PSP recorded more than 54,000 crimes against the elderly in the last three years.
According to the PSP (Portuguese Public Security Police), elderly victims of crime have an average age of 73, with men being the majority victims of property crimes and women of crimes against persons.
The PSP (Portuguese Public Security Police) recorded more than 54,000 crimes against the elderly in the last three years, with pickpocketing on the rise since 2024, the police revealed this Thursday, coinciding with the International Day of Older Persons.
“The trend is towards relative stabilization. When we analyse reported crime against the elderly in the post-Covid period, especially in years 23, 24 and 25, we see a tendency towards stabilization between 17,500 and 18,500 reports per year,” said the head of the Crime Prevention and Community Policing Division of the PSP (Public Security Police), Hugo Guinote, in an interview with the Lusa news agency.
According to the official, property crime, especially theft and fraud, is prevalent, while assaults and domestic violence stand out among crimes against persons.
According to data released to Lusa, the Public Security Police recorded 54,275 crimes against the elderly in three years , having received 18,432 complaints in 2023, decreasing to 17,613 in 2024 and increasing again last year to 18,230.
Evolution and typology of crimes
In 2024, 2,488 complaints of fraud were recorded, including 1,635 computer and communications fraud, 1,026 burglaries, 1,822 domestic violence cases, 1,243 cases of simple physical assault, and 859 cases of threats and coercion.
The following year, the PSP (Public Security Police) recorded 1,006 thefts by pickpockets against elderly people, 938 burglaries in residences, 805 scams, 1,814 crimes of domestic violence, 1,250 for simple assault, and 864 for threats and coercion.
In 2025, pickpocketing thefts increased to 1,227, followed by 1,894 domestic violence crimes, 1,248 simple assault offenses, 997 burglaries, 853 frauds, and 825 threats and coercion.
Victim profile
According to the PSP (Portuguese Public Security Police), elderly victims of crime have an average age of 73 , with men being the majority victims of property crimes and women of crimes against persons.
Last year, 44% of domestic violence crimes were of a non-marital nature , mostly perpetrated by children against parents .
Prevention and community policing
Hugo Guinote indicated that the PSP (Public Security Police) has been “continuously carrying out hundreds of awareness-raising actions” in day centers, nursing homes, and door-to-door campaigns.
“In these campaigns, we are alerting the elderly to certain self-protective behaviours, whether in their homes or on their way between their homes and places they normally frequent, such as where they go shopping or when they go to withdraw money,” he said.
“The fact that we have more and more elderly people in our country, but that crime rates are relatively stable, suggests that the elderly are increasingly adopting self-protective behaviours,” he argued.
According to Hugo Guinote, the PSP (Public Security Police) has between 300 and 350 police officers nationwide who, either exclusively or in conjunction with their duties in the Safe School program, are implementing the Support 65 – Seniors in Safety program , an initiative of the Ministry of Internal Administration created to protect the senior population , with a special focus on seniors who live in isolation or in situations of greater social vulnerability.