In the early hours of Saturday, around 3:00 am, residents of Previsora neighborhood in Camagüey successfully detained one of two intruders caught in a home's backyard. This incident was captured in a video shared on Facebook by independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada.
While one suspect was caught, the other managed to flee the scene before being apprehended.
The event took place on 15th Street, close to the Architect's Pool, located in a residential area to the east of the city.
The locals claim they immediately called the police, but no officers arrived, leaving them to manage the situation with the suspect alone in the middle of the night.
Community Vigilance: A Growing Trend
The scenario is becoming all too common: citizens themselves are capturing, detaining, and overseeing alleged criminals as authorities fail to respond.
In July, residents of the same city caught a man leaping from rooftop to rooftop to steal solar panels. In May, locals tied up a suspected thief in the Modelo neighborhood of Camagüey.
A Pattern of Police Inaction
Police inaction has become the rule rather than the exception. In Santiago de Cuba, a family waited over 10 hours with no response after a burglary at their apartment.
In another reported case, police took three days to respond following the theft of a portable power station from an elderly woman. Earlier this week, a resident from Matanzas complained about a spike in thefts in the town of Bolondrón.
Rising Crime Rates Across Cuba
Statistics underscore the escalating insecurity in the country.
The Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit documented 2,833 verified crimes in 2025, a 115% increase from 2024 and a 337% rise compared to 2023. That year alone, thefts accounted for 1,536 incidents, a 479% surge since 2023.
Meanwhile, the organization Cubalex reported that July 2026 was the most violent month since its monitoring began, with 168 violent incidents and 37 homicides recorded in just one month.
"Violence and insecurity are on the rise in Cuba despite the country's increasing militarization," Cubalex warned in its August report. The organization has recorded 2,932 violence and insecurity events since 2023, including 736 homicides.
Root Causes and Government Response
Independent analysts and media attribute the breakdown in public safety to the economic crisis, the desertion of around 20% of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) force over the last two years, and the regime's focus on political control over citizen protection.
The official response has largely consisted of media-oriented operations with public displays of detainees in Havana, failing to address the structural causes or effectively reinforce the police force.
As the regime stages shows for the cameras, it is the residents of Camagüey—and all of Cuba—who face the criminal wave alone, in the dead of night, with a state that seems neither capable nor willing to contain it.
Understanding Crime and Insecurity in Cuba
What led to the increase in crime rates in Cuba?
The rise in crime rates in Cuba is attributed to the economic crisis, the desertion of police officers, and the government's focus on political control over public safety.
How are residents responding to the lack of police action?
Residents are increasingly taking matters into their own hands by capturing and detaining suspects themselves due to the lack of police response.
What has been the government's response to the rising crime?
The government has mostly responded with media-driven operations showcasing detainees, without addressing the underlying issues or strengthening the police force effectively.