Procedures undergo alteration. - Prosecutors are launching additional probes.
Last year, the number of new investigations at the Hessian prosecutors' offices climbed to over 431,000, which is an uptick of around 5.7%. General Prosecutor Torsten Kunze spoke about this in Frankfurt on Monday. More than 20,000 of these cases saw indictments, while in roughly 34,000 cases, sentencing requests were made.
As per the prosecution offices' annual report, investigations into capital offenses - essentially, murder and manslaughter - also went up by 5.7% to 536 instances. Kunze expressed his worries, stating that the increasing number of cases is causing mounting apprehension for women. In sync with this, the number of cases relating to domestic violence is on the rise, too. Over the previous five years, these matters have escalated by 25% - in a sector that is already quite expansive.
Concurrently, Frankfurt's Central Office for the Suppression of Internet Crime (ZIT) gained investigative breakthroughs. In March 2023, "the world's largest Darknet money laundering service," ChipMixer, was neutralized. Later, a software network and a Darknet marketplace were also taken down.
A notable spike was noted in the realm of child pornography. According to Kunze, new investigations in this field have surged by 500% within five years.
Another critical area for the ZIT is thwarting child pornography on the internet. This area has seen an unprecedented uptick in new investigations. As per Kunze, within five years, this increase has been a staggering 500%.
On another front, the battle against organized crime persists. Helpful data from foreign investigative authorities has given crucial insights into encrypted smartphones, say for example, Encrochat. Encrochat was once thought to be uncrackable and, consequently, widely used in the criminal world.
Another crucial aspect is addressing ATM burglaries. With 61 concluded or attempted instances in 2023, the number of investigations surged considerably (2022: 41). Thus far, the favorable news is that this year, there have been just 11 burglaries in Hesse.
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The increase in investigations at the Hessian prosecutors' offices, which includes capital crimes, has raised concerns from General Prosecutor Torsten Kunze, particularly for women. In Frankfurt, the Public Prosecutor's Office led additional probes into various matters, including capital crimes. The number of investigations into capital offenses in Hesse increased by 5.7% last year, as mentioned in the annual report. In an effort to combat cybercrime, Frankfurt's Central Office for the Suppression of Internet Crime made significant strides, taking down a Darknet money laundering service and a Darknet marketplace.
Source: www.stern.de
