Crime climbs 3.3% in the Canary Islands through September, with murders and kidnappings on the rise

Conversely, sexual assaults with penetration (‑18.5%), vehicle theft (‑11.8%) and offenses against sexual freedom (‑10.1%) fell.

Overall picture

• The Ministry of the Interior’s Crime Balance shows 83,358 criminal offences recorded in the first nine months of 2025, a 3.3 % increase compared with the same period in 2024.
• Spain’s total recorded offences for January‑September 2025 amount to 1,870,877, up 1 % on the previous year.
• The previous report (data up to June) had indicated a 0.9 % decline, highlighting a sharp reversal in the second half of the year.

Violent crimes on the rise

• Intentional homicides and completed murders jumped 150 %, reaching 25 cases.
• Kidnappings doubled (+100 %) to 87 incidents.
• Cyber‑crimes increased 22 %.
• Attempted homicides and murders rose 13.9 %.

“The sustained rise in sexual‑assault offences with penetration, up 4.6 %, must be viewed partly in the context of active awareness campaigns and a reduction in social tolerance, which is also lowering the level of under‑reporting,” the Interior Ministry said.

Declines in other categories

• Sexual assaults with penetration fell 18.5 %.
• Vehicle theft dropped 11.8 %.
• Offences against sexual freedom decreased 10.1 %.

Conventional crime vs. cybercrime

• Conventional crime (theft, assault, etc.) accounts for 1,496,618 offences (≈ 80 % of the total) and declined 0.6 %.
• Cybercrime comprises 374,259 offences (≈ 20 % of the total) and rose 8 % year‑on‑year.
  • Within cybercrime, computer fraud alone increased 6.4 % to 327,856 cases.

“With these figures, the conventional‑crime rate in Spain stands at 40.8 offences per 1,000 inhabitants, the lowest point in the historical series,” the Ministry highlighted, adding that the cyber‑crime rate is 10.1 offences per 1,000 inhabitants.

Property‑related offences

• Crimes against property (robberies, thefts, vehicle thefts) represent 42.1 % of conventional crime and fell 3.2 % overall.
  • Robberies with violence or intimidation: 47,173 cases, down 0.9 %.
  • Burglary (forced entry): down 10.6 %.
  • Thefts from dwellings: down 10.1 %.
  • Thefts overall: 480,249 cases, down 2.2 %.
  • Vehicle thefts: 24,478 cases, down 1.2 %.

Drug‑trafficking offences

• Drug‑trafficking offences rose 4.3 %, from 16,392 in the first nine months of 2024 to 17,093 in the same period of 2025.

“This increase is closely linked to the actions of the Police and Security Forces within specific initiatives such as the Special Security Plan for the Gibraltar Area,” the Interior Ministry explained.

Regional differences

• Catalonia recorded a 2.8 % decline in crime.
• Community of Madrid saw a 0.8 % drop.
• Andalusia experienced a 2 % rise, while the Valencian Community increased 2.3 %.
• The Balearic Islands posted the highest growth among autonomous regions, +4.8 %.

Remarks from the Interior Ministry

“Crimes against sexual freedom grew 3.7 % over 2024, but this is a lower percentage than the inter‑annual increase observed in previous years (5.7 % in 2024 over 2023).”

“With these figures, the conventional‑crime rate in Spain stands at 40.8 offences per 1,000 inhabitants, the lowest point in the historical series.”

“This increase is closely linked to the actions of the Police and Security Forces within specific initiatives such as the Special Security Plan for the Gibraltar Area.”

“The data must be interpreted partly in light of active awareness policies and a reduction in social tolerance, which is also decreasing under‑reporting.”