One rape reported every two days in Malaga as sexual crimes rise across the province

A rape incident was reported every two days in the past six months in the province of Malaga, new disturbing crime data shows. A total of 349 sexual crimes were committed between January and June this year compared to 300 during the same time period in 2022, official crime statistics for the first half of 2023 revealed.

The 349 sexual offences included rape, sexual harassment, provocation, prostitution, sexual exploitation and corruption of minors. A total of 78 rapes were recorded in the province in the first six months of 2023, an increase of 23.8% on last year, according to the figures. With the new data it must be remembered that more offences have been registered due to a "greater willingness" of victims to report them, the Ministry of Interior added.

In total, from January to June, 46,168 offences for any crime were recorded in the province, 7.9% more than in 2022. Thefts continue to be the most common offence with 12,129 cases.

The second most common type of theft in Malaga is cyber theft, which has increased by 51.1% year-on-year, the data shows. According to police, 8,182 offences of this type have already been recorded in the second quarter, 2,768 more than in the same period last year. People continue to fall victim to computer scams, with an average of 40 complaints registered in the province per day. There were an average of 7,373 cyber frauds from January to June, according to the data, up 59.5% on the previous year.

Kidnapping was the crime that increased the most in the province, up 250% compared to the first six months of 2022.

House burglaries are down

According to the data, the only crimes that have decreased are home burglaries, as well as homicides and attempted murders. Home burglaries fell by 2.3%, with 2,129 robberies recorded in the province. Meanwhile, homicides and attempted murders decreased by 4.2%.

One in six crimes are committed on the internet

The data shows that one in six crimes are committed on the internet in Malaga. But the problem is rife across the country whereby since 2016, cybercrime has risen by 350%. They are perpetrated by professional criminals who usually operate from abroad and who, in order to lure potential victims, send mass emails, text messages or phone calls.