Worrying 20% rise in crime in the Canary Islands. Rapes have increased the most

During the first nine months of 2022, crime grew by 19.7% in the Canary Islands compared to the same period in 2021, with significant increases in criminal offenses such as rapes (+27%); robberies with violence (+32.4%); and drug trafficking which rose by 41.8%.

According to a report on crime in the Canary Islands, published by the Ministry of the Interior, there were 71,053 criminal offences reported on the Islands up to the end of September, which is 11,675 more than in the same period of last year, when 59,378 crimes were registered.

CRIME IN THE CANARY ISLANDS BY PROVINCE:
By province, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura) registered a 14.1% increase in crime compared to the first nine months of 2021, while in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro) there was an increase of 27.3%.

By volume of crimes, Tenerife (+29.3%) and Fuerteventura (+23.7%) were the islands with the biggest increases, followed by Gran Canaria, which saw an increase of 14.1%. In Lanzarote, crime increased by 6.4%, in El Hierro by 3.6%, in La Gomera by 2.8% and in La Palma by 0.4%.

During the first three months of the year, there were eleven murders in the islands, the same number as in 2021, but 36% more attempts (34 compared to 25 in 2021).

Sexual attacks grew by 27%, going from 690 to 876 cases, with an even more worrying increase in sexual assault with penetration, which rose by 52.2%, going from 69 to 105 cases.

Robberies with violence and intimidation rose by 32.4%, going from 916 to 1,213 cases, while robberies with force entry grew by 6.8%, from 2,554 to 2,727. Within these last crimes, home robberies decreased by 1.4%, from 1,827 to 1,802.

Thefts increased 46.7%, growing from 11,923 to 17,493 and vehicle thefts rose 24.7%, from 724 to 903.

Finally, drug trafficking crimes grew by 41.8%, rising from 416 to 590 cases reported in the quarter.

In the four cities with the largest population, crime grew by 19.6% in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, rising from 11,949 to 14,290 offences; 19.3% in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, from 5,271 to 6,287; 20.7% in La Laguna, from 3,796 to 4,580; and 4.1% in Telde, from 3,746 to 3,898.