Everyday crime down in Monaco
The Police Department has published its figures for 2023 - © Communication Department / Stéphane Danna, Manuel Vitali
In 2016, there was an incident of street crime every three days. Eight years later, there is less than one per week.
“Despite a period involving relocations and working conditions that were sometimes ill-suited to the demands of operating 24 hours a day, all year round, the Sûreté Publique managed to maintain a high level of security,” the Government was pleased to announce at the inauguration of the new Police Department premises on 26 January.
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The inauguration was an ideal opportunity to present the figures for the previous year. According to the authorities, these show a positive trend and reflect the effectiveness of both procedures and officers.
The figures for judicial activity are down sharply compared with 2022 :
- Referrals to the Public Prosecutor’s Office: – 35 %
- Letters rogatory: – 17 %
- International letters rogatory: – 34 %
While crime in general rose very slightly by 0.9% from 826 to 834 incidents, street crime, i.e. everyday crime where the police’s preventive action can have a real impact, fell by 17% from 59 to 49 incidents. “These results are very satisfactory, as they relate to the types of crime that concern the population the most, such as anti-social behaviour, offences involving people and property, and breaches of the peace,” the Government pointed out.
The solution rate for overall crime fell by 0.52%. The street crime solution rate rose by 11%. “Compared to police figures in neighbouring countries, the results are enviable,” the press release goes on to say.
Drink-driving on the rise
Every Tuesday at criminal court hearings, there is a succession of drink-driving cases, which increased between 2022 (101) and 2023 (134), as did cases of public and manifest drunkenness (283 in 2022, 347 in 2023). “This issue will be a priority for Public Safety in 2024,” the Executive states. Drug possession also rose, by 49%.
In terms of theft, there was a drop of 100% in thefts by fraud and a drop of 75% in car thefts. On the other hand, 11 two-wheelers were stolen in 2023, compared with 9 in 2022. Scams involving telephone calls or e-mails fell by 33%. The last figure communicated concerns the number of police call-outs, which totalled 9,444 in 2023, representing an increase of 21% compared with 2022.