Prime Minister's Assurance on Safety
The Prime Minister stated this Tuesday that Portugal can proudly declare itself as one of the safest countries in the world. However, he expressed concerns regarding the increase in specific types of crime, particularly youth delinquency, group crime, and both international and domestic drug trafficking. To understand the situation better, we examined the official data.
Official Crime Statistics
According to the latest Justice Statistics for 2023, produced by the General Directorate of Justice Policy, crimes against individuals have risen by 5.1% from the pre-pandemic period. The figures show an increase from 86,383 crimes in 2019 to 90,840 crimes in 2023. After a decline in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, crime rates began to rise again in 2022.
Breakdown of Crimes Against Individuals
- Crimes against life (including voluntary and negligent homicides) have decreased, dropping from 955 cases in 2019 to 886 cases in 2023 (down 7.8%).
- Physical integrity crimes (assaults and domestic violence) have returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 57,700 cases in 2023, a slight increase from 56,460 cases in 2019 (up 2.2%).
- Crimes against personal liberty (including kidnappings and human trafficking) have also seen slight increases.
- Sexual autonomy crimes have surged significantly, from 2,962 cases in 2019 to 3,532 cases in 2023, marking a 19.3% increase.
- Privacy violations have risen even during the pandemic and remain above pre-pandemic levels.
Increase in State Crimes
Notably, crimes against the state have surged from 5,269 cases in 2019 to 7,713 cases in 2023 (up 46.4%). Crimes against cultural identity and property have also seen increases. Overall, theft and robbery rates have decreased from 138,127 in 2019 to 124,542 in 2023.
Fraud on the Rise
The increase in property crimes is mainly attributed to frauds—including bank fraud, insurance fraud, and other scams—jumping from 33,302 cases in 2019 to nearly 64,042 cases in 2023.
Regional Crime Analysis
When examining regional data, Lisbon has seen a steady increase in crime over the past four years, with 108,306 crimes reported in 2023, an increase of 5,870 from 2019. In contrast, the Porto region has reported 44,967 crimes, down by 2,417 from pre-pandemic figures.
Caution in Interpretation
It’s essential to interpret these figures cautiously, as they reflect only reported crimes. Luís Neves, Director of the Judicial Police, noted that an increase in reported crime does not necessarily indicate a rise in actual crime rates, but could be a result of increased police activity and reporting.
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