The presentation of the latest crime figures by Germany's interior minister never really captured public imagination in the past. But that all changed when the refugee crisis started. And this year, Horst Seehofer will be making the announcement.

All eyes will be on the new interior minister in Berlin on Tuesday as he presents the new crime stats for the first time.

The long list of potential headlines on the report could include

"Steepest decline of crime in 25 years,"

"20 percent fewer burglaries in Germany,"

"Dramatic decrease in youth-related violence."

But these headlines may not make it to print. Germany in 2018 is a different country from the one it was just a few years ago. Facts are increasingly making way for emotions.

"On the one hand, it is a media phenomenon: 'Only bad news is good news,'" Germany's best-known criminologist, Christian Pfeiffer, told DW.

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'Media aggravate the feeling of insecurity'

In 2017, the number of recorded crimes sank to 5.76 million — a 10 percent decrease on the previous year.

Yet Pfeiffer, who was the director of the Criminological Research Institute of the state of Lower Saxony and served as justice minister in Lower Saxony, says a glance at the TV listings goes a long way to explaining why Germany feels less safe nonetheless.

"It's crazy," he said. "Not a night goes by without some sort of crime movie on TV. We're being flooded with murder and homicide."

No wonder, Pfeiffer concludes, that people generalize and become more anxious — even though violent crime in particular declined sharply last year.

The emotional factor also plays an important role.

"There's a feeling of insecurity in Germany because we have so many foreigners," Pfeiffer said. "A piece of "Heimat", a piece of emotional security has been lost."

According to the criminologist, Germany is currently going through a process that every migrant nation experiences when a lot of immigrants arrive at once. "It's a phase of insecurity because humans have learned for millennia that foreigners could be dangerous."

The sense of insecurity is especially high in large cities, where the proportion of immigrants has increased significantly in recent years. The reason, Pfeiffer said, wasn't an actual rise in crime, but "a perceived loss of "Heimat."

The very German expression of "Heimat" denotes a place or a community where a person feels at home — something to which they are emotionally attached.

Read more: A deeper look at Germany's new Interior and Heimat Ministry

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed A major draw: 'Grün ist die Heide' In the postwar years, the Heimatfilm genre was one of the most successful in Germany. Films like "Grün ist die Heide" ("The Heath Is Green") drew millions to the cinemas. The Germans forgot the sorrows of their lives in the early 1950s by enjoying scenes of natural landscapes and heartbreaking stories. At a subliminal level, these films addressed subjects of flight and displacement.

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed Roots in silent films German cinema had already built up a strong connection to topics such as home and nature during the silent film era. In the genre known as "mountain films," director Arnold Fanck drew a connection between nature and mysticism. One of his most eager students was Leni Riefenstahl — seen here filming "Das blaue Licht" ("The Blue Light") in 1932.

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed Box office triumph The 1950s was the high point of the Heimatfilm genre. Producers and directors usually set their stories in a green, mountainous backdrop. Subject matter swung between drama and kitsch. Films like "Försterliesel" ("Forest Liesel") drew in the masses. Later, those who studied film saw in the Heimat genre messages of despair and misery.

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed New take on Heimat Decades later, directors like Herbert Achternbusch and Werner Herzog helped the Heimatfilm make a comeback. This time, though, Heimat was defined differently. Achternbusch, who originally stemmed from Bavaria and can be seen here (at right) in the film "Bierkampf" ("Beer Chase") made fun of Bavarian ways. This new take on Heimat was satirical and vicious.

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed Mirror to history Edgar Reitz returned Heimat to its honor in 1984 with his multi-film epic, "Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany." After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, the series gained international success. Reitz told the story of the residents of a village in the hills of the Hunsrück region with a subtlety and attention to detail. In doing so, he held up a mirror to the major events in German history.

