The scourge of repeat offenses in Barcelona: 128 detainees account for nearly 1,000 crimes

The Department of the Interior, led by Núria Parlon, launched Plan Kanpai against repeat offenses in Barcelona and its metropolitan area on April 4. After five operations, the results reveal the scourge of this phenomenon. Police forces have arrested 182 people who have a total of 915 prior police records.

Plan Kanpai has mobilized more than one thousand Mossos d'Esquadra officers, with support from Guàrdia Urbana, Guardia Civil, and Policía Nacional. Counselor Parlon presented the results of the deployment at Parliament last Wednesday. 

The Interior official from Illa's government highlighted the value of police work. The first two deployments were carried out on April 4 and 10 in cities in the metropolitan area. There were then three more operations, which have concluded with the data initially provided.

Optimism with crime in the Govern

Salvador Illa's Govern keeps its commitment to reducing crime, expressed in the maxim "whoever does it pays for it." The counselor also accused the opposition of using this problem to engage in demagoguery. Parlon reminded that "in a democratic state, the Interior counselor doesn't decide deportations."

Security has been one of the priorities of the socialist government in Catalonia from the beginning. However, the counselor already warned at the outset that the work wouldn't be easy and that she needed time. The data show a slight decrease in the first half of 2025, although crimes such as homicides and sexual assaults continue to rise.

In any case, this is an opportunity for the Catalan government to boast about doing things right. In addition to Plan Kanpai, there are action plans against bladed weapons and firearms. Interior has strengthened coordination among police forces, plans to add more officers, and pays attention to phenomena such as squatting and drug trafficking.

The Interior plan is coordinated with the Department of Justice to increase the number of first instance courts. This is essential to end judicial collapse, speed up trials quickly, and prevent police work from coming to nothing.

Concern among officers

However, one thing is Govern and police leadership, and another is the officers who experience the crime situation daily. Police unions have recently warned that Catalonia is in a critical situation. Collusion with criminals has caused for years a sense of impunity that has eroded police authority.

Episodes of violence in Salt, Mataró, and Lérida have served as wake-up calls. Moreover, officers patrolling in Barcelona have refused to go along with their leaders' triumphalism. They warn that the situation is much more concerning than what those in power convey.

Furthermore, despite Interior's efforts to change reality, there is a constant trickle of news that provokes outrage. Criminals who are arrested and released onto the street after a few hours, only to reoffend. Some neighborhoods are even rising up against youth gangs that terrorize residents.