Mossos Patrolling in Barcelona Warn that the Situation Is Worse than Reported

The Department of Interior launched the 'Operativo Kanpai' against repeat offenses in Barcelona and the metropolitan area at the beginning of April. The police also keep the Daga plan open against bladed weapons. Meanwhile, the Mossos are carrying out an intense campaign to combat organized crime.

The idea arose at the last Barcelona Security Board meeting, held in February. Someone suggested the possibility of using officers to convey positive messages to people and reverse the growing perception of insecurity. 

The leaders convey to the officers some data according to which, apparently, there is an improvement in security. These officers must explain to their surroundings that the data is good and that Barcelona is a safe city. Thus, the Plan Confianza is born, whose mission is to overstate the results of the shock plans against repeat offenses, bladed weapons, and organized crime.

The Situation Could Be Much Worse

But this plan clashes with the perception of the officers who patrol the streets of Barcelona daily. Their view is far from the optimism that political and police leaders try to convey. They warn that it is not just about perceptions, but a reality that could be even worse than we imagine.

This view coincides with what independent police unions state about the security situation in Catalonia. The most pessimistic claim that the level of degradation is so high that even the shock plans will not be enough. In a few years, crime has gained spaces of impunity that are now very difficult to counteract with the mere police presence.

The plan to convey good figures to the population has caused discontent among the officers. They criticize that the leaders insist on perceptions and put the officers as the vanguard of their decompression strategy. According to what they convey, the security situation in Barcelona is even worse than we might imagine.

Repeat Offenses and Other Factors

The police in Catalonia, especially in Barcelona, face a complex situation where several rising criminal phenomena converge. Repeat offenses are one of the most alarming and heighten the sense of insecurity. According to police data, 80% of crimes in Barcelona are committed by a small group of foreign minors.

Another worrying phenomenon is the squatting, which in Catalonia accounts for 42% of all break-ins in the State. Last year, 23 squattings were reported every day. Criminal squattings are often behind the problems of crime and coexistence with neighbors in the neighborhoods. 

Stabbings and firearm attacks, which have multiplied in recent weeks, are also concerning. 2025 is on track to break all homicide records in Catalonia, and last week there was a new wave of stabbings. Despite what the authorities insist on conveying, Barcelona does seem like a lawless city.