Cyprus is seeing more serious crimes. This is the third year in a row. Official numbers from 2024 show more reports and actual cases. This means more people are becoming victims. Also, more young people are involved in crime.
The latest numbers are serious. In 2024, police recorded 5,942 serious crime reports. About 5,900 were actual cases. This is more than in 2023. Now, about sixteen serious crimes happen every day. The rate of crime per 100,000 people also went up.
Crimes against property are the most common. They were 31.8% of all serious reports in 2024. Crimes against people were the second most common. They were 26.8% of the total. Other crimes also happened.
The number of victims is also up. In 2024, there were 6,651 victims. This includes 5,128 people and 1,523 organisations. This is a 20% increase from 2023. People were mostly victims of crimes against them. Organisations were often victims of crimes affecting the public.
A worrying trend is the rise in young people involved in crime. The number of minors in crime jumped by 29% in 2024. There were 774 young offenders. Of these, 307 were in serious criminal acts. This is a big problem for society.
The reasons for this rise are not fully clear. However, the increase needs a closer look. Fewer cases are going to court. This makes people wonder about the justice system. Finding the causes and making good plans are important for safety.