Latest data reveals the most-committed crimes across Malaga province's main towns and resorts

Theft and internet scams were the two leading crimes in Malaga's largest municipalities throughout the first three months of this year, new data shows.

Between January and March, 5,667 thefts were recorded in the province - some 63 per day - while 3,959 internet scams were reported, 43 per day.

Cyber theft, which has now taken over as the most reported crime in nine of the 16 towns in Malaga where the population is over 20,000, was a major issue in the municipalities of Alhaurín de la Torre (92 cases), Alhaurín el Grande (50), Antequera (99), Cártama (49), Coín (42), Estepona (196), Mijas (276), Rincón Victoria (127) and Ronda (104), Estepona (196), Mijas (276), Rincón de la Victoria (127) and Ronda (104).

Thefts in the lead

In addition to Malaga city, theft was also the most common criminal offence in Benalmádena (229), Fuengirola (457), Marbella (816), Nerja (53) and Torremolinos (293). In the case of Vélez-Málaga, from January to March, there were exactly the same number of criminal offences of both thefts and cyber theft (190).

Benalmádena is one of the municipalities where crimes that increased the most were those committed on the internet, with an increase of 52.6%. However, thefts, which rose by 10.1%, remained the most common, with 229 cases in three months.

There was a similar scenario in Fuengirola and Marbella, since despite being cyber crimes the ones that saw the greatest increase (in both cases by around 54 per cent), thefts continued to be by far the most widespread crime in the two towns on the Costa del Sol, despite the fact that their percentage increase was much smaller.