Trump wrong about crime in Germany

President Donald Trump suggests crime in Germany is surging because of migration, causing a political backlash against the country’s leadership. But he’s wrong about Germany’s crime rate, which is at its lowest in a quarter century.

Trump tweeted Monday: “The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition. Crime in Germany is way up. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!”

The underlying claim, that crime in Germany is “way up,” is false. According to official crime statistics released last month, crime in Germany dropped nearly 10 percent in 2017 compared with the previous year. Police recorded a total number of 5.8 million crimes last year, compared with 6.4 million cases in 2016. It was the lowest figure since 1992.