Suche
Mein Konto
Juvenile robberies in the shopping center: perpetrators caught!
Young people in Brigittenau committed robberies; Police are investigating and increasing their presence. Debate about juvenile crime flares up.
Juvenile robberies in the shopping center: perpetrators caught!
In Vienna, juvenile crime remains an explosive issue that concerns not only the police, but also society as a whole. Officials from the Vienna State Criminal Police Office were recently able to solve a case in which two young people threatened a 14-year-old with a knife in a shopping center in Brigittenau and forced him to hand over cash. The incident occurred in May 2025 and only became public knowledge through the intervention of an alert security guard who informed the police. After extensive investigations, two suspects, a 13-year-old with Austrian citizenship and a 16-year-old from Somalia, were identified. While the younger boy confessed his involvement, the 16-year-old denied the allegations. However, both were reported at large on suspicion of aggravated robbery, as reported by 5min.at.
But this incident is just the tip of the iceberg. In another case, two other young people, a 15-year-old with Bulgarian roots and his 14-year-old accomplice, are causing a stir at the Vienna Regional Court. These two are accused of a series of brutal robberies and burglaries. Particularly alarming: The 14-year-old had already accumulated over 100 police notices before his birthday. His group, which he founded together with younger accomplices, operates in the city area at night. These structured gangs are currently making a name for themselves in Vienna's crime statistics, which is fueling the ongoing debate about juvenile criminal law. Demands for a lowering of the age of criminal responsibility and stronger consequences for parents are becoming louder and louder, as [heute.at](https://www.heute.at/s/teenager-begehen-100-taten-kann-nicht-bestraft- Werden-120106070) describes.
Backgrounds and developments
Most young people who commit crimes are male and many stop as they get older. Studies show that around 43.7% of male students and 23.6% of female students have committed a crime. Despite the frightening figures, the majority of crimes are actually minor crimes. However, Vienna has seen an increase in more serious crimes, which is shifting the crime rate statistics. The [bpb.de](https://www.bpb.de/themen/recht-justiz/gangsterlaeufer/203562/jugend criminalitaet-zahlen-und-fakten/) points out that up to 70% of students say they have become delinquent in the last year, which impressively illustrates the dimensions of the problem.
The police have responded to the changed situation and are increasing their presence in the affected districts to make it clear to the young people that their actions will not remain in the dark. The creation of special units to combat juvenile crime is also being discussed. Teachers and social institutions are also called upon to promote prevention projects in order to offer young people alternatives and to dissuade them from becoming delinquent.
The answer to the question of how best to protect young people from a criminal life path must therefore consist of a combination of social responsibility, parental support and a clear legal framework. Because while some statistics show that juvenile crime is trending down, a focus on the more intense cases that are causing fear and terror among our citizens remains essential.