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed Emigration and immigration Reitz was also responsible for the epic series "Die andere Heimat" ("Home from Home: Chronicle of a Vision") released in 2013. The genre took on yet another meaning as the director traced the steps of 19th century German immigrants to Brazil. Emigration and immigration are two sides of the same coin, and this shows how it can be viewed from many different perspectives.

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed Germany from above The most recent entry in the Heimatfilm genre shows Germany from a bird's-eye view. A documentary film like "Die Elbe von oben" ("The Elbe from Above"), shows Heimat as an abstract concept, looking at it from a distance. The beauty of the landscape is in the foreground, the surface of things dominating perspectives.

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed Heimat on the range Heimatfilms are not specific to Germany. In the US, they simply have a different name for the genre. The Western tells stories of land grabs and displacement, of new and old Heimat — most often from the perspective of the settlers — as seen here in "The Searchers" in 1956.

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed Italian view Movies focusing on Heimat have been produced in other nations as well. You could safely classify the works of director Federico Fellini in this genre. In "Amarcord" (1973) and other films, Fellini told stories of cities and provinces, of people and families — stories which could not possibly have been set anywhere else but in Fellini's native Italy.

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed French idyll The birthplace of cinema has also contributed to the Heimat genre. French movies have long praised the exceptional beauty of a life lived in the countryside, in the typical French provinces. Eating and drinking, life and love — all are celebrated in films like "Les enfants du marais" ("The Children of the Marshland"), which was released in 1999, but set in 1918.

'Heimat' films: How German perspectives on home have changed Ch'tis take over the world French filmmakers have been adept at showing the opposites between the country's rural and city areas. By showcasing these regional differences, they have given a variety of dimensions to the discussion of Heimat. The 2008 movie "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" ("Welcome to the Sticks") shows what happens when a public servant from Provence is forced to move to northern France. Author: Jochen Kürten (ct)



'Immigrants' include many different groups

Close attention is nowadays paid to foreigners, or rather immigrants, when it comes to the police's crime statistics. Comparisons with previous years are difficult, because now recognized refugees, like politically persecuted persons, are also counted under the umbrella term immigrant, which further includes:

asylum seekers,

persons "tolerated" in Germany because they cannot currently be deported,

persons without legal permission to stay in Germany,

persons under subsidiary protection (most of whom have fled civil war in their home countries),

the contingent refugees who were placed in Germany through international aid programs.

The number of suspects with an immigrant background is proportionally higher in crimes such as pickpocketing, rape and sexual assault, battery and aggravated assault, robbery or burglary.

One reason is also that "foreigners are twice as likely to have charges pressed against them as Germans," according to Pfeiffer.

Young men were troublemakers before refugee crisis, too

However, the age and gender of the suspects must be taken into account.

"Young men between 14 and 30 were the most problematic group even before 2014, so before the start of the refugee crisis," Pfeiffer pointed out. "Back then, they made up half of all suspects, but only 9 percent of the general population."

One-in-four war refugees are young men. Among immigrants from North Africa, that figure rises to one-in-two: Young men with little chance of actually getting to stay in Germany and who had to leave their wives and girlfriends at home.

"The lack of women is very noticeable," the criminologist said. "Women make a point of solving issues civilly. When they aren't there, macho behavior gets out of hand."

Horst Seehofer's Interior Ministry wants to dramatically restrict refugee family reunification — including immediate relatives. But would one solution be to let the men bring their families to Germany?

On the one hand, yes, Pfeiffer said. But on the other hand, "Germany simply sees the limits of what the state with its social benefits can do for immigrants. I understand that."

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More investments, not less aid

What he doesn't understand is German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz's plan to reduce development aid.

Instead, Pfeiffer said, Scholz should run with an idea tabled by Development Minister Gerd Müller.

"Müller has a very smart plan: He wants German companies to create jobs in refugees' home countries with the help of public funds."

That would open new perspectives for people in their home countries. And that, Pfeiffer believes, would be good for German crime statistics as well.