The five cities of Maresme with more than 20,000 inhabitants have added a total of 13,074 reported criminal offenses during the third quarter of 2023, which means that 145 crimes are reported daily in the region. The increase in the number of crimes against sexual freedom of 20.5% stands out again and 41 violations have been reported.
Only Premià de Mar and Pineda de Mar have reduced the rate of criminal activity. In Premià, crimes have decreased by 12.8%, accounting for 1,318 complaints. For its part, in Pineda de Mar, the decrease has been 8% with 1,449 criminal actions reported. In the other three cities there has been an increase in crime. Thus, Vilassar de Mar has 7.1% more criminal activity with 678 complaints; Masnou has 794 criminal acts, which is 6.7% more compared to the third quarter of last year and Mataró, in its ascending line, increases crimes by 2.8%, adding a total of 8,835.
The index of criminal offenses issued quarterly by the Ministry of the Interior shows worrying figures regarding crimes against sexual freedom, which have been increasing in all towns with the exception of Premià de Mar, where they have decreased by 16.7%. , even so, 10 attacks have been reported, of which six were rapes. Pineda de Mar is the municipality that has the most criminal acts of a sexual nature with 19 complaints, of which eight were rapes, which represents an increase of 46.2%. In Masnou there were 10 attacks and four rapes, which represents 42.9% more of this criminal typology. In Vilassar de Mar there were two sexual assaults with penetration, of the nine reported, which indicates a 28.4% increase. The capital, Mataró, increases sexual crimes by 1.5%, adding 67 incidents of which 21 were rapes.
Regarding the criminal activity that arouses a greater feeling of insecurity among citizens, robberies, in the region they have been reduced by 73.3% monthly. Pineda de Mar stands out with a reduction of 129%, followed by Premià with a 48.8% general decrease, Masnou with a drop in thefts of 38.5%, Mataró with 23.8% less and Vilassar de Mar, the only population in which this type of crime has increased by 20.1%. Also general decrease of 3.3%. Even so, in the five large cities of Maresme there are 34 thefts every day.
One fact that draws attention in crime statistics is the unusual increase in vehicle thefts. Mataró leads this particular ranking with 204 robberies. From the total for the region, it appears that in the last quarter of 2023, 291 vehicles were stolen, which means that three cars or motorcycles disappear daily.
Figures that can be distorted in crime analyzes if the demographic issue is not taken into account. Thus, the rate of criminal activity per capita is balanced in the region since the capital, Mataró, has 109,613 inhabitants; Pineda de Mar 28,840; Premià de Mar 28,702; Masnou 24,176 and Vilassar de Mar 21,039.
