The Cuban government assures that crime is decreasing, but citizens do not notice it.

The Cuban government claimed that crime is decreasing on the island, but acknowledged that the population does not notice it. This perception is accompanied by the reports that daily appear on social media about violence in the country.

Data presented by the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) to Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz during a meeting of the Working Group for the prevention and confrontation of crimes and illegalities indicated that although the crime rates remained high at the end of August, the incidents decreased compared to the same period of the previous year.

According to their statistics, which were not detailed in common practice, the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Ciego de Ávila, Cienfuegos, and Sancti Spíritus reported the highest crime figures.

"Although progress is being made in some issues and indicators, the people still do not see the results, and that is what we are working for. However, some trends reflect that the confrontation is beginning to yield results, but this will become tangible when the people can perceive it," said Marrero Cruz.

For MININT, which claims to have dismantled 34 criminal networks, “comprehensive actions to combat crimes against livestock have influenced their decrease, although not sufficiently,” states a report from the Presidency of Cuba.

The prime minister mentioned that "if we continue to increase the fight, we could reach that point where we begin to sensibly appreciate a decrease in crimes and illegal activities."

Cuban officials also referred to drugs, emphasizing the need for prevention and increasing rejection of these behaviors, under the principle of zero tolerance.

Despite this recognition, a few days ago the vice president of the Supreme Court of Cuba, Maricela Sosa Ravelo, stated to the British BBC that insecurity on the island is a problem maximized by social media and cited, as is usual in the government's rhetoric, defamatory campaigns promoted from the United States.

Statements that were in line with the regime's denial of an increase in violence in Cuba. They have even claimed that everything reported on social media "is a campaign" by the opposition against the government.

A report published in August by the Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit (OCAC) detailed the concerning increase in crime on the island during the first half of 2024.

The report is based on monitoring complaints on social media and in the media because the regime keeps this data secret and only shares information occasionally and with questionable transparency, clarified Cuba Siglo 21.

In the first six months of 2024, 432 crimes were reported, averaging 2.37 crimes per day, greatly exceeding the figures reported in the same period of 2023.

Among the crimes, 91 murders, 260 thefts, 39 assaults, 29 aggressions, and 13 cases classified as other crimes stand out.

These numbers show a significant increase, with a 152% rise in the crime rate compared to the first half of the previous year. The growth of 111% in homicides, 290% in assaults, and 208% in robberies is alarming.