Investigations in Cases of Property Damage

Even though property damage accounts for only a relatively small share of total crime in Germany (9.1% in 2015), it repeatedly causes substantial financial losses for private individuals, companies, and public institutions. In most cases, perpetrators escape undetected and leave behind damage that is rarely covered by insurance, thus affecting victims twice: not only must they cope with the shock of, for example, a destroyed vehicle or a graffiti-covered building façade, but they must also bear the responsibility and costs for replacing the vehicle or cleaning the building themselves.

Since 1987, the nationwide police clearance rate for property damage has fluctuated between 22.1% (1992) and 27.5% (2001). In other words, in approximately three quarters of all cases, perpetrators are not held accountable. As a result, more and more companies, public institutions, and private individuals are turning to our detective agency in Berlin (+49 30 2016 9221-0) to track down offenders and, with the help of our court-admissible evidence, obtain compensation in court.

Defacing Election Posters | Property Damage to Political Advertising

In the weeks leading up to state, federal, or other elections, they can be seen everywhere across cities and rural areas: more or less flattering election posters of various parties and candidates, secretly “decorated” (usually at night) by youths or political opponents with graffiti, insults, or other markings. These may include political slogans, insults directed at candidates and their parties, or even drawings such as Hitler mustaches, buck teeth, monobrows, and genitalia applied with markers or spray paint. While some members of the public may find this amusing, especially when the affected parties are unpopular, such acts are not trivial offenses but constitute classic property damage, as our private detectives in Berlin consistently emphasize. According to Section 303 of the German Criminal Code (StGB), property damage occurs when an object belonging to another person—that is, not owned by the perpetrator and not ownerless—is destroyed or damaged, or when its appearance is altered in a way that is not merely temporary and not insignificant. The law provides for a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine, and even the attempt of such an act is punishable.

Regarding politically motivated crimes before federal and state elections, the German Bundestag published figures for 2013 showing that well over half of these offenses involve property damage: of 2,824 crimes related to federal elections, 1,683 were property damage; for state elections, 311 out of 581 cases fell into this category. The costs for damaged or destroyed posters, displays, and similar materials amount to several thousand euros for each party and are only rarely recovered in court as compensation, since very few perpetrators are identified. The reputational damage suffered by affected parties due to defaced posters is often irreparable.

This makes the work of the Aaden Detective Agency Berlin particularly relevant once again, as elections for the Berlin House of Representatives and the district councils take place on September 18. Our business and private investigators may also be deployed during the state elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on September 4 to both prevent deliberate destruction of campaign materials and identify those responsible after incidents of property damage.

Defacing Right-Wing Campaign Posters Is Also a Criminal Offense

Even though many people consciously avoid being influenced by election advertising before major elections, there are always posters that attract attention through provocation or poorly chosen and therefore ridiculous slogans, generating more media coverage than others. For example, the Administrative Court of Kassel ruled that the deliberately provocative NPD slogan “Money for Grandma instead of for Sinti and Roma” was not unconstitutional, as it did not call for arbitrary measures against Sinti or Roma (case no.: 4 L 1117/13.KS). However, the Higher Administrative Court of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Federal Administrative Court ruled differently in the case of an NPD poster with the slogan “Stop Polish invasion!” depicting three crows pecking at banknotes. These courts classified the advertisement as an attack on the human dignity of Polish citizens (case no.: 2 BvR 2179/09), requiring the posters to be removed. Similarly, the black-and-yellow election posters of the party “Die Rechte” with the slogan “From the South Stand to the City Council” had to be taken down because personal rights of individuals and companies must not be violated, as was the case for the football club Borussia Dortmund, which did not wish to be associated with this advertising or party (case no.: 6 W 56/13).

Such provocations often lead to posters of right-wing parties being defaced by supporters of Antifa and other left-wing groups; however, even xenophobic or racist campaign slogans do not legally justify such acts of vandalism, as political parties and their advertising in a democracy like Germany may only be banned by court order, not removed or damaged through vigilantism. Particularly severe penalties apply to property damage from right-wing extremist circles when unconstitutional symbols such as swastikas are drawn on posters or other campaign materials promoting asylum or immigrant-friendly messages. Reports filed against unknown persons rarely lead to results, even according to the police, which is why such cases are seldom pursued. Instead, parties turn to our detectives in Berlin, who take on the task of identifying the perpetrators: info@aaden-detektive-berlin.de.

Property Damage of Any Kind – The Aaden Detective Agency Berlin Investigates

If you or your company have become victims of property damage, you can confidently contact our business investigators in Berlin. We will inform you about our approach to pursuing offenders as well as our options for preventive surveillance of the objects and buildings to be protected. Using state-of-the-art technology and highly trained investigators, we provide you with the best possible service to help safeguard your property and identify those responsible for property damage, while also obtaining court-admissible evidence against them: +49 30 2016 9221-0.