Statistics for 2023 - Police counted over 1000 crimes committed by criminal clans in Berlin
Against this individual, the Berlin Police identified 65 offenses, including credit fraud, theft, embezzlement, fraud, drug dealing, defamation, and threats. With these offenses, the suspect secured the disgraceful top spot in the new image of Berlin's organized crime statistics.
This development is alarming, as registered cases of so-called Clan criminality in the capital city, which is known as a hotspot for this form of organized crime nationwide, increased significantly in 2023. A total of 1,063 such offenses were recorded by investigators, which is almost 200 cases more than the previous year – an increase of over 20%.
Clan criminality is a male-dominated field
The list is just as diverse. Traffic violations (158), bodily harm (135), theft and embezzlement (132), drug offenses (112), and fraud (103) are the most common. Following these are threats, even with weapons (66), defamation (55), robbery (41), or money laundering (30). Five murder cases are also among them (2022: 3).
As previously mentioned, there were 298 suspects identified in connection with these offenses (2022: 303). A total of 633 people were counted by investigators with the Berlin Clan scene as of December 31, 2023 (2022: 582). It seems that this is a male-dominated field: Only 37 women are among them.
Approximately half of the identified suspects (45.2%) are German citizens. 23.2% – that is, almost a quarter – are listed as Lebanese or German-Lebanese. The nationality is unclear for about 17%. In addition, investigators attribute members of Turkish or German-Turkish nationality (6.2%), Syrians (2.5%), and Swedes (1.3%) to the Berlin Clan scene.
The offenses of Clan members accounted for approximately 0.2% of the total crime in Berlin in 2023, in terms of the number of offenses. In terms of suspects, this figure is 0.5%. However, authorities have been intensely and coordinatedly targeting these groups since at least 2018.
A potential trigger for this could have been the spectacular theft of a 100-kilogram gold coin from the Bode Museum in 2017, which members of an Arabic-descended family were suspected of involvement in by the courts.
Seized assets bring more than prison sentences
A crucial aspect of the previously adopted action plan is high control pressure and the confiscation of Clan assets, which are believed to have originated from criminal activities. This affects the groups more than prison sentences, which are often seen as an "award" within the milieu, according to investigators.
In this context, the police and other institutions such as city administration offices, customs and financial authorities carried out a total of 126 control measures in 2023, during which 486 businesses such as cafes, shisha bars, late-night shops, hairdressing salons, betting shops, car dealerships and rental agencies, or brothels were checked. 20 of these establishments were closed, 324 criminal complaints were filed, and 21 arrest warrants were executed.
## Police call for new measures
"Organized crime in Berlin has been undermining our legal and value system for decades," stated Berlin's Senator of the Interior Iris Spranger (SPD) regarding the new situation report. "We will continue to deny criminal structures a breeding ground." These parallel worlds need to be dismantled step by step.
"Financial investigations are a key factor in effectively combating organized crime, as our goal is to seize ill-gotten assets that have been introduced into the legal economic circuit," said Police President Barbara Slowik. "Our focus in Berlin is primarily on the used car trade, the construction, security, and catering industries."
According to the assessment of the chairman of the Police Union (GdP), Stephan Weh, the state needs a long breath. "We have increased the pressure on criminal clans in Berlin in the last years, but it will take a lot of time to finally put an end to this Hydra."
Weh demanded new measures, such as a full burden of proof reversal in asset forfeiture. A suspect without income and assets would then have to prove where they got the money for buying a villa or a luxury car.
Controversial term
The term organized crime is controversial, as critics argue that it stigmatizes and discriminates against people with a migration background based on their family ties and origin. According to the police definition, a clan is an informal social organization determined by the common descent of its members.
Organized crime therefore includes "criminal behavior" of clan members. "Clan membership is a binding, facilitating, or obstructing component in the commission of a crime, where their own norms and values can be put above the valid German legal order."
The Berlin Police have also identified drug offenses within the clan criminality, potentially contributing to the rising criminality in the city. Despite the significant increase in clan-related crimes in Berlin, only a small percentage of the city's total crimes can be attributable to these groups.
