Ten to 14-year-olds

Cybercrime barely increased in Upper Austria

Offenses have risen massively, especially among ten to 14-year-olds. (symbolic image)

(Bild: terovesalainen/stock.adobe.com)

68,571 crimes were reported in Upper Austria in 2023 - more than in 2022. Violence, property and fraud crimes as well as crimes committed by children under the age of 14 also increased. Internet fraud increased by 22 percent, cybercrime decreased by 27 percent - cybercrime stagnated here, while it almost exploded elsewhere.

Upper Austria's state crime statistics for 2023 also show an increase in the number of reports - from 63,753 to 68,571 compared to the previous year. However, in the area of cybercrime in the narrower sense, there was a decrease of 26.8 percent, i.e. 2,094 reports instead of 2,859 in the previous year, emphasized State Police Director Andreas Pilsl and the Head of the State Office of Criminal Investigation, Gottfried Mitterlehner, at a press conference in Linz on Monday.

Companies better equipped 
Cybercrime itself also remained stable with a slight increase of 0.7 percent at 8,571 reports. "This is a unique feature of Upper Austria", explained Mitterlehner. However, at 4941, there were 21.6 percent more cases of internet fraud than in the previous year. "This means that businesses are much more advanced than the population," concluded Pilsl. They are also obliged to take certain measures, while a lot of education is still needed in the private sector.

First place in the fight against cybercrime
Upper Austria has a pioneering role in Austria in the fight against cybercrime thanks to the cybercrime investigation project. Mitterlehner explained that all the threads come together in Linz, which means that an overview can be obtained quickly and suitable investigation recommendations can be made to the local teams. Around 5000 such instructions had already been issued to departments in the previous year. 

Nationwide expansion
The cybercrime training center in Linz will commence operations in June and these measures must "also reach the most remote corners of Upper Austria", announced Pilsl. In addition, seven criminal assistant positions for forensics are planned in the province. Each office is to have an additional network to ensure that no insecure data enters the police system when processing cases. 28 million euros have been budgeted for this throughout Austria.

Many criminals from abroad
Another conspicuous feature mentioned by the provincial police director was the increase in non-Austrian offenders, who accounted for 41.6 percent of the total of 48,782 suspects. This is more than ever before and twice as many as in 2014, Pilsl calculated. The increase in suspects from Hungary and Syria was significant. Hungary is in third place behind Romania and Germany, "this could be due to the economic situation in Hungary", Pilsl tried to explain. These perpetrators mainly commit property crimes such as burglaries and theft by trickery.

Violent and property crimes
Reported violent crimes increased by 9.6 percent compared to 2022. In 62.2% of cases, there was a relationship between victim and perpetrator. Stabbing weapons were used most frequently. Eight murders were committed, three of the victims were male and five female. There was a slight increase of 3.2 percent in the number of rapes. Property crimes, on the other hand, rose from 17,171 to 19,950, while robberies increased only minimally. The clearance rate for burglary offenses is 18 percent, which is a good average for the whole of Germany according to the police. On the other hand, fraud is almost always solved.

More powers for surveillance...
There is war, espionage and organized crime on the edge of Europe, and in view of this, Pilsl would like more powers, such as the authority to monitor messenger services. "If we don't get going soon, we won't be able to maintain the clearance rate because the other side is becoming more and more professional," he warned. At 59.4 percent, the detection rate in Upper Austria remains high, "the highest of the major federal states".

... and against young criminals
In view of the increase in child and juvenile crime in Upper Austria, "the discussion about lowering the age of criminal responsibility must also be allowed", Pilsl would like to see night-time curfews, for example. In 2023, there were 1610 reports concerning ten to 14-year-olds and 5750 concerning 14 to 18-year-olds.