THE murders have skyrocketed in Spain by more than 8%, a significant increase that puts the National Policeknowing that the job catalogue has not been structurally modified since 2008, with 30 police officers national for 10,000 citizens since then. Furthermore, murders are not the only crimes that have seen an increase: delinquency has seen a continuous growth in recent years, with figures that also affect the most serious types of crimes, according to data provided by the Ministry of the Interior.
The majority union of the National Police, JUPOL, responded to this worrying situation with a complaint, that of the “urgent need to update the job catalogue to be able to face the new reality in optimal conditions”. They point out that the number of police officers currently working they are not enough to “be able to guarantee optimal security conditions for citizens”, and even less “taking into account the increase in delinquency”.
Similarly, the union also highlights the negligence of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaskawhich they indicate that “he undertakes to look the other way and turn his back on the State security forces and bodies to avoid having to take measures to improve the working conditions of the National Police and provide them with material and human resources with those who stop this increase. All this while improving living conditions regional police requesting their approval and “to the detriment of the National Police and the Civil Guard“.
Murders, rapes and drugs
Domestic data show that intentional homicides and murders committed increased by 8.3% only in the second half of 2024, during which 195 murders took place. There was also a significant increase in the number of crimes against sexual freedomwhich increased by almost 5% during the same period, during which more than 10,000 such crimes were committed. Crime, in general, increased by 3% during this second quarter. This translates into a total of 1,224,084 crimes35,198 more than in the same period of 2023.
Even though these are the most serious crimes and those which “generate the greatest feeling of insecurity in society” –murders, rapes or drug trafficking– neither the Ministry of the Interior nor the General Directorate of Police have “taken any measures”. Ibon DominguezJUPOL spokesman, expressed “the urgent need to carry out a structural update of the National Police’s job catalogue, with an objective increase in the number of active agents on our streets to cover real needs in relation to criminal reality.
Since 2008, they indicate, “both the population and the criminal reality have extremely changed“, which is why they demand that Marlaska “stop juggling to try to hide alarming criminal data from everyone’s sight” and guarantee “the safety of all Spaniards and respect for the law in our streets.”
