MEXICALI – The number of crime victims in Baja California decreased between 2021 and 2022, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography reported.
According to the National Survey of Victimization and Perception of Public Security (ENVIPE), 27,208 crimes were recorded in the state in 2021 and 23,814 in 2022.
The decline was 12.5 percent, the seventh-highest decline in the country.
The crime rate per 100,000 residents fell by 14.1 percent, the survey says.
Additionally, there were crime victims in 321,782 of Baja California’s 1.2 million households. This corresponds to 26.2 percent: the lowest value since 2012.
The most common crime in Baja California was extortion, the same as in nine other states, although fraud, vehicle theft, street assault and verbal threats also stand out.
Of the just over 770,000 crimes reported, victims reported some kind of harm in 80.5 percent.
At the national level, crime cost 319 billion pesos, equivalent to 8,192 pesos per person, while losses due to victimization amounted to 213,400 million pesos.
In Baja California, insecurity and crime cost Baja California residents 10,227.9 million pesos.
Mexicans spent 105,700 million pesos on preventative measures, while residents of Baja California invested 3,856.2 million pesos.
According to the institute, only 10.9 percent of crimes were reported in Mexico and 18.5 percent in Baja California, higher than the 13.7 percent in 2021.
However, of the total crimes reported, 46.1 percent had no consequences.
Residents of Baja California prefer not to report crimes because they view it as a waste of time and out of distrust of authorities, as well as fear and lack of evidence.
The report shows that 63.4 percent of Baja Californians surveyed view insecurity as the state’s top problem.
The survey adds that 34.6 percent of the population feel safe walking unaccompanied near their home at night, but 35 percent are afraid of the unsafe environment in their neighborhood.
Lower Californians are particularly afraid of ATMs, roads, banks, public transportation and roads.
The first criminal behavior in the state is drug use, followed by alcohol consumption, shootings and drug sales, and frequent assaults and homicides.
To prevent crime, Baja California residents have banned their children from going out on the streets, going out at night, carrying cash, wearing jewelry, or going for walks, among other things.
Local, state and ministerial police and judges are the people Baja Californians trust the least. These same units are perceived as very corrupt.
In the state, residents are demanding that authorities increase patrols, improve public lighting and build sports facilities as measures to combat crime.
The survey shows that nationally, 10.5 million households, or 27.4 percent of the country’s total, have at least one of their members a victim of a crime.
In Baja California, this figure was 29.0 percent in 2021, which is one of the lowest in a decade.
Last year, the country recorded 26.8 million crimes, or 28,701 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants, which represents a decrease compared to 2021.
The survey was conducted between the end of February and the end of April.
