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Staff Reporter THE crime rate in Spain dropped by 0.5 per cent in 2004, when compared to the results in 2003, however in the Balearic Islands the wave of crime worsened last year, and seems to be following the same trend in 2005.

These results are part of the State General Public Prosecutor Report which will be published next Tuesday. However, it must be born in mind that these figures are not exact, as, according to the report, there are certain “hidden numbers” of crimes which are never registered.

In total there were 3.96 million reported crimes registered in Spain last year, which represents 20'000 crimes less than in 2003.
The bad news in the report is that eight regions in Spain experienced an increase in crime last year, these being; Andalucia, Balearic Islands, Castilla La Mancha, Extremadura, Murcia, Navarra, La Rioja and the Basque Lands.

Furthermore, the regions which experienced the biggest growth in crime (that is to say over 10 percent growth), were Avila, Balearic Islands, Cordoba, Granada, Segovia and Teruel.

The regions where less crime was registered were the following; Huelva, Palencia, Soria, Valencia, Valladolid and Zaragoza.
The report reveals that there was “exceptional” increase in the number of domestic violence cases in Spain, which rose by 114.6 percent in 2004, when compared to the results in 2003 to just over 29'000 cases.

For the first time since 1999 (year when there was a truce) there were no deaths as a result of ETA attacks in Spain, according to the report. The 27 people who were injured by ETA actions were only slightly hurt.

There was also a 97 per cent increase in crimes against workers rights and the rights of foreigners.