Alex Trelinski
REPORTED crimes in Alicante Province went up by 24.6% in the first half of 2022, compared to last year with Benidorm rising by over 50%.
The number of criminal offences was 43,438 between January and June, compared to 34,857 in 2021.
In towns and cities of more than 20,000 people, the biggest rises are in Benidorm(55.9%) and Ibi(45.7%).
The smallest rises were in Mutxamel(2%) and Petrer(3.6%).
Eight killings took place in the first six months of 2022- three of them being the schoolboy shooting of his parents and brother in Elche.
An important caveat is that the overall figures are similar to the first half of 2019 with the next two years seeing the Covid pandemic and various lockdown and late night travel restrictions.
Sexual offences and assaults have skyrocketed though authorities claim ‘active social awareness policies’ have led to a greater willingness of victims to go to the police.
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