Downtown Harburg grapples with escalating violence, according to police data

In the heart of Hamburg, the Sternschanze entertainment quarter stands out as a relatively safer area compared to the Harburg district when it comes to violent crime. However, the latter has been grappling with a high rate of such incidents.

According to the latest statistics, the Harburg district reported 351 acts of violence in 2023, which equates to 1255 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants. This rate places Harburg among the districts with the highest rates of violent crime in Hamburg, surpassed only by St. Georg and St. Pauli.

The Phoenix quarter, known as a social hotspot, is believed to be a contributing factor to this high rate. Interestingly, a comparison with the Bergedorf district shows that the burden of violent crime in Harburg is more than twice as high. If compared to Neugraben-Fischbek, another district with a town center, the difference is even more pronounced, with Harburg bearing about four times as much violence.

Out of the 166 reported robberies in 2023, the Harburg district accounted for 103 incidents. Moreover, of the 551 cases of dangerous and serious bodily harm, the crime scene was in the district in 232 cases.

The clearance rate for violent crimes in Harburg in 2023 was 74%, with 556 crimes solved. However, André Trepoll (CDU) has expressed concern about the decrease in police personnel at station 46, responsible for the Harburg district. The number of full-time police positions at the station has decreased from 184.2 to 181.3.

Trepoll stated that reducing police personnel when facing a problem such as high rates of violent crime is the wrong approach. He made a minor inquiry about this decrease, expressing his concern that it is not being adequately perceived in politics.

The identity authority responsible for the police in the Harburg district is the Polizeidirektion Harburg, and in 2023, there were approximately 500 police officers employed there. Despite the high rate of violent crime, the district appears quieter in pure residential areas when compared to other districts in the same area.

Trepoll's concern about the decrease in police personnel is not unfounded, as the high rate of violent crime in the Harburg district continues to be a significant issue for the community.