The police statistics for 2024 revealed a “significant increase in youth crime,” as stated by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) during a press conference on Monday in Vienna. Karner referred to this area as a “worrying issue,” highlighting that the perpetrators in these cases are becoming increasingly younger. The number of reports involving suspects aged 10 to 14 has doubled in recent years, reaching around 12,000 cases in 2024.

The proportion of non-Austrian suspects in this area stands at 48%. The number of reports involving Syrian suspects has skyrocketed from 150 in 2020 to about 1,000 last year, a tenfold increase, Karner noted. He identified halting family reunification as the key measure to address this issue, as 90% of Syrian suspects would be involved in family reunification cases.

Increase in Reports by 1.2%

In total, there were more than 534,000 reports in 2024, marking a 1.2% increase compared to 2023. The clearance rate stood at 52.9%, with around 280,000 cases solved, which is the third-highest rate in the past decade. More than 335,000 suspects were identified, with 46.8% of them coming from outside Austria. The majority of non-Austrian suspects come from Romania, followed by Germany and Syria. The biggest increase, around 30%, was noted among Syrian suspects.

Increase in Property Crimes

While internet crime levels remained high in 2024, property crimes increased. Although there was a decrease in residential burglaries, there was a notable rise in car and vending machine break-ins, with an increase of 25%.

Karner emphasized that the annual crime statistics serve as a “guide” for the police’s work, helping to identify current trends, developments, increases, decreases, and irregularities across different areas.