Tuesday's top story: Police statistics show decrease in number of crimes last year
In 2025, the police registered fewer crimes nationwide than the year before, including fewer violent crimes. These figures exclude violations of the right of residence and other requirements for foreign residents.
Part of the decline in total crimes - 4.4 percent fewer crimes were recorded than in 2024 - was due to the legalisation of cannabis.
In total, around 212,300 violent crimes were recorded nationwide in Germany in 2025, which was 2.3 percent fewer than in the previous year. But of these there was an increase in the number of children suspected of committing the crime, which aligns with a troubling trend in recent years.
Some key figures from the latest police crime statistics, which were released Monday:
- Around 5.5 million crimes were recorded (5.6 percent less than in 2024).Â
- The proportion of non-German suspects overall was 35.5 percent, roughly at the same level as in the previous year (35.4 percent).Â
- The police recorded more crimes in benefit fraud (up 11.5 percent), murder, manslaughter and killing on demand (up 6.5 percent) as well as rape and sexual assault and sexual assault (up 8.5 percent).
- There were fewer reports of robbery, predatory extortion and robbery of motorists (down 7.1 percent).
- Registered drug offences decreased by 27.7 percent.
- The number of children suspected of committing violent crimes rose by 3.3 percent - to around 14,200 suspects.
READ ALSO: 'Society is being radicalised' - Germany sees massive spike in politically motivated crime
Siemens warns EU risks falling behind in AI race
German industrial giant Siemens has warned that the European Union is at risk of falling behind the United States and China in artificial intelligence due to excessive regulation and legal uncertainty.
Speaking on Monday, the company called on Brussels to accelerate both the development and deployment of AI, particularly for industrial applications.
A Siemens spokesperson said the main problem was not innovation itself, but the difficulty of rolling AI out in practice. New rules were creating uncertainty, with overlapping assessments and bureaucratic hurdles discouraging investment.
Siemens chief executive Roland Busch went further, warning that the group would prioritise AI investment outside Europe if regulations did not become more business‑friendly.
Busch criticised the EU’s AI Act and Data Act for treating industrial AI systems in the same way as consumer applications, arguing that this approach was misguided and harmful to competitiveness.
Siemens, which has been shifting towards software‑based, data‑driven products, fears being held back in an increasingly global technology race.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has acknowledged the concern, saying at the Hanover trade fair that European AI regulation must be simplified. “We can’t go on like this,” he said, signalling growing political pressure for reform.
READ ALSO: Google opens Berlin centre for 'AI development'
Commission for protecting young people online is not convinced by social media ban
Recently some of Germany's top leaders, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz, had talked up the idea of banning the use of social media apps for children under a certain age.
The debate gained momentum when Australia issued a social media ban for young people under the age of 16 at the end of 2025. A number of European countries including Greece have moved to follow suit recently.
READ ALSO: Will Germany ban social media for children?
Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) had set up the commission "Child and Youth Protection in the Digital World" in September which was aimed at how young people can best be protected from the negative affects of social media use.
The commission will not make recommendations until the end of June, but has already shared some initial findings - including the headline idea that experts have little faith in an outright social media ban.
An age limit alone will not help, says Olaf Köller, co-chair of the comission. One must "tackle the problem in its full breadth".
Roughly one million young people in Germany are thought to use digital media in a problematic way, with 300,000 showing signs of addictive behaviour, and many encountering cyberbullying, hate speech, pornography and more.
The commission suggests that ultimately mitigating the harm of social media use will require parents, schools, paediatricians and adolescents working together.
There is media education in Germany, but not with nationwide standards.
Asylum applications to Germany fall sharply as France becomes top EU destination
Germany has recorded a sharp fall in asylum applications, losing its long‑held position as the EU’s main destination for refugees for the first time since 2015.
According to figures cited by Welt am Sonntag, the number of applications lodged between January and March fell by 23 per cent year on year to 28,922 – the lowest quarterly total on record.
The decline means Germany now ranks fourth in Europe, behind France, Spain and Italy. France received the highest number of applications in the first quarter, with 34,643, followed closely by Spain and Italy.
READ ALSO: Is Germany really planning to let more asylum seekers enter the workforce?
Across the EU, plus Norway and Switzerland, asylum claims dropped by 18 per cent to just over 173,000.
The fall has been driven largely by a steep reduction in arrivals from Syria and Ukraine. Syrian applications across Europe fell by 63 per cent, while Ukrainian claims dropped by 57 per cent.
Experts point to tighter EU‑wide asylum rules and a tougher stance by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government, including expanded border controls and deportations.
Germans favour using money in forgotten bank accounts for social causes
A large majority of people in Germany want money lying dormant in long‑forgotten bank accounts to be put to social use, according to a new survey.
The poll, conducted by Forsa for SOS Children’s Villages, found that 86 percent of respondents support transferring such funds into an independent social fund after a set period, rather than leaving the money with banks.
Only two percent said the funds should remain with financial institutions, while eight percent favoured transferring them to the state.
Billions of euros are believed to be sitting in so‑called dormant accounts belonging to deceased individuals with no heirs. Government estimates put the figure at up to €4.2 billion, while heir‑tracing groups believe it could be considerably higher.
Under current practice, banks usually absorb the money after around 30 years.
Aid organisations argue Germany is lagging behind other countries, noting that the UK has channelled inactive account funds into social projects since 2008, while still guaranteeing repayment to rightful owners.
Although Germany’s coalition government has pledged reform, critics say progress has been slow.
The survey also revealed that most Germans have not fully documented their own finances, raising concerns that more savings could become untraceable in future.
READ ALSO: LISTED - Eight of the best mobile banks for foreign residents in Germany
With reporting by AFP and Paul Krantz.
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