Interior defends its plan against 'squatters' or gangs: "Crime rises 5.7%, but there is no insecurity crisis"

It stands out that there are fewer crimes than in other European countries and that the greatest quantitative increase corresponds to telematic scams

MADRID, 7 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Ministry of the Interior has defended its ongoing operational plans against the illegal 'squatting' of real estate, violent youth gangs, organized crime in the Campo de Gibraltar or computer crimes. "The total crime recorded by the police in Spain has grown by 5.7%, but in no case is there a crisis of insecurity," he says.

In a parliamentary response to Vox, consulted by Europa Press, the Government refers to the 2022 Crime Balance of the Ministry of the Interior to underline that the "greatest quantitative increase corresponds to telematic scams" when compared to 2019, since the statistics was affected in the following two years by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to this balance, 2022 left an increase of 53% in the number of rapes, with strong increases in attempted homicides (44%) and crimes related to injuries and riots (31.8%) compared to 2019. In this period, cybercrime also increased by 72%.

In its response dated April 19, the Executive denies a "crisis of insecurity in Spain, especially - it says - if crime rates are compared with the values ​​of reference countries in the European environment." In this way, he recalls that in Spain the crime rate stands at 48.8, compared to 79.5 in the United Kingdom, 60.7 in Germany, 53.9 in Denmark or 74.8 in Belgium.

The Government points to the "various specific operational plans" of the Ministry of the Interior to prevent the main threats, specifying that "criteria for action have been given to the State Security Forces and Bodies in situations of illegal occupation of real estate, the fight against organized crime in the Campo Gibraltar area or violent youth gangs".

He also cites the security plans in tourist areas, in schools or for the elderly, in addition to the specific strategy for the increase in cybercrime, plans that as a whole establish "preventive measures and concrete responses" to achieve "levels optimal security and more positive indices in crime prevention".

As it does in its crime reports, the Executive branch related the increase in crimes "in part to active policies to raise awareness and reduce social and personal tolerance for some types of crime, which translates into a greater willingness of victims to denounce them and to place their cases in the hands of the Security Forces and Corps". This is the case of drug trafficking, which maintains that if it rises it is because it reveals an "indicator of police activity."

The Government also highlights the "remarkable increase in investment effort" and to reverse the 13,000 police officers who were lost during the last government of the PP. "In fact," he warns, "in 2023 Spain will reach the maximum historical number of members of the State Security Forces and Corps."