58% of repeat offenders arrested by the Mossos for property crimes are Maghrebis

57.5% of those detained in Catalonia for property crimes who have been arrested more than seven times are of Moroccan and Algerian nationality. This is revealed by the 2024 Security and Police Activity Report of Mossos d'Esquadra shared by VOX in Parliament. This figure reveals an undeniable reality about the debate on crime and immigration. In fact, many other data confirm this reality.

In 2024, 637 people were classified as "repeat offenders," with a total of 6,993 arrests. Of these, 599 were men and 38 were women, with an average age of 30 years (98.4 ft.). The hard core of this recidivism (57.5%) is made up of people from the Maghreb. These individuals are mainly involved in theft (35.5%), robberies with violence (24.6%), and burglaries (20.7%).

In Barcelona, the situation is equally explosive: 91% of those arrested for theft and 83.5% for violent robberies are foreigners. In turn, more than 78% of total arrests correspond to non-Spanish nationals.

Vox claim that these data confirm the "importation of crime" through immigration. Meanwhile, the Catalan Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, warns about the risk of stigmatization. However, faced with the reality of the data, she seeks complex ways to strike a balance, such as stating that "a significant portion of crimes are committed by people without a Spanish ID card".

The burden of repeat offending

It should be remembered that the debate on insecurity, crime, and immigration has not been open in Catalonia for very long. In fact, as recently as 2023, it was still a major taboo, and parties like Junts joined the prevailing "goodism." But with the emergence of the debate at the municipal level, everything has changed.

On one hand, the inescapable data, as well as the great public misunderstanding, have put security at the center of the debate. This explains why in just a few years insecurity and immigration have climbed many positions among social concerns. On the other hand, this has also sparked political interest.

In the case of Catalonia, for example, parties like VOX or Aliança Catalana have shifted the axis of the debate. Even socialist figures have significantly toughened their discourse. This is notwithstanding the fact that the results of the Govern in this area are rather modest and do not address the root of the problem. What is undeniable in any case is that, at this rate, insecurity—and in particular repeat offending—will once again be central issues in the next elections.