Crime does not pay? The fact that even the most serious crimes, such as a robbery of an armoured truck The judiciary in Berlin has just made it clear that even the most serious crimes, such as a robbery of a money transport vehicle, have only minor consequences. Here, an offender sentenced to seven years in prison for aggravated robbery and dangerous bodily harm was released early after less than one and a half years. “I am appalled by this action,” said Florian Graf, Chief Executive of the BDGW. “The judiciary is sending an alarming, a completely wrong signal with this.”
The clear-up rate for robberies of cash and valuables service providers is high. As a rule, the perpetrators can be caught and convicted quickly. This was also the case after the robbery in Berlin in February 2021. The total of five men were extremely brutal during the crime against the employees of the company in question. The perpetrator from the Berlin clan milieu, who has now been released, should have spent part of his sentence in a detention centre because of his drug addiction. Since there was no place for him, he had to be released. Even though, according to the judiciary, the remaining prison time does not expire, the convict seems to have already left Berlin for Istanbul.
“What are our employees supposed to make of this?” asks Graf. “The judiciary must consistently counter such assaults with dissuasive sentences and appropriate penal measures. The impression that has now been created must not be repeated under any circumstances and is also fatal for the public’s sense of security. We call on all those responsible to take the necessary measures in the future and to restore confidence in the judiciary.”