- With a zero-tolerance strategy against clan crime
They steal, deal drugs, and shoot in broad daylight: The State Criminal Office is registering an increasing number of so-called "clan crime" cases. However, Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens does not see any hotspots in the state. "Rather, the incidents are spread across the whole country," the SPD politician told the German Press Agency in Hannover.
The police and justice system are very sensitive to this issue. From the Minister's perspective, it is an "unacceptable form of crime" that often takes place in public and mocks the rule of law. "We can never accept that in a democracy." Both Lower Saxony and Bremen are pursuing a zero-tolerance strategy. "We are taking action against it using everything we have at our disposal legally," said Behrens.
Three deaths in the clan environment in Stade
Recently, three incidents in Stade have caused nationwide attention: In September 2022, a man suddenly fired a pistol at an employee of a snack bar; the 23-year-old victim later died in hospital. In mid-January of this year, a group allegedly severely injured a 44-year-old at the train station parking lot with punches and kicks, leading to his later death. And just two months later, a 35-year-old was severely injured in a dispute between two large families in the city center and did not survive.
"If such a dramatic case as in Stade occurs, then we react by increasing police presence in the patrol service and intensifying investigations," said Behrens. The investigators attribute all attacks to the clan environment. "Through intensive clarification work, prevention, police presence, and strengthening intervention capabilities, we are endeavoring to prevent a continuation of the conflicts," a police spokesperson said.
Despite the attention-grabbing cases, there has been no increase in crime registered in Stade. Since 2021, the number of crimes in that area has remained constant. Even if conflicts are settled in broad daylight in the heart of the Hanseatic city, outsiders should not be concerned. The risk of being accidentally involved in a dispute is "very low," the police spokesperson assured. "However, I cannot rule it out." The Interior Minister also does not want to speak of an unsafe situation. "Lower Saxony remains a land where one can live well everywhere."
Behavior towards police disrespectful and aggressive
For the investigators, the situation is often not easy, the Lower Saxony State Criminal Office (LKA) noted. The behavior of the criminals towards the police is often characterized by disrespect, intimidation attempts, aggression, and violence.
Even in trivial cases, it can lead to inappropriate escalations, which in turn affects the subjective sense of security of the population. A spokesperson for the LKA emphasized that it is absolutely necessary to "drain the material benefits of the respective crime" - to take away the incentive from the perpetrators.
Number of crimes increases
According to LKA figures, there were almost 4000 crime cases with a clan connection in the state in 2022; in 2019, there were only 1585. This includes so-called violent crimes and crimes against personal freedom, which together account for almost a third of the total case numbers, as well as crimes against life, theft, and forgery offenses.
According to the LKA, criminal clan structures in Lower Saxony encompass a mid-three-digit number of families. These families are associated with a high four-digit number of members, the authority reported.
However, the LKA stressed that clan criminality does not necessarily mean organized crime. In 2022, nine organized crime cases in Lower Saxony had links to clan criminality, involving drug trafficking and smuggling, economic and counterfeit crimes.
More than 800 clan members known to the police in Bremen
Bremen also struggles with clan criminality. In 2022, more than 700 offenses were registered where at least one clan member was involved. These were mainly cases of robbery, bodily harm, and crimes against personal freedom, as well as property and counterfeit crimes.
According to the interior ministry, more than 4,600 people from clan structures live in the smallest federal state, with more than 700 families associated with the milieu. Around 18 percent, more than 800 clan members, are known to the police in Bremen.
What are criminal clan structures?
According to the annual situation report in Lower Saxony, a clan is a group of people connected by a common ethnic origin, predominantly also by family relationships. Criminal clan structures are characterized by the commission of crimes and offenses of any kind and severity.
The LKA stated that criminal clan structures are present in Lower Saxony but "quantitatively, both in terms of suspects and defendants and in terms of investigations, they hardly make a difference when considering the overall volume of criminal acts in absolute numbers". There is a clear discrepancy between the statistical presence and the "attention devoted to them".
However, the LKA acknowledged that criminal clan structures can negatively impact the public's sense of security, especially due to disputes settled in public streets. Law enforcement agencies are therefore particularly challenged.
The term 'clan criminality' is controversial
The term 'clan criminality' is controversial because critics argue that it stigmatizes and discriminates people with a migration background solely based on their family ties and origin. "We are firmly convinced that this is not the case," said Behrens. "Crime can only be fought by recognizing, naming it, and then developing concepts against it."
The rise in 'clan criminality' cases, including violent crimes and drug-related offenses, has been a significant concern for both Lower Saxony and Bremen. Despite the attention-grabbing incidents in Stade, no significant increase in crime has been reported in that area.
The behavior of individuals involved in 'clan criminality' towards law enforcement officers can be disrespectful, intimidating, and aggressive, often leading to inappropriate escalations and affecting the public's sense of security.
