More and more children are stabbing

Berlin – More and more children and young people are Berliner Police have been noticing knife crimes in recent years.

Among children under 14, the number rose from 52 in 2020 to 142 last year, according to a response from the Senate and the police to a request from Green MP Vasili Franco (32).

The numbers were even higher for young people who used a knife to threaten or attack: in 2020, 255 were identified by the police as suspected perpetrators.

In 2022 there were 392 suspects and last year 369. Franco calls this a “relevant and problematic increase”.

Berlin crime thriller
Double break-in at the Estrel Berlin, then click on the handcuffs

The total number of suspects arrested for knife crimes in Berlin has also increased significantly since 2020: from 1,948 to 2,575 last year. The majority of them were adult men.

Of the 3,482 crimes recorded in the statistics in which a knife played a role, most of them were physical assaults. There were also acts of robbery such as assault, coercion and threats.