As the start of an initiative to improve the safety of older people, experts from the police, academia and senior citizens' initiatives came together at the Ministry of the Interior. The "Safe in old age" event at the Ministry of the Interior on Friday, October 2, 2020, provided a comprehensive overview of crime phenomena, dangers in traffic and ways to better protect older people. According to an expert from the State Office of Criminal Investigation, the "grandchild trick" and "fake policeman" scams alone caused more than 39 million euros worth of damage to senior citizens in North Rhine-Westphalia between 2017 and 2019. "Whether from crime or road traffic, our moral obligation in a social society is to protect vulnerable people in particular. Taking advantage of their age and their closeness to their loved ones are also particularly despicable acts," said Minister Herbert Reul.
The event at the Ministry was the prelude to further events of this kind with experts and senior citizens throughout North Rhine-Westphalia. The minister gave the North Rhine-Westphalian police force the task of devoting even more attention to this topic. "In this society, vulnerability must not necessarily lead to being injured," the minister told the participants.
A scientist from the German Police University pointed out that senior citizens have a significantly lower risk of becoming a victim of crime than young people. They also generally feel safe in their surroundings. In the area of property crime, however, there are indications of opposing trends. "We don't want to dramatize, there is no reason to. But we don't want to trivialize either, because there are too many reasons for that. We want to focus calmly on the topic and take the best possible precautions," said the Minister.
