Crimes involving children under 14 have drawn growing concern in Alicante, where authorities report a rise of more than thirty percent over the past year. The data appear in the device memory statistics compiled by the State Attorney General’s Office and published this week. The figures relate to 340 criminal cases where the minor is not liable due to age and where educational measures are implemented. The latest attorney general report analyzes the evolution of crime in Spain, with Alvaro García Ortiz urging careful attention to the increasing violent behavior by minors across regions and ages.
García Ortiz notes Alicante as a province where expert prosecutors are closely monitoring the surge in criminal acts by youths under 18. Other regions showing variation include Madrid, Seville, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Ourense, Barcelona, Biscay, and Malaga. In Alicante, juvenile delinquency rose by more than twenty percent, with preliminary proceedings from 1,620 cases increasing to 1,955. In 1,355 of these, the Prosecutor’s Office ordered a reform file and referred the case to the court.
There is a memory of increased activity in various crime categories, with special attention to acts connected to gender-based violence, family abuse and sexual offenses. Cases involving sexual crimes saw a notable rise, with 28 new matters opened last year, including 20 cases of sexual assault and 8 cases of abuse, a near tripling compared to prior periods. The Public Ministry attributes the rise in gender and sexual violence to continued exposure to harmful modeling by youths and peers via the internet and social networks.
The prosecution also warns that violent acts linked to terrorism are becoming more common. Violent youth gangs have extended beyond capital cities into neighboring towns and even across borders within the community. Spots where gangs have been observed include Alicante, Madrid, Zaragoza, Barcelona, the Balearic Islands, Seville, as well as Soria and Guadalajara.
There has been a marked increase in injuries associated with minors, with counts rising from 93 to 125, though the offenses are generally moderate in severity. Threats rose from 40 to 43, and theft offenses totaled 42. The Attorney General calls for stronger educational measures to ensure youths reach higher levels of maturity and personal self-management, reducing marginalization. The report stresses the need for early and multidisciplinary intervention and notes that violence cannot be viewed as a normal way of life. It also emphasizes tightening controls over accessto dangerous tools such as machetes and knives.
Recovery efforts include a focus on heroin interventions in tourist areas, including Alicante and Malaga. Anti-drug delegates warn of increased heroin seizures and a pattern of rising narcotics consumption and trafficking, which aligns with Spain’s status as a notable cannabis producer within the European Union, fueling the activity of organized crime groups that sometimes engage in violent clashes to grab drugs.
The rise in juvenile delinquency in Alicante has prompted discussions about expanding the juvenile court system. The Supreme Court notes the need for an additional juvenile court to reinforce the three already in place, while prosecutors warn about a shortage of educators to supervise probation sentences. Presently there are between twenty and forty young offenders per educator.
Sexist violence
The prosecutor’s memory highlights continued increases in sexist violence despite existing measures. Overall, 5,250 victims of gender-based violence are recorded. In Alicante province, 2,837 people are handling new cases and 2,413 are dealing with active pending lawsuits.
In a file photo, a demonstration against sexist violence in Alicante underscores the ongoing challenge (Pilar Cortes). The prosecutor’s office notes the use of new technologies in gender-based violence cases, particularly in threats, coercion, harassment, or the discovery and disclosure of private information. Officials suspect actual figures may be higher than current statistics indicate.
Statistics show a slight decrease in cases of candid video leaks. In 2021, six cases in this area and one in domestic violence were registered; in 2022, three cases in the former area and two in the latter.
The Ministry of Public Affairs points out persistent difficulties in proving these crimes, including the complexity and delay of expert evidence and challenges in communicating with service providers outside Spanish territory in many cases. In practice, demands are often reduced to the most serious instances, while accusers pursue only the strongest cases.
Current statistics show 415 restraining order removals and 921 protection orders in Alicante, with 231 of those orders rejected due to insufficient evidence. The memory also notes issues with electronic monitoring devices, including service gaps in the province where a single technician handles installations, leading to potential delays when multiple devices must be placed.
Sex crimes
Alicante reports an overall 20.69 percent rise in sexual offenses, with transfers increasing from 836 to 1,009 cases. Sexual assault cases grew by 62.11 percent from 206 to 336, while sexual abuse incidents rose from 260 to 278, a 6.92 percent increase. Conversely, cases of sexual abuse through intercourse decreased slightly from 15 to 10 in prior trials.
From the prosecution’s viewpoint, there is a broad growth in these crimes, including the spread of sexually explicit images and records proliferating rapidly online.
Finally, domestic violence shows a decrease of 12.43 percent in Alicante, with the total dropping from 764 cases in 2021 to 669 in 2022.
Global figures
In 2022 the Alicante Prosecutor’s Office registered 45,000 preliminary studies. The data indicate an 8.1 percent increase in criminal proceedings across the entire province compared with the previous year, a rise attributed to a return to normalcy after years of restrictions related to incarceration and movement.
Completed and attempted murders rose from 57 to 69, a 5.26 percent increase. Injury crimes grew from 10,808 to 12,736.
The report also notes several notable cases in which the Public Ministry intervened. It mentions a tax fraud network involved in laundering money from selling Chinese shoes, with the Alicante case resulting in the acquittal of about twenty people. Another incident involved the arrest in La Nucia of a suspect linked to counterfeit 500 euro banknotes, detained by the Mossos d’Esquadra while on Spanish soil.