Crime is falling, with less violence and theft, but more sexual offences
North Rhine-Westphalia has become slightly safer overall. This is according to the police crime statistics for 2025, which were presented by Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul on Monday, 2 March 2026. Last year, the police recorded around 1.36 million crimes (2024: 1.4 million) across the state. This represents a decrease of three per cent compared to the previous year (-41,680). A total of 53.7 per cent of all cases (around 729,000) were solved. The statistics also show that violent crimes, theft and burglary in particular are on the decline. Child and youth crime has also fallen slightly. At the same time, more sexual offences and homicides were recorded. In total, more than 324,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia were victims of crime in 2025.
Minister Herbert Reul: “North Rhine-Westphalia is becoming a safer place to live again. That is good news. In a state with over 18 million people and more large cities than anywhere else, there will always be crime. But compared to 2016, we are in a much better position today. This is no coincidence, but the result of clear decisions and hard work. Safety is not created on the drawing board in ministry offices, but on the streets, in police stations and at the criminal investigation department. In other words, where our police officers roll up their sleeves and get to work every day. For that, I say thank you.”
Violent crimes fell by 1.8 per cent to around 159,000 cases in 2025. The majority of these were cases of simple assault, with just under 105,000 cases. A total of around 39,000 cases of dangerous and grievous bodily harm were recorded (-3.1 per cent). The clearance rate for violent crimes is 84 per cent. The trend is similar for street crime: the police recorded around 308,000 cases, a decrease of four per cent compared to 2024, when there were around 322,000 cases. The number of robberies fell by 6.4 per cent to around 11,000 cases, which is significantly below the 2016 level.
Despite a slight decline, knife crime remains a persistent issue. In 2025, knives were used as weapons in almost 7,200 cases. This represents a decline of around 1.5 per cent compared to 2024. The 2024 statistics showed an increase of around 21 per cent compared to the previous year. In 2025, the police recorded around 9,000 victims of knife crimes. Forty-nine people were killed in knife attacks. In 2025, the police recorded 508 cases of murder and manslaughter, 29 more than in 2024. Three hundred and forty-eight of these crimes were attempted, and 130 people died. 93 per cent of all cases of murder and manslaughter were solved. The overall increase in these cases is due to the rise in manslaughter cases by around 12 per cent, while 4 per cent fewer murders were recorded compared to the previous year. Six fewer people (52) were murdered than in 2024 (58).
Minister Reul explains: “Our streets and squares have become safer. We are seeing a slight easing in violent crime, but there is no reason to breathe a sigh of relief. When it comes to murder and manslaughter, every crime is one too many. Almost all cases are solved, but the suffering of the bereaved remains. I am not giving the all-clear on knife crime either. A knife is not a status symbol, but a weapon. And weapons do not belong in your pocket.”
In 2025, around 500,000 thefts were recorded, which corresponds to about 37 per cent of all crimes. The police recorded an eight per cent decrease in shoplifting to around 92,000 cases. The clearance rate for this type of crime is over 90 per cent because perpetrators are often noticed directly in the shop. For the first time since 2021, there is a downward trend in burglaries. The number of cases fell by three per cent to around 27,500. In 2016, the figure was still more than 52,000 cases. Pickpocketing has declined by 11 per cent, which corresponds to around 4,400 fewer cases than in the previous year.
Minister Reul explains: ‘One third of all crimes are thefts, and yet burglary and theft are on the decline. More working from home, better security technology and increased awareness of one’s own valuables are making it noticeably more difficult for perpetrators.’
The police were able to identify a total of around 479,000 suspects, which corresponds to a decline of three percent. Around 460,000 suspects were recorded for crimes not involving violations of immigration law. The proportion of non-German suspects among the total number of suspects – for crimes not involving violations of immigration law – has also fallen. However, at around 35 per cent (163,000), it remains well above their share of the population of around 16 per cent in North Rhine-Westphalia. The proportion of non-German suspects is particularly high in cases of murder and manslaughter (around 50 per cent), robbery (48 per cent), burglary (50 per cent) and shoplifting (49.5 per cent).
Minister Reul explains: ‘The proportion of non-German suspects has fallen slightly, but remains significantly higher than their share of the population. Anyone who lives here permanently must play by our rules. Those who cannot or will not do so will feel the full force of our constitutional state.’
In terms of child and youth crime, the figures show a slight decline in cases involving at least one suspect under the age of 21 (-7 per cent). In 2025, more than 21,000 children were suspects, which is about 0.1 per cent more than in the previous year. The statistics show a significant decline among young people: around 40,000 young people were suspects, almost eight per cent fewer than in 2024, when there were 44,000 suspects. The offences often involve shoplifting, assault, damage to property or insulting behaviour.
Minister Reul emphasises: ‘For the second year in a row, the figures for child and youth crime are falling. But that’s no reason to breathe a sigh of relief. We continue to see serious acts of violence committed by very young people. If family, school and society don’t take care of them, the police will eventually have to step in. And by then it’s usually too late.’
There has been an increase in sexual offences. The number of registered cases rose by 5.2 per cent. Compared to 2019, the number of cases has more than doubled from around 15,000 to over 32,000 today. The number of rapes rose by 8.5 per cent. In 2025, 3,784 people were victims of these crimes. Around a third of rapes occurred within marriage or partnerships. The police solved four out of five cases. Registered cases of domestic violence rose slightly by 0.8 per cent in 2025 to around 62,000 offences. Fifty-nine people died as a result of violence by their partner or a family member.
Minister Reul: ‘When it comes to sexual offences, we are seeing a trend that no one can deny. More incidents are happening, but more are also being reported. What used to be kept secret is now being reported, and that is a good thing. An assault is not a misunderstanding and it is not flirting. An assault is an assault. No one should have to endure such a thing.’
There continues to be an increase in the area of sexual abuse of children. The police recorded an increase of 2.7 per cent to more than 4,500 cases. The clearance rate is around 83 per cent. The number of child pornography cases also continues to rise. In this area of crime, the police recorded an increase of nine per cent to more than 9,800 cases. The figures have doubled in a six-year comparison. The suspects are a cause for concern: of the approximately 7,700 people investigated, more than 20 per cent were children and around 22 per cent were adolescents.
Minister Reul says: “The numbers continue to rise for child sexual abuse and child pornography. This is deeply worrying, but in some ways also explainable. We have put a lot of personnel into the investigations, are working closely with the US and are using the legal possibilities offered by artificial intelligence to bring these crimes to light in the first place. Those who dig deep in this area will find more. At the same time, we see children and young people among the suspects who forward videos because everyone else is doing it or because they want to be particularly brave. Many do not realise that this makes them liable to prosecution. We must make our children media literate or restrict their access to such material. Standing by and watching is not an option.”
There has been an overall decline in drug-related crime, particularly in the area of cannabis following the new legislation in April 2024. In 2025, only around 35,000 cases of drug-related crime were recorded, a decrease of 28 per cent. The trend is the opposite for cocaine, including crack. Here, the police recorded an increase of 17 per cent to around 7,500 cases. In an eight-year comparison, this corresponds to an increase of more than 80 per cent.
The figures for cybercrime are also declining: in 2025, a total of around 55,000 domestic and foreign offences were recorded, a decrease of around six per cent. Most of these cases involve computer fraud, data theft or online manipulation. The known amount of damage is around 100 million euros. Contrary to the downward trend in cybercrime, the number of around 100,000 offences committed using the internet as a means of committing the crime, such as ‘classic’ internet fraud, remains largely unchanged.
