Quieter times in Sigmaringen: decline in refugees and crime

Quieter times in Sigmaringen: decline in refugees and crime

in the city of Sigmaringen, which is located in the south of Baden-Württemberg between the Swabian Alb and Lake Constance, a noticeable decline in refugee numbers is emerging. In 2022, around 15,000 refugees were still registered in the State State Administration Office (LEA), while this number could be reduced to only 3,400 last year. This decline also has a significant positive effect on the security situation in the city, such as Schwäbische.de

In 2022, a total of 2,059 crimes were registered in Sigmaringen, with 645 of these offenses taking place within the LEA site. The chief of police Daniel Reiser emphasizes that a large part of the refugees do not become delinquent and that the police cannot reduce their presence due to the refugee composition. Despite increasing refugee numbers in Baden-Württemberg, positive trends are emerging: shop theft is slightly declining, and violent crime has also decreased.

decline in crime

The number of violent crimes fell from 115 to 82, and the incidents with knives fell from 26 to 23. An incident was particularly outstanding in which a man threatened police officers with two kitchen knives. Through skillful conversation, the officials were able to make the man to give up the knives, which illustrates the challenges with which the police are faced with.

In the context of the decline in refugee numbers, according to reitschuster.de that the crime rate has risen from 12% to around 20% in Sigmaringen. This reflects in particular the tensions that arise from the accommodation of refugees in the city that has already been highly stressed. Mayor Marcus Ehm (CDU) warns of an overload of the city and emphasizes that migration policy must be improved at a higher level in order to protect social peace.

complex relationships between crime

The police find that a small part of the refugees is responsible for a large part of the police work. Compared to previous years, crime is diverse among migrants, and their frequency cannot be attributed solely to the origin. According to bpb.de play factors such as social disadvantage and the life environment a decisive role. Refugees from war zones such as Syria or Iraq often show a lower crime rate, while integration is crucial for the development of crime.

The challenges of refugee accommodation in Sigmaringen cannot be overlooked. The local council aims to accommodate a maximum of 1,000 refugees in the LEA, but around 2,100 currently live there. The situation could continue to worsen because the contract for the accommodation of refugees was extended by the end of 2026 without determining a binding upper limit.