Madeira Posts Portugal's Lowest Regional Crime Rate

Madeira recorded the lowest crime rate of Portugal's nine NUTS II regions in 2025, at 24.9 crimes per 1,000 residents, down from 26.0 in 2024 and well below the national average of 32.0. The figures come from the Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DREM), based on data from the Directorate-General for Justice Policy. Police recorded 6,600 crimes across the region last year, a drop of 3.6% from roughly 6,900 in 2024.

Region Trails Algarve's 45.8 Crimes Per Thousand

Madeira's rate is far below the Algarve, which tops the national table at 45.8 crimes per 1,000 residents. The Azores follow at 35.7‰ and the Alentejo at 34.2‰. Six other regions also recorded higher rates than Madeira: Norte (26.4‰), Centro (27.7‰), Oeste and Vale do Tejo (29.0‰), the Setúbal Peninsula (31.5‰) and Greater Lisbon (31.7‰).

Property Crime Fell 7.8% While Personal Crime Held Steady

Crimes against people and crimes against property made up 70% of all recorded offenses in Madeira. The region logged 2,400 crimes against people and 2,200 against property in 2025. Crimes against people stayed roughly unchanged from 2024, while property crimes fell 7.8% over the same period. Property crime still carried the highest category rate, at 8.3 per 1,000 residents, followed by crimes against physical integrity at 6.0‰.

Porto Santo Leads Municipalities at 31.1 Per Thousand

Crime rates varied widely between Madeira's municipalities. Porto Santo recorded the region's highest rate, at 31.1 crimes per 1,000, followed by Câmara de Lobos at 30.1‰ and Funchal at 28.2‰. Porto Moniz (25.7‰) and Ribeira Brava (25.0‰) also came in above the regional average. São Vicente posted the lowest rate, at 14.3‰, just ahead of Calheta at 14.6‰.

Funchal Accounts for 48.2% of All Regional Crimes

In absolute numbers, Funchal concentrated almost half of Madeira's recorded crime. The capital logged about 3,200 crimes, or 48.2% of the regional total. Câmara de Lobos came second with 987 crimes (14.9%), ahead of Santa Cruz with 734 (11.1%) and Machico with 485 (7.3%).

Domestic Violence Victims Rise to 1,021 Cases

Despite the overall fall in crime, domestic violence against a spouse or partner moved in the opposite direction. Police identified 1,021 victims in 2025, 21 more than the 1,000 recorded in 2024. Women made up 68.8% of identified victims and men 31.2%. Funchal concentrated 599 victims, or 58.7% of the regional total, followed by Santa Cruz with 104 (10.2%) and Câmara de Lobos with 101 (9.9%).

Even with the increase, the 2025 total stays below the series peak of 1,240 victims, recorded in 2015.

Funchal Prison Nears Capacity With 349 Inmates

The prison population at Funchal's penitentiary reached 349 people on December 31, 2025, 20 more than on the same date in 2024. That is the highest figure in the statistical series DREM has published, covering 2005 to 2025, matching a previous peak reached between 2008 and 2024. The facility's official capacity is 351 people, so at the end of 2025 the prison stood just two places below that limit.

Court Backlog Drops to 10,400 Pending Cases

Madeira's first-instance courts closed 2025 with 10,400 pending cases, down 3.1% from 10,800 a year earlier. Courts received 11,400 new cases during the year and concluded 11,700, a net reduction of 330 cases. The case-resolution rate stood at 102.9%, down 1.8 percentage points from 104.7% in 2024. Civil cases made up the bulk of the court system's workload, accounting for 60.2% of new filings and 80.7% of pending cases.

Concluded civil cases took an average of 24 months to resolve, two months longer than in 2024. Elsewhere in the justice system, notaries and registry offices in Madeira recorded 302,700 acts in 2025, up 6.2% from 2024. Public deeds reached 9,700, up 2.9%, with 40.8% of them signed in Funchal. The number of lawyers registered with the Bar Association fell to 502, 11 fewer than in 2024, made up of 469 lawyers and 33 trainee lawyers.

Source: dnoticias.pt