The Chief Public Prosecutor for the Canary Islands, Jaime Serrano-Jover González, warned on Friday of a rise in the number of cases involving homicides and murders on the islands, which increased by 17.7 per cent in 2025, with 133 cases opened compared with 113 in 2024, and almost double the figure for 2021, when there were 68.
Serrano-Jover, who appeared before a committee of the Canary Islands Parliament to present the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s 2025 annual report, also highlighted a 20 per cent rise in preliminary investigations into sexual offences and a 42 per cent increase in sexual assaults on children under the age of 16, describing this as «an outrage», he said.
In his first report to the Canary Islands Parliament following his appointment last May, the Chief Public Prosecutor also emphasised the need to increase staffing levels and improve infrastructure to cope with the rise in cases, noting that the number of preliminary investigations stood at 121,753 in 2025-3.3 per cent higher than in 2024 and 12.6 per cent higher than in 2021, he stressed.
Canary Islands: Homicides on the rise, particularly in Las Palmas
With regard to crimes against life, Jaime Serrano-Jover has described the number of cases involving homicides and murders as «extremely worrying», up by 17.7 per cent in 2025 and 95 per cent higher than in 2021, «a figure that should alarm us all».
The increase in these offences varies greatly from one area to another and is concentrated in the province of Las Palmas, where intentional offences against life rose by 35 per cent, with homicides and murders rising from 55 in 2024 to 74 in 2025, whilst in Santa Cruz de Tenerife the figure rose from 58 to 59 (an increase of 1.7 per cent).
In Las Palmas, homicides rose from 54 to 66 and murders from one to eight, whilst in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, homicides fell from 56 to 54 and murders rose from two to five.
Serrano-Jover has acknowledged that he does not have a precise understanding of the causes behind the rise in crime and has called for a greater focus on education and prevention, warning that «this cannot be resolved through the application of criminal law alone».
«We are faced with a society that is, at times, unhinged,» and this situation is reflected in the rise in crime, the senior prosecutor observed.
Sexual offences and gender-based violence are a cause for concern
With regard to sexual offences, the public prosecutor highlighted that in 2025 nearly 2,600 preliminary investigations were opened, with an increase of around 20 per cent in each province, and a 42 per cent rise in cases involving victims under the age of 16, which rose from 332 to 472.
On the issue of gender-based violence, Serrano-Jover has expressed concern at the high rate of acquittals in cases that go to trial without a prior plea agreement, and has suggested that one possible explanation is that some victims drop out of the proceedings due to a lack of adequate support; he has therefore called for improvements to their protection.
Public Prosecutor's Office identifies shortcomings in care provision and the protection of teachers
The prosecutor explained that there has been a 6 per cent reduction in property offences, although there has been «exponential growth» in fraud offences committed through cybercrime.
In the civil sector, he highlighted the opening of 681 cases relating to the provision of support and warned that more than 600 people remain in hospital despite having been medically discharged, a situation he attributed to a lack of social and healthcare resources
The rise in attacks on teaching staff and the need to strengthen their criminal-law protection is another issue highlighted by Serrano-Jover.
The judiciary in the Canary Islands calls for more premises and staff
He also referred to the «long-standing demands» included in previous years‘ annual reports to improve judicial infrastructure, including the need for a courthouse in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and another in Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura).
He has called for a stable workforce and more prosecutor posts in order to cope with the caseload, as well as more resources for victim support.
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