Maica Lariba stresses that Pontevedra remains one of the safest provinces

The unconsolidated progress of the data for 2022 reflects that the average number of prison offences remains below the national average. Police effectiveness in the clarification of crimes is maintained and the judicial disposition of persons sought by the justice system is increased.

Pontevedra, February 1, 2023.- The subdelegate of the Government in Pontevedra, Maica Larriba, today stressed that Pontevedra remains “one of the safest provinces”. After studying the unconsolidated progress of prison violation data for the year 2022 in the Provincial Xunta of Security, the subdelegate explained that “an average of 37 prison violations were committed per 1,000 inhabitants, which again places us well below the state average, which amounted to 43.8 in the first quarter of last year.”

The meeting was attended by the heads of the State Security Forces and Bodies in Pontevedra, such as the colonel head of the Civil Guard Command in Pontevedra, Simón Venzal, the captain head of the traffic subsector of the Civil Guard in Pontevedra, Antonio Pérez Piteira, the head of the National Police Force in Pontevedra, Juan José Díaz, and the head commissioner of the Vigo-Redonda Police Station, Ramiro Gómez.
After analyzing the data gathered by the main commanders of the State Security Forces and Corps of the province, the subdelegate said that “the province is safe and our cities and villas are safe despite punctual moments with small upticks of very striking crimes in the citizens due to their effect on private properties.” In addition, prison offences continue to be closely linked to the increase in minor offences, such as petty theft, damage or injury, resulting from the recovery of normal social activity after the pandemic and, in many cases, related to nightlife.

The incidence of cybercrime, which occurs throughout the territory and not exclusively in the urban area, also continues to have weight in statistics. In the most rural areas, which fall within the remit of the Civil Guard, it accounts for 29% of infringements, while in the large cities, the remit of the National Police Force is just over 20%. This reflects a small decrease with respect to the figures for the first months of the previous year.
However, Maica Larriba highlighted the important activity and effectiveness of the police throughout the year 2022, with a degree of clarification of crimes that remains in figures similar to those of 2021, with a slight increase below 1%. “The effectiveness is still very high despite cybercrime,” explained the deputy delegate. These types of violations, which occur many times from very distant countries and involve the scam of small amounts of money, are very difficult to resolve and greatly weigh down the number of clarified crimes that would be placed without cybercrime above 20% in 2022.”

The subdelegate also highlighted the important police work in the province through the active campaigns of both the National Police and the Civil Guard for the judicial disposition of persons sought by the justice system. In this case, the number of complaints brought to court in 2022 increased by 12% in the case of the Police and by 15% in the case of the Civil Guard. “This action resulted in almost 1,000 people with claims being put in front of a judge, which means a reduction, in many cases, in repeated crime that is largely dedicated to small theft,” said the deputy delegate.

Specifically, Maica Larriba called for citizens to provide their own security measures and to keep vixating the observed increase in small thefts caused by an oversight or distraction of the victim. Police officers pointed out that after the return to social and economic normality after the pandemic, there is a rebound of extractions of objects such as mobile phones or wallets that, for example, citizens leave unattended on a table of an establishment, in an unclosed bag, etc. A subdelegate explained that “it is not a matter of habitual crime, but of thefts to neglect”, so she appealed for self-protection measures, especially in crowded public spaces.