North Rhine-Westphalia became safer once again in 2018. The number of crimes fell by almost 7 percent compared to the previous year to 1,282,441 (2017: 1,373,390). This is the lowest level for almost 30 years (1991). More than half (53.7 percent) of the crimes were solved by the police - the highest clearance rate in the history of North Rhine-Westphalia. "This is a great testament to the 42,000 police officers in the state. They really do a highly professional job," said Interior Minister Herbert Reul today (February 13, 2019) at the presentation of the police crime statistics for 2018.
The number of domestic burglaries fell by almost a quarter (23.4 percent) from 39,057 cases to 29,904 cases in the reporting year. The last time there were fewer burglaries was in 1981. "That's a sensational figure," said Reul. "Because burglaries often have traumatic consequences for victims and relatives. If the closet at home has been ransacked or irreplaceable heirlooms have been taken, then this is a particularly deep intrusion into the private and intimate sphere." There were also significantly fewer thefts: In 2018, the police recorded a good nine percent fewer thefts than in the previous year. The number fell from 549,916 to 499,101, while pickpocketing statistics show a drop of 17% to 34,064 cases (2017: 41,178).
Violent crime fell from 46,654 cases in 2017 to 45,300 cases in 2018 - a decrease of 2.9 percent. The last time there were fewer cases was in 2001. However, the number of murders and attempted murders rose from 113 to 140 - an increase of around 24%. On the other hand, it is reassuring that almost no murders went unpunished: the clearance rate for this crime is 96%. There was a positive development in the field of street crime in 2018. This is everything that happens in public. Here, the number of cases fell from 348,762 to 319,306 - a decrease of a good eight percent. This is the lowest figure ever recorded.
