One in three was a victim of crime in Balearics last year

Last year one in three members of the Balearic population fell victim to some form of crime while less than half of crimes committed were reported to the police. The figures are the result of a unique study carried out in the Balearics on behalf of the Interior Ministry which revealed that 33.23 per cent of the population in Majorca were victims of crime last year, 24.83 per cent in Minorca and 38.66 per cent in Ibiza. A quarter of crimes reported in the Balearics involved either car thefts or break-ins with eight per cent falling victim to pick pockets, muggers and bag snatchers. The study also revealed that nearly 50 per cent of shops, in general, were the target of either vandalism or robbery although in Minorca the crime figures are much lower in comparison to Majorca and Ibiza. Domestic violence, street prostitution and violence in general are the public's three main safety fears. But when it comes to the causes of rising crime, the public blame immigration, unemployment, social divides and drug addiction. The solutions, tougher laws and more police, are what the public favour while limiting immigration. The Balearic Minister for the Interior, Josep Maria Costa, said that while crime is not necessarily a result of immigration, which has become an important part of the region's economy, “another aspect is that tourism-fuelled economies can attract mafias.” In all 1'400 people were interviewed across the Balearics as part of the survey, the first of its kind to have been carried out in the region, commissioned to provide the newly formed Public Safety Commission with an accurate picture of the region's security problems and concerns of the public in view of the fact that the Balearic crime rate is one of the fastest growing in Spain.