The subdelegate of the Government in Pontevedra learned this morning the data of crime statistics in the province between January 1 and August 31, which report a decrease in the entire provincial territory, which is 0.54% in the urban area, corresponding to the National Police, and 1.56% in the rural territory, attached to the Civil Guard. The Provincial Security Board analyzed these data in the presence of the provincial commissioner-chief, Juanjo Díaz; the commissioner of Vigo, Ramiro Gómez; the lieutenant colonel of the Civil Guard, Óscar Grañas; the captain of the Traffic Subsector, Antonio Piteira, and the head of the Gender Violence Unit of the Subdelegation, María José Rodríguez.
In the Demarcation of the National Police, that is the area of the police stations of Pontevedra, Vigo-Redonda, Vilagarcía and Marín, the decrease has allowed a total of 12,149 crimes between January and August last year to 12,084 in the same period of this year. The Civil Guard, for its part, reported a decrease from 9,742 criminal acts to 9,590 in the same comparison.
Abel Losada concluded that the year 2024, which had begun badly in statistical terms, “has evolved very favourably, to the point that there has been a very favorable month of August that has contributed decisively to change the trend.” In this regard, Losada recalled that a large part of the criminal offenses are committed in the summer and, once incorporated in the months of July and August, “we are having a more realistic picture of the evolution of crime in the province.” The subdelegate stressed that, year after year, it is accredited that the province of Pontevedra “is not only a safe territory, but very safe because it is well below the crime rate of the whole of Spain, and that is due, in large part, to the extraordinary work and professionalism of all agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard.”
Losada appealed to the responsibility of “some unions and political parties that make statements based on partial data.” “The numbers are cold and objective and, therefore, the image that some want to convey that crime is triggered is not only interesting and demagogic, but is also roundly false.” In this regard, he indicated that “it is always advisable not to take off your chest when things are going well, but also not to tear your clothes when they get worse, because crime statistics, like all of them, are cyclical, so you have to observe them with perspective”.
The commissioners also conveyed the good results in which the reinforcement of the street patrols of the National Police is being translated, both in the form of interventions of illegal substances and weapons. Police officials said they will continue working on this line, which is considered especially valuable to contribute to citizen security.
With regard to criminal typologies, the Provincial Security Board particularly appreciated the decrease in ill-treatment in the family, a category that, among others, includes gender violence, given that there is a decrease of 14.07% in the territory of the police stations and 7% in that of the Benemérita. Losada clarified that this does not mean that the number of women admitted to the VioGén system decreases, since many times the complaints refer to past or continuing events and, in addition, the “zero protocol” has been created to protect also the victims who, for whatever reason, do not file a complaint and who, objectively, are considered to be in the system. In this area, the Subdelegation of the Government will promote the holding of coordination tables with the 14 concellos of the province adhering to VioGén, once the new head of the area is incorporated.
Finally, he realized the evolution of the road accident, which already accumulates 20 people dead on the roads of the province so far this year and, above all, in the number of vulnerable users (especially motorcyclists), which thicken this balance, so it is necessary to continue with the policy of awareness campaigns.