Is Germany Really 'Dangerous' (Like In Terms Of A No-Go Zone)?

 Vast regions of the US....like Baltimore, New Orleans, Birmingham or Memphis....are generally regarded as no-go zones.  It's been that way for several decades.

When I first arrived in Germany (Frankfurt) in 1978....there simply wasn't a no-go zone in existence.  I could walk any part of the city...even at midnight.

There's some point around 1990 to 1995....I used the term...'exercise caution'.  Meaning?  There were the beginnings of drug-zones in cities like Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Dusseldorf.  It wasn't the whole city....it was simply a drug-use zone  where you were better off to avoid. 

Somewhere around 2010 to 2015....stabbings started to collect up and be openly discussed by the police. The reports mostly all came from highly urbanized cities (Hamburg, Koln, Frankfurt, Berlin, etc).  Around 2017....the knife-assaults  got up to 3,800 for the nation.  That's a 800-plus-percent jump from 2008.

Blame?  Well....what the police suggest is that as migrant numbers increased (after 2014)....drugs, booze, and violence became part of the landscape.

Around 2019-2021....the numbers started to trend up.  By 2023.....they had almost 9,000 serious body harm incidents across the nation.  Berlin itself....had around 3,550 cases in 2023 alone.

More police were added....but it barely made a dent in the public perception.

If you lived in a small village, or rural region? You probably rest pretty easy and feel almost none of the danger element.

If the talk comes up in a group?  Most Germans have an opinion (rather negative), and quietly admit that they 'know' the nearest threat area and where to avoid.   

All of this playing into politics now? Both the lefty and righty sides have political positions and quietly admit more more funding for the police is likely to  come.

Affecting Christmas markets?  Because of attacks and violence....every city Christmas market has a  'protective' zone.   There are barriers, private security for entry of vehicles, and extra cops (reservists) roaming.

Is security/safety now a top ten issue?  I would suggest since 2020....it's progressed up and firmly a top five issue now.

Comparable to Baltimore or Chicago?  NO.  For the most  part, it's still knife assaults or threats.....rarely if ever gun-violence.

My worst prediction? In five to eight years....I could imagine the AfD folks making this a top priority, and finding another 10-percent of the voters who want ultra-serious action to occur.