Illegal Act Unlawful Behavior Criminal Offense Violation of Law - Noticeable surge in knife assaults in North Rhine-Westphalia
The amount of knife attacks in North Rhine-Westphalia has dramatically gone up. This becomes clear from a report that NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) submitted to the state parliament in response to an SPD inquiry. In 2022, the number of incidents with knives and other stabbing tools was recorded at 5081, while a year later it was 6221. This indicates an increase of 22.4%.
Out of the more than 5700 people being investigated last year, more than a third of them (33.3%) were below the age of 21. Almost 87% were males. The bulk of the suspects were Germans, followed by Syrians, Turks, Iraqis, and Romanians.
Regarding the over 8000 victims of the attacks in 2023, close to one-third (31.1%) were under the age of 21 years and predominantly male (76.5%). Around 61.7% of the victims were Germans, followed by Syrians, Turks, Iraqis, and Poles. Around 3% of the attacks (198) resulted in murder cases.
This increase has resulted in a discussion in the Interior Committee of the State Parliament on Thursday. The opposition requested action from NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU). "The knife has not lost its reputation in public," said SPD deputy Christina Kampmann. "The growing number of knife attacks is a dangerous trend. So far, the state government has not been successful in dealing with this development."
Meanwhile, Lower Saxony has proposed a plan to the Bundesrat to tighten gun laws, which would ban all spring knives. Knives with fixed blades should already be banned for six centimeters in length. NRW should back this initiative.
"We badly need firm deterrence that works," said FDP deputy Marc Lürbke. Knives are still favored in parties, festivals, schools, and clubs. The frequently mentioned "punishment on the foot" is often just a missed report in North Rhine-Westphalia, given the heavily overburdened justice system. Whenever possible, expedited proceedings should be used.
"It is not the arsenal of the Interior Ministry that will solve these problems," said Green deputy Julia Hölle. However, she mentioned the initiative of the Dortmund Police Headquarters, which prevents repeat offenders from carrying knives in public.
Reul stated he had no objection to tightening gun laws, provided that's the federal government's job. However, that won't be enough. Already, fines reaching up to 2000 euros are possible for breaching the weapons prohibition zones in NRW. Around 40,000 people have been checked. Additionally, quicker court proceedings are not part of the Interior Minister's responsibilities. AfD deputy Markus Wagner suggested that knife attacks should always be considered attempted murder, as the death of the victim is accepted.
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The surge in knife assaults in North Rhine-Westphalia is a concern in Düsseldorf, as the state capital is also affected by this trend. The CDU's Herbert Reul, the Interior Minister of NRW, reported an increase of 22.4% in knife attacks in 2022 and 2023, with Romanians being among the suspects. This discussion about knife crimes even reached the Interior Committee of the State Parliament, with the SPD pressing for action. Regarding the victims, statistics show that a significant number of them are young males, and around 3% of the attacks led to murder cases.
