A year after the torture incident in Heide (D): youth groups are still spreading fear and terror

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It has been almost a year since the city of Heide in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein made international news. At the time, a gang brutally abused a girl (13) for hours. The criminals filmed the crime and posted it online. The mayor of Heide, Oliver Schmidt-Gutzat, promised measures at the time and called for tough action against the perpetrators.

Even a year after the incident, the end of youth crime is still not in sight. Teenagers repeatedly commit crimes or fight in broad daylight. “Bild” reported on Thursday about another incident in the nearby town of Husum.

What happened? An alleged member of the so-called ‘Heide Gang’ entered the Theo shopping center in Husum last Saturday. However, the Syrian (17) is denied access to the house there and the shopping center security wanted to throw him out. The teenager fought back fiercely and had to come to his senses. He allegedly stole a Taser before the scuffle.

A shocked security guard told ‘Bild’ that the man, who apparently posed online with a submachine gun and a knife, had threatened him with violence and death. “Neither the judiciary nor politicians are doing anything. I’m afraid.”

Increased police presence in Heide

The police took the young man to the station. Although he was reportedly involved in a mass brawl at Heide train station, officers let him go a short time later. Shortly afterwards, the hooligan from the mall came to the said security guard and brazenly announced that the police could not do anything to him.

What does the Heide city council say about the incidents? When asked by Blick, press spokesperson Christoph Hecht emphasized: “According to the local police, Heide is in principle safe.” Various measures have been taken to get the ‘worrisome’ youth crime under control. Police presence has been increased and youth social work has been strengthened; a street worker will be hired. A new sports field should also attract children from the streets and a security service should provide more safety.

The police let the mall thug go

There is no such thing as a ‘Heide gang’; the perpetrators come from different youth groups. Heide is not the only one with the problem. “Our neighboring towns have similar problems, especially at the train stations. “That does something to people and their sense of security,” says Hecht.

What makes the prosecution of the perpetrators complicated is that the perpetrators often come from outside; Heide and Husum are attractive to them, just like to many other people who come shopping, for example. In one case, the perpetrator was only twelve years old. In Germany you only have criminal liability from the age of 14. Means: Children and young people under the age of 14 cannot be punished. “Law enforcement authorities are reaching the limits of their capabilities,” Hecht admits.

The brutal girls, aged between 14 and 17, were each sentenced to 50 hours of social work and anti-aggression training for their crime. They confessed to the crime and apologized for the attack. It is unclear what punishment awaits the shopping center lout.

Excessive violence by young people occurs again and again in Germany. In the autumn of 2023, two teenagers aged 14 and 15 tortured a homeless man to death in Horn-Bad Meinberg. At the end of January, a student murdered his classmate at a high school in St. Leon-Rot with a knife.

Source: Blick