In 2024, the Community of Madrid recorded a significant decrease in investigated homicides, with the number falling from 33 to 21 cases—the lowest figure in the past six years. However, amid this positive shift, the prosecutor’s report for last year highlights a far more concerning trend: crimes committed by minors continue to rise.
Particularly worrying is the fact that teenagers are increasingly involved in cases related to domestic and gender-based violence, sexual assaults, and hate crimes. In 2024, the number of investigations into these offenses increased, with the number of juvenile offenders aged 16 to 18 reaching 6,776. Even more alarming is the rise in the number of children under 14 who have come to the attention of law enforcement—almost 200 more than the previous year.
The prosecutor’s office notes that attempted murders committed by teenagers have remained virtually unchanged compared to the previous year. One example cited is the high-profile murder of a taxi driver in Alcalá de Henares, carried out by a 16-year-old boy. At the same time, there has been a sharp increase in sexual offenses, domestic violence, and hate crimes. Particularly notable is the rise in cases involving new technologies: teenagers are increasingly resorting to threats, blackmail, and harassment via the internet and messaging apps. Over the year, the number of such incidents rose by a third.
A serious issue remains the influx of unaccompanied foreign minors arriving through Madrid airport and from the Canary Islands. In 2024, their number exceeded one thousand, overloading infrastructure and causing delays in necessary procedures. The prosecutor’s office emphasizes that many of these children fall victim to criminal groups and urges that they not be stigmatized.
Madrid’s judicial system has also seen a record increase in new cases—22% more than the previous year. The rise in workload is especially notable in civil courts. Authorities are insisting on the urgent need to expand the number of judges and improve their qualifications to cope with the growing caseload.
