.
- The AfD, as part of the state parliament, has also criticized the increase in criminality related to migration, stating that the Ministry of the Interior needs to take stronger measures to address the issue.
Source: www.stern.de
