Crime figures for the first nine months of the year show a 5.5 percent rise compared with the same period in 2019, before the pandemic, while sexual assaults involving penetration jumped sharply by 38 percent. The Ministry of Interior released a crime report on Friday detailing 1,734,625 crimes recorded from January through September. Across all categories, crime rose compared with the first nine months of 2019, including murders and violent robberies and offenses occurring inside homes, though car theft did not follow this overall trend.
The interior sector notes a notable surge in cybercrime, reporting an 89.3 percent increase. Of the total crimes from January to September, 1,734,625, conventional offenses accounted for 87.5 percent, while cybercrime represented 12.5 percent with 217,571 cases. The Interior draws attention to the sharp rise in cybercrime and cautions that final annual figures for cybercrime within the jurisdictions of the Ertzaintza and Mossos d Esquadra may not yet be fully processed, suggesting a higher total once all data are complete.
The indicator for computer fraud stands at 191,160 crimes, representing 87.9 percent of all cybercrime and 11 percent of all crimes recorded by September. This marks a 96.6 percent increase compared with the same period in 2019. Crimes against sexual freedom continue to trend upward, a pattern observed since 2014 according to the ministry. In the first nine months of this year, 13,455 cases were reported, up 30.1 percent from 10,343 in the same period before the pandemic, with certain breaches reaching 38 cases.
Interior emphasizes that the rise should be viewed partly as a result of active awareness campaigns aimed at reducing social and personal tolerance for these offenses. Victims are more likely to report offenses and turn their cases over to security authorities. The ministry adds that increased awareness has helped improve case clarifications, with approximately 80 percent of these crimes now being clarified, indicating a reduction in prior under-reporting.
In the third quarter, other offenses show a 13.1 percent rise in drug trafficking compared with 2019, totaling 14,361 crimes. The Interior attributes this to ongoing efforts by the Civil Guard and the National Police in Campo de Gibraltar. Crimes against property, accounting for 42.0 percent of conventional offenses such as theft and vehicle theft, show an overall decrease of 10.2 percent. Offenses carried out with violence or intimidation declined by 2 percent, burglaries in homes, businesses, and other facilities fell by 15.9 percent, theft rose by 9.7 percent, and vehicle theft by 12.4 percent.
Completed murders numbered 237, down 4.8 percent, while attempted murders increased by 38 percent with 868 incidents. The ministry provides source notes to explain shifts in reporting and enforcement results, while detailed figures remain subject to ongoing review and regional adjustments. Attribution is to the Ministry of Interior.