article_detail

For the first time since records began, crime in Lorca has fallen.

 

According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, 3,641 complaints were filed last year, representing a drop of almost 1%. It may sound modest, but it marks a clear break from a trend that had been heading firmly in the wrong direction for years.

 

“The negative trend that had persisted for almost a decade has been broken, ending the worst period between 2019 and 2023,” said Juan Miguel Bayonas, Lorca’s Councillor for Public Safety.

 

He pointed out that since statistics began in 2016, complaints had risen year after year, apart from the brief dip during the pandemic lockdown when streets were empty. “We have managed to go from a 20.2% increase to a -0.9% decrease, a reduction of 19.1 points,” he explained.

 

The latest comparison between 2024 and 2025 shows crimes against sexual freedom down by 49.1%, effectively halved. Drug trafficking offences fell by 3.8%, while burglaries in homes, businesses and other premises dropped by 7.4%. Separate municipal data puts the reduction in home burglaries at 14.7%. Other conventional crimes decreased by 5.4%, although thefts rose slightly by 12.1%.

The improvement contrasts with neighbouring municipalities such as Águilas, Mazarrón and Totana, which recorded increases of almost 11%, 15.3% and 12.6% respectively.

 

Municipal sources attribute the change partly to a new policing model in neighbourhoods and outlying districts, with a stronger Policía Local presence on foot and more routine preventative patrols. At the same time, the Ayuntamiento has invested heavily in resources.

 

Nearly €400,000 has been allocated for new equipment, including long guns, Tasers and JPX pistols, as well as vehicles and motorcycles. Plans for Policía Local officers to begin carrying taser guns were first set out last February In addition, 130 bulletproof vests have been distributed and work on a new shooting range, costing €300,000, is nearing completion. CCTV coverage has also been expanded, with the number of cameras across the city, neighbourhoods and outlying districts now approaching one hundred.

 

Despite the positive figures, Bayonas struck a cautious tone. “This is no time for triumphalism. We have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said, renewing calls for more Policía Nacional and Guardia Civil officers to be assigned to the area.

 

For now, though, Lorca has achieved something it has not seen before in recorded history: a downward turn in crime.

 

 

Image: Archive