Criminal occurrences in schools increased 6.8% in the past school year. It was the highest number of the last 10 years. But can we say that there were more crimes in schools? Maybe not.
Crime in schools increased againin the school year 2023/2024.
According to a preliminary version of the 2024 Annual Internal Security Report (RASI), which Lusa released on Monday, security forces registered a total of 7,128 communications, of which 5,747 were criminal in nature.
This number has been increasing significantly in the last decade. But does this mean that there are more and more crimes?
Speaking to, the president of the National Association of School Leaders clarified that this growing trend is also in line with the greater sensitivity of schools to report these cases to the authorities.
“Data can be higher now because we [escolas/professores/diretores] We are increasingly sensitized to report the cases. Before, we dealt with the issues at the school itself and, Normally, this record was not made“, He explained Manuel Pereira.
Still, the associative leader admits that a worrying reality is currently living: “There are many cases of criminal nature. We regularly communicate cases to the prosecutor, authorities, GNR or PSP, cases that happen inside school or outside school. We are very concerned because we think that we think schools do not always have the necessary means or mechanisms to be able to protect the victims. ”
Rasi highlighted the crimes of offenses to physical integrity (2,249 occurrences), theft (about 1,000), sexual offenses (171 occurrences), and robberies (with 117). There is also 76 occurrences for possession or weapon use.
It should be noted that the occurrences were also accounted for outside the enclosure.
Regarding geographical distribution, Lisbon is the district where the most occurrences were recorded (2,044). The port follows (1,133), Setúbal (707), Aveiro (434), Faro (416), Braga (383), Leiria (258) and Santarém (249).
Violent crime has increased
In society, in 2024, the Violent and severe crime increased by 2.6% Last year compared to 2023, with 14,385 registered crimes.
However, General crime descended 4.6% When registering 354,878 participation.
The preliminary rasi reports that in violent and serious crime the crimes that rose most were theft by sticking (plus 8.7%), car theft (plus 106.3%) theft in commercial or industrial buildings (plus 21.7%), violation (plus 9.9%) and bank robbery or other credit establishments (plus 128.6%).
The crimes that descended the most last year against 2023 were resistance and coercion about employee (-16.2%), offenses to severe voluntary physical integrity (-6.1%), public road theft except for sticking (-0.3%), other thefts (-8.3%) and theft of fuel supply (-12.3%).
A juvenile delinquency last year maintained the rise trend since 2021, which highlights the predominance of cases linked to sexual crime.
7 safest country in the world
Upon departure from the meeting of the Superior Council for Internal Security, which approved the Rasi, this Monday, the Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said the government will maintain reinforcement of police operationsin view of the insecurity felt by many Portuguese.
“My opinion has not changed, we have all the reasons for continuing to invest in security, policing proximity, preventing the criminal conduct that generate the feeling of insecurity that many Portuguese feel in their daily lives,” he said.
The 2024 Global Peace Index put Portugal in seventh position.
Perhaps the perception of insecurity is being inflationor artificially fed. And maybe it’s necessary to put in perspective Episodes of insecurity that occasionally occur in the country – and look at them on the scale of the remaining 162 countries classified in the index. Portugal is safer than 156 of the nations evaluated in the IGP.
Miguel Esteves, Zap //
