Costa del Crime: number of murder and rape cases remain steady, but cyber scams are down

The latest data from Spain's ministry of interior shows a slight rise in crime of 1.9 percent in Malaga. According to the data made public on Wednesday, an average of 261 crimes were committed in the province every day in the first quarter of the year. And this despite the fact that, in this period, several types of criminal offences have fallen, such as robbery and, for the first time, cybercrime. Others, such as murders and sexual assaults, have remained at much the same rates.

Violent crimes cases have remained at the same level as in the first three months of last year, when there were also six crimes, although attempted murders have risen slightly, from 12 to 14. On the other hand, six kidnappings have been recorded from January to March, three more than in the same months of the previous year.

As far as sexual assaults are concerned, the police authorities have recorded 173 cases, which is the same number as in the first quarter of the previous year. It should be noted that this type of crime has been on the rise for years until reaching the current rates, with an average of two sexual offences per day and one rape every three.

The data, on the other hand, reflects a notable decrease in property crime. Robberies with force in homes, establishments and other facilities have fallen by 20.8 per cent in the province, currently standing at 906 offences of this type, compared to 1,144 in the first quarter of the previous year. Of these, the majority were perpetrated in homes, where 613 were recorded.

Robberies involving violence and intimidation have also decreased, although to a lesser extent. From January to March, 398 cases were recorded - with 22 fewer than in the same months of 2024. Theft, on the other hand, has increased slightly, with a total of 5,553 incidents reported to the police authorities, two per cent more than during the same period last year. Similarly, other types of offences have declined, such as vehicle thefts (down by 4.5 per cent, with 462 cases) and drug trafficking (with 272 offences, four fewer than last year).

For the first time in years, there has been a drop in cybercrime offences, which has also coincided with a decrease of 1.4 per cent in these types of offences at national level. In the case of Malaga, the drop was 2.6 per cent.

Even so, according to the data, the province has recorded an average of 52 cybercrimes per day, which means a total of 4,704 offences perpetrated by such means, that's 125 less than in the same period in 2024. This category includes computer fraud, which accounts for the majority of the complaints associated with these crimes, with 4,110 cases.