On the day that the country braces itself for an outpouring of grief, the families of the victims of the Erfurt school massacre are likely to take little comfort from Thursday’s statement from Interior Minister Otto Schily that Germany is one of the safest countries in the world. Tens of thousands of Germans and the country's leaders took part in an open air memorial service on Friday for those who were killed. A total of 17 people lost their lives in the eastern town last week during the school shooting.

Figures released on Thursday show that, on the whole, crime in Germany rose by 1.6 percent in 2001 compared with the previous year but that the number of reported gun related incidents were lower than in 2000. Gun crime in 2001 dropped by 9.7 percent in cases where a firearm was used in a threatening manner. Actual shooting incidents fell further, by 21.9 percent.

Majority of Germans feel "very safe"

"The threat of being mugged or the victim of a robbery in Germany has dropped continuously since 1998," Mr. Schily (photo) said. "This has led to a perceptible rise in the public's sense of security." Schily cited a survey by the Emnid polling institute that found 70 percent of Germans feel "very safe" where they live. He added that there had been a downward trend in crime since the Social Democrat-Greens government took office in 1998.

With crime shaping up to be among the top issues in Germany's election in four months, the conservative opposition quickly slammed the Government’s idea of raising the age limit for gun ownership from 18 to 21 in a bid to avoid future tragedies.

No easy cure for problems

"Schily's proposal to raise the age to 21 goes too far," said Bavaria's interior minister Günther Beckstein. "There are no cure-alls for the crazed attack in Erfurt," he added. "It is wrong to yank the question of legal age limit out of the larger issue of legal responsibility for 18-year-olds."

Robert Steinhäuser (photo), the troubled 19-year-old student who returned to his former high school last Friday and killed 13 teachers, two students, and a police officer before shooting himself, had recently obtained a license for his weapons despite tough gun control laws.

Theft and murder down

Almost a week after Germany’s worst post-war shooting incident, officials said on Thursday that the crime figures for the last year showed decreases in a number of areas of criminal activity. Recorded thefts fell by 1.5 percent to 1.5 million during the year, mostly due to the 9.2 percent drop in the number of car thefts. This can be explained in part by the improvements in security features added to new cars which have helped in the fight against auto theft.

Germans also found themselves less likely to be robbed and murdered during the recorded period. The number of robberies fell and murders dropped to 868 in 2001 compared to 958 in 1998.

Overall crime increase

Despite these falling levels, overall crime increased during the year. Mr. Schily attributed this increase to the 7.2 percent rise in the number of property damage cases, much of which came from the rising numbers of vandalism and graffiti prosecutions. Figures for computer-based crime also increased.

The report also shows that there has been a notable increase in some violent crimes in the past four years. The number of cases involving "assault and grievous bodily harm" rose by 4.1 percent to 120,000 from 110,000 four years ago.