How Catalan cities that have reduced crime the most have done it

BarcelonaIf it had lasted another two hours in 2024, Catalonia would have ended the year with a bad crime rate. It is a simple coincidence that only 120 more crimes were recorded in 2023 than in 2024. This is because almost 1,400 criminal acts are committed in the country every day, half a million crimes at the end of the year. This gives an average of 60 crimes every hour, with these two hours being the ones that separated Catalonia from ending the year in positive or negative.

The summary, however, ends up being that the crime data has remained stable. Meanwhile, the perception of insecurity is an increasing problem, to the point that it is the first concern of the people of Barcelona and the third of the Catalans. There are latent conflicts, such as multiple recidivism, closely linked to property crimes, the increase in violence in the streets or also the increase in drug trafficking, intrinsically linked to the rise in this violence. But there are also arguments for optimism, and they are personified, for example, by the cities that are managing to reduce crime the most according to the ranking of the Ministry of the Interior, which only takes into account populations of more than 20,000 inhabitants.

The first in the ranking is Banyoles, the capital of Pla de l'Estany, where almost 21,000 people live. "We don't like to boast about anything, tomorrow it could be different," says its mayor, Miquel Noguer, of Junts Banyoles, cautiously. The reality is that crimes have decreased by 18% in one year, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior, going from 1,055 incidents to 865. There is a notable reduction in thefts by almost half. One of the reasons for the success, the mayor attributes to the union of the Local Police and the Mossos d'Esquadra in a joint police station. He adds, however, that in a city like Banyoles they notice a lot when a repeat offender commits many crimes (and how the percentage data rises) or when they are arrested (and these figures drop exponentially). All in all, he concludes that the city, which he has governed since 2007, is "quite stable". Banyoles records 42 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants, and is at the bottom of the ranking of Catalan cities.

The mayor of Gavà, the socialist Gemma Badia, is less enthusiastic: "I am very happy, in 2023 crimes were reduced and arrests increased, and in 2024 we have done more," she says. In Gavà, criminal offences fell by 10.7% last year, and it is the second municipality in Catalonia with the most notable decrease. "It is a sweet moment, the increase in police activity coincides with a drop in the data," says, in the same vein, the mayor Javier Sancho, head of the Mossos d'Esquadra police station in Gavà. In this city of 48,000 inhabitants in Baix Llobregat, most crimes linked to property decreased, above all: 32% for house robberies, 42% for vehicle theft, 6% for theft and 17% for robberies with violence and intimidation.

Security cameras

Badia, who previously had the security portfolio as deputy mayor and who has now remained as mayor, points to a key measure: the installation of 25 number plate reading cameras. In the summer, he says, they will have 33 more. "We have created a kind of envelope throughout the city and it gives us a lot of insight into who goes out and who comes in, and who commits crimes," says Badia. He also points to an increase in local police forces and a lot of work in attention and communication with citizens to break down perceptions: "We don't just have to be safe, we must also appear to be," he says, and warns that if "we trusted what the extreme right says we would not be able to go out on the street." He also insists on the importance of coordination between the Mossos and the Local Police.

This is an argument repeated by Mayor Sancho. For example, they have opted for an innovative measure: joint patrols. That is, a duo formed by a porter and a local police officer. This way they are more "efficient" and with fewer officers they cover more space. They have also greatly intensified the police presence on the street (he points out that they are one of the police stations in the country that carry out the most static controls) and this has allowed them to deal with one of the main problems in the city, which is theft from inside vehicles. Sancho is responsible for security in Gavà, but also in other adjacent cities such as Castelldefels or Viladecans, where crime has also decreased by 2% and 8.9%, respectively.

More control over nightlife

The city that completes the ranking of localities where crime is falling the most is Sant Quirze del Vallès, in the Vallès Occidental region, where just over 20,000 people live. In 2024, criminal offences fell by 9%, but the drop in burglaries in homes and establishments by half is notable. Superintendent Enric Cervelló is the head of the Mossos police station in Sabadell, a police territory that includes Sant Quirze, and explains that one of the main problems in this very residential town is burglary. Cervelló explains that they have created a map with the hottest areas and direct patrols towards where most incidents are concentrated at a specific time.

The Mossos leadership, which also highlights the importance of collaboration with the local police, focuses on another point to explain the drop in the data: the Waka discotheque, which has often made headlines due to its conflictive nature. The superintendent states that they have put "many more officers" and static devices in place every weekend. This, he says, is also being noticed in the data.

Sant Quirze del Vallès is also at the bottom of the ranking of the fewest crimes per 1,000 inhabitants, with 27. This positive ranking is led by Olesa de Montserrat (18), followed by Castellar del Vallès (19) and Manlleu (20).