Do you still remember the cityscape debate that occupied Germany for a long time this year? It has died down though. But it showed how long-lasting narratives can have an impact, even if they are based on false attributions. Complex social issues are all too quickly reduced to visible groups. Security is primarily about the underlying causes and not about superficial impressions.
does not depend on origin but on social conditions. Anyone who reads statistics instead of cultivating prejudices realizes that crime is not imported, it is a social phenomenon. People who live in poverty and without social integration are more likely to commit crimes – regardless of their origin or skin color. What matters is education, income and social participation, not the passport.
My DIW colleague Anna Bindler points out their analysis on the so-called cityscape debate, points out that simple attributions are misleading. In cities where more immigrants live, the crime rate is not automatically higher. Rather, the social structure plays a role. Crime is concentrated where there is a lack of prospects, where integration is not successful and where the state is too rarely present – with schools, social work and affordable housing.
So it’s not because of “male migrants in the cityscape”, but rather a lack of social integration and unequal opportunities. Research clearly shows that with successful education, stable employment relationships and social acceptance, the risk of crime decreases dramatically. General blame, on the other hand, makes integration more difficult and stirs up mistrust – thereby weakening the very thing it claims to protect: internal security.
Also take violence against women into account
Anyone who is serious about security must also look at the figures on violence against women. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, one in three women in Germany will be a victim of physical or sexual violence in the course of their life. The overwhelming majority of these acts do not occur on the street; in the home environment – by partners, ex-partners or family members.
This reality often disappears in the public debate behind the image of the “unsafe inner city”. But the biggest threat to women’s safety is often at the kitchen table, not on the park bench. In 2023 there were in Germany femicidemost victims by their partners or ex-partners. In the worst case, violence against women costs them their lives and costs the state an estimated 54 billion euros every year – health costs, lost productivity and consequential social damage.
Security means protecting women and children, giving them access to advice, shelters and legal support. It means preventing violence before it happens – through education, prevention and a culture that does not trivialize violence.
