During 2020, around 27.6 million crimes occurred, of which 93.3% were not reported or an investigation folder was not initiated in this regard, the highest figure in the last four years, estimated the Inegi.
In the results of the National Survey of Victimization and Perception on Public Security 2021 (ENVIPE), it was evidenced that last year 10.1% of crimes were reported, of which, the Public Ministry initiated an investigation folder in 66.9%.
In turn, of the total investigation folders initiated by the MP, in 48.4% of the cases nothing happened or the investigation was not continued and 27% are still in process.
Un reported crimes, ENVIPE 2021.
“These are crimes that basically remain in limbo, because they are not reported, or once denounced they did not lead to an investigation folder,” explained Julio A. Santaella, president of Inegi, during the presentation of the recent edition of the Survey.
Among the reasons of the victims for not reporting the crimes are the loss of time (33.9%) and distrust in authority (14.2%), both attributable to the authorities.
Other reasons follow the same line: for long and difficult procedures (8.5%), for hostile attitude of the authority (3.5%) and for fear of suffering extortion (0.6%).
The least reported crimes were: kidnapping, extortion, fraud; the partial theft of vehicle, robbery or assault on the street or public transport and the robbery of a house room, presenting percentages greater than 90%.
While in 2019 the black figure was 92.4%, in 2018 and 2017 it remained at 93.2%. The highest percentage recorded was from 2013, with 93.8 percent.
“Certainly the issue of trust in the authorities is significant; it is an important element for which the authorities must continue working,” said directors of the Institute.
Covid Crime Reduction
The Inegi authorities pointed out that due to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in which the ENVIPE was carried out, there was less mobility and also a lower risk of crimes with a higher incidence, such as robberies or assaults on the street or in transport.
Last year there were 21.2 million victims of crime among people over the age of 18, which represents a crime prevalence rate of 23,520 victims per hundred thousand inhabitants, a figure statistically lower than estimated in 2019.
The #ENVIPE estimates that in 2020 in Mexico there were among people aged 18 and over, 21.2 million victims of crime, which represents a crime prevalence rate of 23,520 victims per 100,000 inhabitants; rate that in 2019 was 24 849. (1/8)
— INEGI INFORMA (@INEGI_INFORMA) September 22, 2021
On the other hand, the crime incidence rate per hundred thousand inhabitants in 2020 was 30,601, also lower than the estimate a year earlier, which was 33,659.
Compared to 2019, when an estimated 30.3 million crimes were committed, there was a significant reduction of 2.7 percentage points.
The crime with the highest criminal incidence was robbery or assault on the street or public transport (22.5%), followed by fraud (19.3%), extortion (16.9%) and total or partial theft of vehicle (10.6%).
Criminal incidence, ENVIPE 2021.
The most frequent crimes by entity were: fraud, reported in 13 states, and extortion, in 11 states.
In 2020, 27.6 million crimes were committed, associated with 21.2 million victims, which represents an approximate of 1.3 crimes per victim; that is, a person may have experienced more than one crime.
Banks, where people feel more insecure
Based on the exercise carried out between March and April 2021, at the national level, 58.9% of the population over 18 years of age considered insecurity as the most important problem currently, followed by unemployment with 41.5% and health with 40.2%.
The entities where people feel most insecure are the State of Mexico (91.3%), Morelos (86.6%), Puebla (85.6%) and Mexico City (85.3%); while where less insecurity was perceived was in Yucatan (27.2%) and Baja California Sur (34.3%).
Nationally, the space where the adult population felt most insecure, with 80.5%, was in ATMs located on public roads, followed by the bank, with 74.3%.
Safer places, ENVIPE 2021.
As reported by Inegi, the perception of public insecurity was 75.6%, 3.7 percentage points less than in 2019, a year in which 78.6 percent was registered.
As for the total cost as a result of insecurity, in 2020 crime in households represented an amount of 277.6 billion pesos, that is, 1.85% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Cost as a percentage of GDP was the highest in the last eight years, with the highest previous figures being in 2017 and 2018, with 1.65 and 1.54%, respectively.
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