Online scams and robberies fuel big rise in Spain’s crime rate after Covid-19 pandemic kept criminals at home

ONLINE scams, thefts, and violent assaults have driven a big rise in Spain’s crime rate over the first three months of 2022.

Interior Ministry figures say crime was up by nearly 28% compared to the same period last year.

Crime levels fell during the Covid-19 pandemic with restrictions and curfews keeping criminals indoors as police patrols were ramped up to make sure rules were followed.

Online crime was up by 60.5% over the last year compared to 2019.

It accounted for 14% of all criminal offences in the first quarter of 2022.

Crimes involving injuries and fights grew by 57% and thefts rose by 51.4%.

Violent robberies were up by 35.3%; home robberies by 27%; and car thefts by 27%.

Complaints over sexual crimes have rise by 21.6% over the first quarter compared to 2021 with rape cases up by 27.7%.

The Interior Ministry says that the increase in sex crimes is down to a greater willingness of victims to report abuses, which had been previously been under-reported.

80.7% of sex crime perpetrators were found and arrested, rising to 84.4% in rape cases.

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