Police operation in Cottbus: Young people set off firecrackers on the roof of a high-rise building!

Police operation in Cottbus: Young people set off firecrackers on the roof of a high-rise building!

On December 22, 2025, young people caused a stir and a double police operation in an empty high-rise building on Schopenhauer Strasse in Cottbus. Loud LR Online Witnesses were alerted when they saw the teens setting off firecrackers from the rooftops and gymnastics around the building. This risky, crazy idea meant that the police had to intervene twice.

During the first operation, officers found remains of ignited pyrotechnics, but no young people were on site at the time. It was only when the police arrived for the second time, which took place in the early afternoon, that the emergency services came across a 14-year-old who was already known to the police. While searching the high-rise building, they discovered three other young people and took them to the police station, where the parents later picked up the young troublemakers.

Background of juvenile delinquency

These incidents are part of a worrying development in German youth crime. A survey by the Federal Criminal Police Office shows that youth violence reached a peak in 2024 with around 13,800 registered cases, which is more than twice as many cases as in 2016. The factors cited for this increase include psychological stress caused by Corona measures and the risky living conditions of young people, especially those seeking protection. This reports Statista.

Although the total number of juvenile suspects fell by around 6 percent in 2024, the proportion of male offenders remains alarmingly high at 84 percent of those convicted under the age of 21. The question arises as to whether harsher punishments in juvenile criminal law or a reduction in the age of criminal responsibility should be discussed as possible solutions, while many experts point to the need for increased prevention, especially through child and youth welfare.

The incident in Cottbus shows once again that these issues do not only exist on paper. The acts must be understood as a warning signal in order to help the young people affected and offer them perspectives before they make the wrong decisions. At a time when many young people are struggling with insecurities, it is important to create supportive measures.

It therefore remains to be seen what measures the city and the police will take to promote coexistence and give young people a better perspective. Events like those in Cottbus raise the question of how vulnerable this phase in young people's lives is and what steps need to be taken to put them on the right path.