It is almost a precision landing: if you ignore the two years of the corona pandemic and the restrictions it imposed on the population, the number of criminal prosecutions in Austria has almost seamlessly returned to pre-pandemic levels. Difference: only exactly 37 criminal prosecutions. The clear-up rate of the offenses also remained virtually the same.
Where a striking decrease in the number of criminal offenses was reported for 2020 and 2021 (433,811 criminal offenses were reported in 2020, in 2021 there were “only” 410,957), but now the tide has turned. In 2022 there were 488,949 criminal prosecutions, before the pandemic there were 488,912 in 2019. As in previous years, more than 50 percent of crimes were solved.
‘Corona hole closed again’
“What happened was what experienced criminals expected,” Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) said at the press conference. Police reporting statistics are back to pre-pandemic levels. “So the Corona hole is closed again,” said Karner.
Reason for the “corona hole”: According to the Federal Criminal Investigation Department, the BK, the so-called classic crime for short, experienced a slump, mainly due to the closed night restaurants and the lockdowns, which severely limited public life. For example, according to the BK, there were significantly fewer thefts and physical injuries in the area of night gastronomy.
Due to the pandemic, some crimes have a special dynamic
But now the level has reached pre-pandemic times again, as if Corona never existed. Karner also mentioned the “three biggest challenges”, citing extremism, the fight against the human trafficking mafia and cybercrime. “Some crime areas have received a particular boost due to the pandemic and have increased significantly,” said the interior minister, referring to extremism and cybercrime.
extremismAccording to Karner, criminal offenses in 2022 were at the same level as in 2021, but significantly higher than before Corona. Objectors to the state and conspiracy scene have spread their crude theories at rallies and repeatedly promoted right-wing extremists and identitarians, Karner said. In 2022, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution reported more than 660 people, conducted more than 100 house searches and arrested 37 people.
The second challenge mentioned by the Minister of the Interior was the fight against the smuggling mafia“Dirty money is made here, deaths play no role in this area of organized crime,” Karner said. In 2022, 687 people smugglers were caught – that’s an increase of 56 percent – and “some big fish” were among the suspects.
The third challenging area is the cybercrime. This too has grown due to digitization during the pandemic. In 2022 there were 30.4 percent more advertisements. The Minister of the Interior emphasized that there is “an increasing willingness among victims to report” in this area. The number of reports rose from 46,179 in 2021 to 60,195 cases last year. The most recorded crimes are internet scams, but violent crimes on the internet are also on the rise, which the Ministry of the Interior says may explain the increase in violent crimes in general.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
