Edition: 324
Date: 26-05-03
Recent figures released by the government indicate that more than 80% of crimes in Spain are committed by Spanish nationals and not by foreigners, thereby counteracting claims that immigrants are responsible for the majority of offences. According to the figures, 30,783 Spanish people were convicted of crimes and given jail sentences in 2001, and 32,509 in 2002, whereas the figures for foreigners were 6,318 and 7,539 respectively. However, in April 2002, Prime Minister José María Aznar told Parliament that 89% of people who had been remanded in jail for preventive reasons were foreigners, and used the statistic to argue against opposition criticism of citizen insecurity. Immediately afterwards, the government instigated a reform of the Foreigners Law to make it easier to deport illegal immigrants who commit crimes, and to repatriate those who were sentenced to more than five years in prison. Figures issued for 2002, though, show that the number of Spanish nationals and foreigners in jail awaiting trial are almost equal, with 5,904 foreigners and 5,911 Spanish.
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