A presumed thief was captured this Tuesday inside the Children's Hospital "La Colonia Española", in Santiago de Cuba, after the center's own staff cornered him in an office until the authorities arrived.
According to information shared by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, the hospital staff prevented the individual's escape and managed to hold him until the authorities arrived to arrest him.
A nine-second video accompanying the post captures the voice of one of the witnesses: "Mayeta, we caught a thief here, stealing in the Colonia, come. Stealing here in the Colonia, light bulbs, taking the equipment."
The skepticism among workers and people close to the area is unanimous: they believe that the detainee could be "back on the streets in just a few days, as if nothing had happened."
This is not the first time that this hospital has been the scene of a robbery.
On March 1st, an individual from the Chicharrones neighborhood was arrested at the same center while attempting to steal, although he did not manage to take any belongings on this occasion, and he had a history of stealing mobile phones from patients' relatives.
Since November 2024, reports have alerted that the doors of the hospital rooms lack security, leaving patients and families vulnerable.
The incident occurs in the context of rising crime rates in Santiago de Cuba and throughout the island. According to the Cuban Observatory of Citizen Auditing, Cuba recorded 2,833 verified crimes in 2025, which is 115% more than in 2024 and 337% more than in 2023.
Robberies lead national crime rates with 1,536 cases in 2025, an increase of 479% since 2023. Santiago de Cuba recorded 323 verified crimes that year, making it the fourth most affected province in the country.
The citizen response to the absence or slow police action has become a pattern in Santiago.
Last Thursday, residents of the Veguita de Galo neighborhood captured and subdued a young man armed with a machete who had stolen a mobile phone from a doctor.
On April 4, a family waited over ten hours without police response after reporting a burglary in their apartment.
The collapse of law enforcement exacerbates the situation: 20% of Cuban police personnel left the force in the past year, according to recent data.
Mayeta Labrada summarized the general sentiment in the city with a phrase: "In Santiago, it's no longer surprising when a thief is caught. What surprises us is how long they stay in prison."
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