Crime down by 14.6% in the city
Last year’s figures show 193,286 offences were reported in Barcelona, a drop of 14.6% compared to 2019, when the figure was 226,366. The numbers are the result of various strategies and stronger coordination between the different police corps. The Tremall plan to combat multiple repeat offences stands out, as do plans to combat gender violence and sexual violence in nightlife areas. The Barcelona Local Security Board analysed these and other security indicators for last year.
Theft, muggings and killings all down
Theft accounts for half of crime, and numbers have dropped by 26.6% compared to 2019. Most thefts occur in the street (42%), in establishments (31.5%) or on transport (20.7%). Muggings were also down by 19.1% compared to 2019. In 87.6% of cases, weapons were not used to intimidate victims. Robberies using force in commercial establishments fell by 45.7% compared to 2019.
The drop in the figures is linked to the Tremall plan, a joint operation by the City Police and the Mossos d’Equadra police corps to combat multiple repeat offences.
Killings were also down by 39% compared to 2019.
Increase in sexual violence, aggressions towards people and scams
Sexual aggression increased by 27% compared to 2019 and reports of gender violence at home were up by 40%. In an effort to combat these situations, the City Police have been working within the framework of the Plan to Combat Sexual Violence and in close contact with the nightlife sector, carrying out 339 operations in different nightlife areas over the last year. Safe routes have also been established for different zones and big events.
Aggressions towards people, involving injuries, rose by 11.1% from 3,933 to 4,371. The Daga plan has been activated to reduce the presence of knives and similar weapons, and the City Police has more metal detectors to prevent people carrying these in public places.
Scams, mainly occurring on the internet, were up by 30.7%, rising from 17,919 in 2019 to 23,417 in 2022.
Police action
Over the course of 2022, the City Police and the Mossos d’Esquadra police corps carried out 22,154 detentions and investigated 51,309 people, some 1.5% more than in 2019. The corps carried out 142 drug-trafficking investigations and confiscated 476 bladed weapons.
