A Cuban named Denisse Herrera Matos posted a video on Instagram reporting that someone tried to steal her motorcycle in front of the Casa de la Música in Varadero, and that when she called the police, the officers held her responsible for not leaving the vehicle in a designated parking area.
The testimony describes how the car was parked right in front of where she was sitting when the thieves struck. Upon returning to her vehicle, she discovered the damage: "The steering wheel was forced, they broke the lock, the entire interior was taken out."
Far from receiving assistance, the police response left her stunned. "The patrol blamed me, saying I should have kept an eye on the engine, that I should have been monitoring it or left it in a safe place where people could watch it, like a parking lot," she recounted indignantly.
The woman indicated that the agents took no investigative action: they neither collected fingerprints nor pursued the suspects.
"They are supposed to be the ones taking care of me. When I tell them that someone tried to steal my engine, they should, I don’t know, collect fingerprints, do whatever they need to do, because they are the ones who have to handle it," she complained.
This is not the first blow that Denisse has suffered. Around January, another motorcycle was stolen from inside her own house: "They broke in, went inside, and stole my motorbike."
Denisse, who bought the used vehicle as her only means of transportation, emphasized her vulnerable situation: "I am a single woman, and I have to handle everything on my own."
Her complaint concludes with a phrase that encapsulates the outrage of many Cubans: "This is why this country is in its current state. Because the police do nothing, and they will not do anything. We have no protection whatsoever."
The case is not isolated.
In July, residents of Cárdenas caught and tied up a suspected thief due to the inaction of the Police. In June, a report was made about the theft of an electric tricycle in Varadero captured by three neighborhood cameras without any effective response from the authorities.
The pattern of blaming victims has institutional precedents.
In December 2024, the Police of Las Tunas held the owners responsible for the increase in electric motorcycle thefts, arguing that the problem was the victims' "negligence."
In September 2025, the Camagüey Police told a scam victim that "the blame lies with the scammed, not the scammer."
The figures confirm the decline.
The Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit recorded 2,833 verified crimes in Cuba during 2025, an increase of 115% compared to 2024 and 337% compared to 2023, with 1,536 thefts being the most common crime.
Matanzas, the province where this new incident occurred, topped the national ranking with 503 documented cases that year, according to data on the alarming increase in crimes in Cuba.
As crime soars, analysts and independent media point out that the regime is concentrating its resources on political repression, leaving citizens without real protection against crime.
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