Thefts in Barcelona have dropped to their lowest level in a decade, excluding the years affected by COVID-19 restrictions, while street robberies are at an eight-year low under the same conditions. The decline forms part of an overall drop in reported crime in Barcelona, according to official figures released after a local security board meeting this week.
Total recorded crimes in the first half of this year fell 8.8% in the city compared to the same period last year. Barcelona City Council said the drop was due to increased police pressure, better co-ordination between different police forces, and a boost in crime prevention.
The two biggest police forces operating in Barcelona are the city’s own Guardia Urbana, which has around 3,500 officers, and the regional Mossos d’Esquadra, whieh has almost as many officers in the Catalan capital.
The total of 83,646 crimes reported in the latest statistics was not just down year on year. The number has fallen 22.9% since the same period in 2019. The vast majority of reported crimes in the city 85.5% are crimes against property.
The categories of crime seeing the biggest drops in the first half of this year were break-ins at establishments -50.7%, thefts from vehicles -35.6%and burglaries -31.4%.
Barcelona is also seeing success in tackling repeat offending, with reported crimes linked to recidivists dropping 10%. Intelligence sharing between police forces has helped. There have also been 29 major police operations targeting repeat offenders, leading to 489 arrests.
However, reported knife-related incidents grew 38.3%, and the number of knives and blades confiscated rose 48.5% to 1,844 in the first half of this year.
Earlier this year, senior officers at the Mossos d’Esquadra police force announced tough measures to tackle crime in and around ISE, in liaison with the trade show’s organisers.
Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni, said: “Our commitment to improving security is heading in the right direction.”
