While southern Gran Canaria celebrates its strong occupancy rates and the rollout of major infrastructure projects at the ITB Berlin 2026 trade fair, the Interior Ministry's Crime Statistics cast a shadow over this quintessential tourist destination. At the close of the fourth quarter of 2025, San Bartolomé de Tirajana recorded a total of 4.977 criminal offenses, a figure that confirms the upward trend that began after the full reopening of borders and the lifting of mobility restrictions.
The evolution of crime in the municipality precisely reflects the pulse of its economy. After the statistical low of 2020 and 2021—years marked by a complete halt in tourism—the volume of crime has experienced a sustained increase. Current data places crime at levels not seen since the 2018-2019 period, breaking the 4.800 annual offense mark and raising questions about the adequacy of police resources in high-density areas such as Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas.
A detailed analysis of the figures reveals that the increase is not uniform. As is the case throughout Spain, San Bartolomé de Tirajana faces a two-pronged challenge. On the one hand, conventional crime, closely linked to the massive influx of visitors (thefts and burglaries), continues to be the core of the statistics. On the other hand, there is the rise of cybercrime, a phenomenon that has grown exponentially since 2017 and already represents a significant proportion of the complaints filed at police stations in the south.
For a destination that competes in the luxury and legal security sector, these figures are more than just data; they are indicators of reputation. The correlation between the increase in the transient population and the number of crimes is a historical constant in the municipality, but the fact that it is approaching 5.000 offenses in 2025 highlights the need to modernize prevention strategies in the nightlife hotspots and shopping centers.
Despite the overall volume, authorities insist that San Bartolomé de Tirajana maintains competitive public safety levels compared to other large Spanish municipalities with more than 50.000 inhabitants. However, the pressure on the National Police and the Local Police is increasing. The challenge for 2026 will not only be to contain this statistical growth, but also to adapt the police response to increasingly sophisticated and geographically less localized crime.
The tourism boom in southern Gran Canaria comes at a cost in the form of litigation and petty crime. As 2025 draws to a close, the municipality confirms it has recovered its pre-pandemic pace of life, but also that it has inherited the security challenges of an increasingly connected society and a destination that, by its very nature of success, remains a magnet for illicit activity.
