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Frankfurt safety?

Last activity 12 November 2018 by TominStuttgart

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jcamar

Hello.  I'm thinking of staying near the Skyline Plaza shopping centre for a few months until I can figure out some more permanent accommodation. But I've heard some bad things about drug crime etc etc in the city in Frankfurt. Is this area around the Skyline Plaza safe? Thanks.

Elenafja

Bahnhofviertel IT is the most Dangerous Region, drugs and Prostitution...Don't be there late in the evening. Do not go out after 19;00. In Rest, Just be careful with Money and Pocket. That's IT. Enjoy your stay.

beppi

I do not know the particular area you refer to, but in Germany no place is dangerous enough to avoid it - even at night.
Common sense and taking care of wallet and bags is required in some areas, but most of Germany is even safer than that.

Elenafja

Excuse me, beppi. Frankfurt is number 1 in black drugs Market and Prostitution. Anytime you have time, come and see how all the Junkies Need Money for drugs. Hundreds of women laying on the Elbeßtrase ( the bordels street) that tells you that u can fuck her and give her money for drugs...if no they inject you a HIV. Be careful... Frankfurt is dangerous

beppi

I have been at the Frankfurt main station (if only briefly, so my observation is limited). It did not seem different from any other city.
The drugs market and (illegal) prostitution does not usually affect a passer-by. And since the police knows such areas and conducts more patrols, the activities are rarely visible to the uninitiated. Legal prostitution is generally harmless.
According to my Internet search, the area in question saw 110 reported criminal acts in 2016 - mostly pickpocketing and brawls between intoxicated persons. This is about two incidences a week on average, a lot by German standards, but not enough to warrant Elenafja's assessment (in my opinion). Of course everyone can decide for him/herself which risks to take, or not - so feel free to avoid the area if you prefer.
I personally won't worry if my wife goes there alone at night.

Elenafja

And what does your statistic say about raped Girls from Bahnhof and giving to them drugs, the passports away and obliged to prostituate? My man is german. We are young, I saw with my eyes many cases there, policeman is not on the street like u think( because they get much Money). I see the Situation day by das and if you have Friends who have an expensive House in Frankfurt than you'll know how it's the bussines. Wish you good luck...

beppi

Rather than emotionally motivated viewpoints like Elanafija's above, it is better to base one's opinion on facts. Here is the official crimnal statistics report of Frankfurt 2017, published by the police force:
https://www.polizei.hessen.de/Dienstste … 1111111111
(It is available only in German.)
In 2017, there were 147 reported cases of rape in the whole of Frankfurt (no information given on how many of them in the main station area). Unlike what Elenafija suggests above, no case of forced prostitution or kidnapping was found.
There is also a chapter about the main station area, detailing the increased police presence there.
Unlike Elenafija's impression, German police is not corrupt. Their publications (such as this report) are usually trustworthy. (That can't be said about contradicting articles in sensationalist media outlets.)

TominStuttgart

While I am very much against right-wing scare mongering about crime, especially attributed to foreigners, that is being used to push a political agenda, I have to disagree with Beppi. There are factors beyond simple statistics. For the most part Germany is safe. But this doesn’t mean there aren’t neighborhoods in some large cities where one needs to take special precaution especially after dark.  And most of such areas are around the major train stations. Sorry but where there is a large junkie scene and open prostitution there is often criminality.

Even when it is not outright robbery with a weapon, there is aggressive panhandling using intimidation. And the number of aggressive beggars, many of them Roma from Eastern Europe has drastically changed the situation. Not just pick-pocketing but bag snatching are much more common. I have personally experienced Romas trying to steal from me and junkies trying to start a fight a number of times over the last couple of years in or near Stuttgart main station, which is otherwise a very safe city.

A week ago there was a report on TV showing the tricks used by bag thieves and pick-pockets. It was quite factual and not just sensationalism. They used actual footage from cameras in trains and train stations to show actually crimes. And the city they most showed was Stuttgart. And the area around Frankfurt main station has always been a bit on the dangerous side. Anyone who doesn’t see this is blind or in denial. That said, most German cities are safer than in most countries. But one needs to take some care in any big city especially near train and bus stations.

TominStuttgart

Also, while women are rarely attacked on a public street and raped, the crime still happens, often by men using knockout drops put into drinks at bars or clubs. And I strongly disagree with BeppI’s statement about forced prostitution. There are laws about it but it is still apparently a big problem in Germany. There is even a group is Stuttgart of former prostitutes that are leading an agenda to make it a crime to visit a prostitute. I have personally spoken with some of this group over the last year. I disagree with their strategy but had to agree that there is an underlying problem. They claimed that around 90% of prostitution in Germany is not voluntary. They suggested that the women are being forced into it. I think the reality is that many are doing it out of economic necessity, forced by poverty. And while the outright physical forcing of women to be prostitutes is probably less common, it does happen.

Many women are lured into going from impoverished countries in East Europe, Africa or Latin America to somewhere where they are promised a decent job. Then they get their passports taken away and are forced into prostitution. Maybe it is more common in other countries but there are surely tens of thousands of such cases in Germany as well. Even if asked by the police, these women will rarely speak up and get help since they often have no work visas and don’t want to get sent home. Or if they don’t earn enough money for the pimps then their families back home might get threatened by the gangs running such operations. Somehow the laws about such things are inadequate.

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