+++ According to a Germany-wide evaluation of police crime statistics, the frequency of knife attacks in Bavaria is lowest in Germany after Rhineland-Palatinate. With 14 knife attacks per 100,000 inhabitants, a total of 1,813 cases, the Free State is almost on a par with Rhineland-Palatinate, with a frequency of 13 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (553 cases). Brandenburg is in third place with a frequency rate of 31 (793 cases). Berlin has the highest rate in this comparison of federal states, with 3,412 knife attacks, 93 per 100,000 inhabitants. This was announced by Bavaria’s Minister of the Interior, Joachim Herrmann. +++

Herrmann: ‘These statistics prove once again that living in Bavaria means living more safely. Although the number of knife attacks in public spaces only accounted for 1.4 per thousand of all crimes, we do not take the increase in knife attacks lightly, even if in around 40 per cent of cases it only resulted in a threat with a knife. I have therefore instructed our State Office of Criminal Investigation to analyse the new data in detail and to create a picture of the situation regarding knife crime in Bavaria. This will give us more precise knowledge of the issue of knife attacks and provide an important basis for strategic criminal decisions. We will then work closely with local authorities to examine whether and when it makes sense to designate no-go zones for carrying knives, for example.’

Bavaria has made use of the option under the Weapons Act to transfer responsibility for designating knife-free zones to local authorities, district offices and district governments. ‘These authorities, who are familiar with the local situation, are best placed to assess whether knife-free zones are appropriate in their area of responsibility,’ said the Bavarian Minister of the Interior. In this context, Herrmann emphasised that numerous regulations already prohibit the carrying of knives and other dangerous objects outside of weapons law. As an example, Herrmann cited the general conditions of carriage in local public transport, such as those of the Munich Transport and Tariff Association (MVV).