New 120-officer police unit to tackle surge in repeat offenders in Barcelona

The Catalan government and the Barcelona city council have joined forces to crack down on repeat offenders. 

In 2023, 526 criminals were classified as repeat offenders, committing a total of more than 6,000 crimes, mostly thefts and violent robberies.

To address this problem, the two institutions have created a permanent unit of 120 officers - 60 from the police Mossos d'Esquadra and 60 from the local Barcelona force Guàrdia Urbana - who will work together on these cases. 

"Until now, there have been ad hoc units; now we are creating a permanent unit of 120 officers who will work together on the prosecution of minor crimes, public health and police presence in public spaces to improve security," said the council's security chief Albert Batlle. 

The measure was presented by interior minister Núria Parlon and Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni on Wednesday. 

They also agreed that the Guàrdia Urbana will have access to the automatic fingerprint identification system managed by the Mossos, while the Mossos will have direct access to the surveillance cameras managed by the Guardia Urbana.  

Collboni said that the new joint investigation system was a "very important" step forward and celebrated the "shared responsibility, loyalty and generosity."

The new team will also be targeting 'drug flats.'

Tougher penalties for repeat offenders 

Meanwhile, in the Spanish Congress, the Socialists and the conservative People's Party have opened the door to considering a bill proposed by the pro-independence Junts to toughen penalties for repeat offenders.  

The initiative proposes that judges could impose prison sentences of one to three years on offenders who have been convicted three or more times for similar crimes, even petty thefts of less than €400.  

The bill would also increase the severity of theft of mobile devices and computers.  

The proposal passed its first step in Congress with the votes of the Socialists, PP, Junts and the Basque Nationalist Party (PNB), with the pro-independence Esquerra abstaining and the left-wing Podemos and Sumar parties voting against it.