Overall crime down in Germany, but child porn, cybercrime up

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s overall crime rate continues to decline, but the country has seen a steep increase in the distribution of child pornography and cybercrime. Germany’s annual crime statistic report shows that the distribution of child pornography in Germany more than doubled. It went up by 108.8% in 2021 compared to the year before. Germany’s interior minister said Tuesday that “combating the sexual abuse of children and the dissemination of heinous abuse photos and videos via the Internet is a top priority.” The number of cybercrimes is also going up. In 2021, over 146,300 cases were recorded, an increase of 12.1%. Overall, Germany has seen a decline in crimes since 2017.