Crime rate continues to fall in Germany

The Police Crime Statistics of Germany (PCS) are compiled on the basis of the individual data sets at the “Länder” Criminal Police Offices (LKÄ) and at the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA, Federal Criminal Police Office).

Simple and serious crimes, including punishable offences, as well as suspects investigated by (criminal) police are recorded in the PCS on the basis of the PCS catalogue of offences. The statistics contain only those offences which have come to police attention, been processed by the police and, before compilation begins, passed to the public prosecutor's office.

Not included are further administrative offences, politically motivated crime (offences against state security), traffic offences (however including sects. 315, 315b PC and sect. 22a German Road Traffic Act, which are not regarded as traffic offences pursuant to the guidelines) as well as violations of Länder criminal laws (with the exception of: data protection laws and assemblies and processions acts of the Länder). Offences not covered by the remit of the police (such as financial and revenue offences) or those directly reported to and handled exclusively by the public prosecutor's office are not contained in the PCS either.