The National Police, throughout the first quarter of 2024, has carried out 7,782 actions against youth gangs and has arrested 249 people in relation to these events in the Community of Madrid.
This was stated this Monday by the Government delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, in a press conference in which he took stock of the crime data for this period both in the region and in the capital.
“Prudence must prevail, but these are positive data and reflect an evolution that we believe is hopeful. We are talking about a security issue and we must make every effort to continue advancing along these lines,” he said after being asked about the results of the anti-gang plan, in force for two years.
For example, he has highlighted the reduction in homicides perpetrated in youth gangs, which went from six in 2022 to just one in 2023, as well as other violent acts, which went from 53 to 39 cases.
During the first quarter of this year, within the scope of the National Police alone, 7,782 actions related to gangs have been carried out and 249 people have been arrested.
Regarding the crime data published by the Ministry of the Interior last week, which reflects a decrease in crimes of 0.2% in the Community and 0.9% in the capital, Martín has considered that they are “positive” and that set the course for which they must continue working.
It has mainly highlighted the reduction in conventional crime by 2.2 and 3.2 points, respectively, and the slowdown in the growth of cybercrime – mostly computer scams – which has grown by 9.4 and 12.4%.
However, regarding this last aspect, he has called for caution and to wait for the results of the next quarters to confirm the downward trend.
The Government delegate has also celebrated the decreases, both in the region and in the capital, in robberies with violence and intimidation (-6.9 and -9.3% compared to the same period in 2023, respectively) and homicides (from eight to five and from four to one).
On the other hand, it has shown its concern about the increase in crimes against sexual freedom, especially sexual assaults with penetration, which have grown by 27.3 percent in the Community and 22.2 percent in the city of Madrid. .
“It is an issue that we must continue to insist on through prevention, awareness, education and police response and the rest of the legal and administrative entities that participate in the victim protection process,” he concluded.