On the facade of the over 120-year-old school building, visible from a distance: “No pain, no gain” (ed.). However, 6- to 10-year-olds attending Weissfrauenschule and Karmeliterschule have to relearn how to get to and from school every day.
All children living in central Frankfurt must attend elementary schools. And the city center is located on the edge of the station district.
Parents, children and teachers cannot and do not want to go there anymore. They sought a local advisory board. They wrote: “The local council is requested to ensure the regular security of the Wiesfrauenschule and Carmeliterschule grounds.”
Conditions at the site have become so dire and dangerous that the SPD in Frankfurt wants to deploy security guards at both schools.
SPD filed a complaint in the city regarding daily drug trafficking. It's a dramatic cry for help. “During school hours, drug addicts gain access to the area to use drugs or hang out. After school hours, the situation worsens. Drunks, bar goers, homeless, criminals, drug addicts and drug dealers bypass the school gates and try to take over the area. Closed. Closed tight.”
Hans B Albert / AFP
Police are investigating whether the suspect was in possession of drugs. Station District, October 6, 2023 is considered a crime scene in the banking metropolis.
Schools already protect the main entrance with steel gates several meters high. The area is fully enclosed and the door handles are removed externally. There are now two gates on either side of the bus stand, one behind the other.
But, as it turns out, these measures do almost nothing. SPD writes in the application: “Even this (steel gates, locking system – ed.) often does not prevent theft. In the mornings, used syringes, broken bottles and used condoms must be collected every day to protect children.”
– Clemens Schubert, a local politician from the SPD, explains.
Until now, school custodians and teachers have had to clean up and supervise — it's not their job, he says.
The proposal was almost unanimously accepted by all political groups on March 5. Now the city has to make a decision. Frankfurt is currently governed by the Greens, SPD, FDP and WOL.
– All schools should be safe places for children and teachers. In order to clarify the possible need for on-site security, coordination between the responsible school authority and the schools is necessary for the city of Frankfurt, we further ask.
A sharp rise in crime across Germany
That will change The situation is worsening in other federal states as well.
IN Baden-Württemberg There are 3,528 government schools. According to “Bild”, in 2022, 4,187 crimes were committed in these schools, including 1,851 assaults and robberies and 477 theft cases. In 63 cases, the victims of crime were teachers.
In turn, in Bavaria – According to the 2021 survey – 5,698 crimes were committed in schools. However, this does not include what happens on the way home. 1,122 suspects were identified in the area of assault and violence. Local services have registered 1,441 cases of destruction of property, 1,301 cases of theft and 1,052 cases of assault.
IN Berlin There was a sharp increase in the number of violent crimes last year (12% more than in 2022). Twelve schools in Neukölln are protected by security services. Youths fight among themselves in playgrounds, drug addicts use toilets to consume drugs.
dpa / Frank Rumpenhorst / AFP
District on April 25, 2022 at Frankfurt Railway Station.
Although the cumulative data for 2023 Bremen Not yet available, city officials expect crime to rise. For this reason, the number of police officers on the streets increased from 704 to 750 last year.
IN Hamburg Assault (31%) was the most common crime. Although it was considered fatal bodily injury in 2022, services increased by 21% in 2023. for ordinary bodily injury (aggravated bodily injury: +33 cases/10%) compared to the previous year (114 cases).
IN Hesse In 2023, a total of 6,696 crimes were recorded in schools (compared to 5,885 crimes in 2022).
IN Lower Saxony The number of crimes increased from 4,853 in 2022 to 5,053 in 2023. In turn, the number of attacks increased from 1,668 to 1,983 incidents.
IN North Rhine-Westphalia In 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, 20.6 thousand cases were registered in schools. Crimes, in 2022 there were already 24.5 thousand. The number of serious attacks rose sharply from 981 to 1,514.
The Saxon Criminal Police Office investigated 1,976 cases in schools in 2022. This corresponds to a small increase (3.8%) compared to the period before the coronavirus pandemic. 608 cases of bodily harm, 702 damage to property and 148 cases of drug abuse have been registered. Leipzig is a hotspot for school crime in Saxony. Some classrooms even have police officers.
In 2022, 2,511 crimes were registered Saxony-Anhalt, including an accidental manslaughter. Youth gang attacks are on the rise since 2021. Nearly 500 were reported in the first half of 2023. Mostly near the Hans-Dietrich Genscher and Thomas-Münser-Gymnasium (Halle/Saele). Since October 2023, the police department has been providing security to the schools. Of the ten criminals charged by the public prosecutor's office in Halle, four (aged 14 to 17) were convicted. A 14-year-old offender was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.
There is great disillusionment and fear among teachers
Employment of security services is inevitable in an emergency to prevent untoward incidents.
– says Stefan Tull, President of the German Teachers Association.
At the same time, it also makes politicians responsible. – He concludes that parents must be sure that their children are safe in every school in Germany.