Crimes ofodility and Burglaries - More crimes by children in MV
The number of crimes committed by children in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern last year increased by 9.6 percent. The police registered 3,340 cases with suspects under the age of 14, as stated in the answer of the state government to a request from the non-faction parliamentarian Eva Maria Schneider-Gaertner. That was 292 cases more than the previous year.
More than half of that, exactly 1,807, were violent offenses and thefts. 53 cases were classified as muggings. In Germany, children must take responsibility for committing crimes only from the age of 14.
More than 800 children repeated offenders
The police reportedly investigated 2,890 suspects under 14 years old in MV. Of these, 807 were children who had previously appeared, some even before 2023. According to the data, more than two-thirds of the crimes committed by children in the previous year were committed by boys. Of the total 2,890 suspects, 2,234 were German and 665 were of non-German origin.
In politics, a debate is ongoing as to whether the age of criminal responsibility of 14 years should be lowered. For example, Baden-Württemberg's Minister President Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) has spoken out in favor of an examination. The age of 14 has existed since 1923, and now it should be scientifically clarified whether the maturation process and thus the development of insight and self-control abilities of the current generation have changed. Similarly, CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann has also expressed himself.
In Schwerin, the city located in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the police are dealing with a rising trend of criminality among children. Despite being only 14, many of these children are facing punishment for their involvement in thefts and other violent offenses. These repeated offenses have raised concerns, with over 800 children being identified as repeat offenders in the past year.
