Cybercrime Trends in the Valencian Community: A National Snapshot
The Valencian Community has reported the sharpest rise in cybercrime across Spain, with the first half of the year showing a 44.9% increase. This is more than twice the national average, which stands at 19.7%. The latest report from the Ministry of Internal Affairs indicates that Valencia leads the nation in adopting new cybercrime methods, recording 22,459 incidents. Computer fraud accounts for the vast majority of these crimes, totaling 19,193 cases and representing nearly one in five conventional crimes. Following Valencia, Andalusia shows a 34.7% increase, with Aragon and Murcia close behind at 34% and 33.5% respectively.
In the broad 2022 overview from Internal Affairs, computer fraud constituted 335,995 crimes nationwide, while 70,178 incidents were reported in 2016. This data reveals that computer fraud made up almost 90% of cybercrime within six years, rising by 378.8%. The trend remains alarming, with no signs of reversing in the near term. Marked caution is advised for regions experiencing sharper growth and for authorities adapting to evolving criminal methods.
Within the Valencian Community, Castellón shows the largest surge in cybercrime during the first half of the year, with 1,875 offenses reported. This marked a 71.5% increase from the same period a year earlier. Alicante province follows with 8,381 cybercrimes, a 46.1% rise. Valencia itself recorded 12,203 cybercrimes, up 40.7%.
conventional crime
Turning to traditional crime, the Valencian Community saw a 5.9% rise. While not leading the national charts, it sits in fifth place behind Catalonia, the Canary Islands, Asturias, and Murcia, which posted stronger growth.
From January to June, Alicante province experienced a 14.6% increase in crimes, rising from 43,419 in 2022 to 49,762 in 2023. This performance outpaced the national average, which also rose by 14.6%. Encouragingly, the first quarter balance shows an improvement of around five points relative to the year before.
The period also saw a decline in certain severe offenses, with murders dropping from eight incidents to four. Sexual assaults with penetration fell by 17.8%, from 118 to 97. Kidnappings were not reported in the first half compared with four cases in the previous year.
Despite a decrease in penetrative sexual assaults, other sexual crimes rose by 13.3%, totaling around 350 cases. At the same time, counts for attempted murder and murder increased by 57.1%, rising from 21 to 33 in 2022. Crimes involving injuries and riots reached 557, up 6.1%. Robberies with violence and intimidation climbed 34.2%, from 714 to 958. There were 2,928 home-theft incidents, up 3.1% from the prior year.
Vehicle thefts grew by 37.6%, rising from 476 to 655 complaints, while overall thefts increased by 15.8% with 12,473 reports. Drug trafficking offenses rose 23.7% to 574 violations, reflecting heightened activity by security forces. Among municipalities, Aspe led the increases with 44.2%, and Elda followed at 42.4%. Sant Joan d’Alacant and Villena recorded declines of 10.7% and 7.2%, respectively.
In response to these findings, the JUPOL union has urged authorities to update job catalogs and adapt policing models to the current crime landscape as observed in Alicante.