Police in Cologne, where women were groped and robbed during New Year’s Eve festivities

Crime in Germany has dropped to the lowest level since 1992, despite fears raised by the influx of more than a million asylum seekers.

Crimes committed by immigrants from outside the EU fell sharply, mainly due to the dramatic reduction in the number of asylum seekers illegally crossing the border last year.

Overall, a 10 per cent drop in crime was recorded, with violent crime down by 1.7 per cent in 2017, including a 1.9 per cent drop among non-German suspects, the Interior Ministry said.

The fall in crime came against a backdrop of German angst about Angela Merkel’s generous refugee policy which saw the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party win 94 seats and take 12.6 per cent of the vote in September’s election.