On New Year's Eve, the North Rhine-Westphalia police deployed around 7,000 officers, including riot police, to ensure the safety of citizens. In total, there were more than 4400 deployments. The strong police presence prevented clashes at an early stage.
Interior Minister Herbert Reul: "Every year, New Year's Eve holds a lot of potential for busy hours. Whether it's teenagers with too many firecrackers in their pockets, attacks on emergency services or people who don't know when to stop drinking - the turn of the year is always a special situation for the emergency services. The police were well-prepared and were able to put a lot of troublemakers out of action early on. Nevertheless, it always shocks me that the police and emergency services are attacked on duty. I would like to thank all the emergency services for their service that night. Unfortunately, even the best preparation cannot prevent crimes from happening on New Year's Eve. The police cannot be everywhere. For everyone involved, I would have liked people to know their boundaries better and to look out for their fellow human beings."
Minister Reul continued: "The deaths and injuries this night caused by homemade firecrackers or the incorrect handling of fireworks leave me perplexed. Handling firecrackers - even if they are colorful and glittery - requires the utmost caution. Why hasn't everyone realized this yet?"
In the balance, the number of attacks on police officers has increased, but the number of injured officers has decreased. 17 police officers were injured, seven fewer than at the turn of the year 2023/2024. In 54 cases, police officers were attacked from a group with pyrotechnics. 76 criminal charges were filed for acts of resistance against police officers and assaults.
In total, 1204 people were ordered to leave the premises, 169 people were taken into custody and 13 people were provisionally arrested during operations in connection with the New Year's Eve celebrations. Assault offenses were reported in 362 cases, 245 of which involved grievous bodily harm. Compared to the previous year, significantly more damage to property was reported. The NRW police registered 645 criminal charges in this area.
The number of pickpocketing cases almost halved, with 15 cases reported. The number of sexual offenses remained roughly at the previous year's level with 30 cases.
Note
The figures provided are current evaluations from 31.12.2024, 6 pm, to 01.01.2025, 6 am. As in previous years, there may be late reports due to subsequent reports/reporting. As a result, the figures listed here may still change. In this respect, this presentation merely represents a status report. A concrete comparison with the previous year's figures is only possible to a limited extent due to a change in the recording parameters.