Spain gets safer as crime rates fall

THE crime rate in Spain dropped 3.6 per cent last year according to the latest report from the Home Office.

The report gave a total of 2,093,621 crimes registered during the year by the various security forces, whereas the total for 2013 was 2,172,133.

The resulting crime rate was given as 44.8 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants, a positive result which the ministry said puts Spain in the spotlight as an international reference for crime fighting.

Drops were registered for almost all types of crime, especially robberies, which fell by 17.3 per cent, and violent delinquency, which fell by 14.1 per cent, although 20 more homicides were registered than in 2013.

Vehicle thefts also decreased with a total of 43,374 reported in 2014, 5,481 less than the year before.

Home break-ins dropped slightly following a scheme the National Police put in place last year, with 121,873 reported compared to the 127,444 in 2013.

The only type of crime reported to have increased was homicide, with a total of 322.

The only region where crime was shown to have increased was Navarra, although the Home Office declared that this was due to the fact that Local Police force data was included for the first time last year.

The most notable improvement in crime rates was for the Balearic Islands, with a 6.9 per cent drop, followed by La Rioja (6.7 per cent), Andalucia (5.7 per cent), Asturias (5.3 per cent) and Aragon (5.2 per cent).