SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE/MADRID, 9 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Crime in the Canary Islands rose by 7.5% in the first semester of the year compared to the equivalent period in the previous year, reaching a total of 46,030 criminal acts, according to the Crime Report published by the Ministry of the Interior and reviewed by Europa Press.
The most frequent offences were those associated with conventional crime, totalling 26,215 incidents (+6.6%), followed by thefts with 14,848 cases (+12.7%), cybercrime at 8,807 incidents (+7.3%), and computer fraud, which stood at 7,772, an increase of 7.7%.
In Spain overall, crime has raised by 3% up to mid-year in comparison to the same period in 2022, driven by increases in rapes (+6.9%), intentional homicides and murders (+8.3%), and crimes involving injuries and rioting (+8.6%), with a noteworthy increase in cybercrime (+9.2%) as well.
The Crime Report indicates that criminal acts recorded from January to June 2024 totalled 1,224,084 cases, out of which 986,444 – 80.6% of the overall total – fall under the category of conventional crime, reflecting a variation of 1.6% when compared to 2023.
Cybercrime, represented by 237,640 criminal acts – 19.4% of the total – shows an increase of 9.2% compared to the previous year, including data from all Security Forces and Corps and from the police forces dependent on autonomous communities.
The crime rate rose by 5.9% by the end of 2023 compared to the previous year, with a 3.2% increase during the first quarter. In other words, the second quarter reflects a deceleration in the number of criminal acts.
By autonomous communities, conventional crime mainly escalated in Aragon (+8.3%), the Canary Islands (+7.5%), Navarre (+7.1%), and Cantabria (+5.1%). In contrast, cybercrime increased across almost all regions, especially in the Balearic Islands (+28%), Melilla (+26%), and Asturias (+18%).
CRIMES AGAINST SEXUAL FREEDOM
In terms of offences against sexual freedom (excluding online cases), there has been a rise of 4.8% between January and June 2024 compared to the same timeframe last year.
The statistics from the Interior Ministry categorise this type of crime by distinguishing sexual assaults with penetration, which were recorded at 2,465 cases (+4.1%), from the remaining 7,545 offences against sexual freedom (+4.1%).
As noted in previous reports, the Ministry asserts that this increase “should be viewed, in part, as a response to active policies aimed at raising awareness and reducing societal and personal tolerance towards such criminal acts.”
Until June, the statistics also document 195 intentional homicides and completed murders (+8.3%), while the number of attempted murders fell to 619 (-2.2%). Incidents of vehicle thefts (+2.5%) and drug trafficking (+3.5%) also experienced an uptick.
Among the indicators that have diminished within conventional crime, the most significant changes were seen in kidnappings with 49 cases (-23.4%), robberies involving violence and intimidation (-0.1%), residential burglaries and other facilities (-3.7%), and thefts (-1.1%).
COMPUTER SCAMS ON THE RISE
The indicator for cyber fraud noted 211,294 criminal acts, comprising 88.9% of all cybercrime and 17.3% of the total recorded crime from January to June. This presents an overall increase of 8% compared to the same period in 2023.
To better grasp the development of cybercrime “and its effects on overall crime”, the Ministry of the Interior highlights that in 2023 computer fraud accounted for an annual total of 427,448 crimes, in contrast to the 70,178 incidents logged in 2016, with both years reflecting data from all security forces and agencies.
“This indicates that, within a mere eight years, the number of documented cyber scams in 2023 surged by 509.1% compared to those recorded in 2016,” it concludes.
