Comments on: Barcelona street crime

By: Bambi

Bambi — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:20:57 +0000

Jim, you're right that Barcelona's thievery is out of hand and something must be done about it. On the other hand, it's too wonderful a destination to forego. A new group, Robbed in Barcelona, is attempting to publicize the magnitude of the situation, and shame the city into action. I believe they'll make a difference.

By: jim hunt

jim hunt — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:05:26 +0000

I’ve just returned from Barcelona were I was robbed. I spoke to 8 other people who were robbed that weekend alone. One suggestion to everyone, tell everybody you know not to visit the city until it gets sorted out! If tourist figures plummett the authorites will need to do something!

By: Bambi

Bambi — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:02:32 +0000

Definitely interested, Nicki. Your site looks good. Let’s get in touch…

By: Nicki Easy

Nicki Easy — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:33:12 +0000

I have lived in Barcelona for 7 years and have been robbed at least 11 times, not to mention the countless foiled or averted attempts. Last year I was burglarized to the tune of â‚¬20,000, mostly in irreplaceable heirlooms.

I wonder if you might be interested in liaising with our new blog, robbedinbarcelona.com, which is an outgrowth of the facebook group “I know someone who got robbed in Barcelona.” We are hoping to get something done about this atrocious problem that is now more rampant and epidemic than ever.

Cheers,
N.

By: David

David — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:17:53 +0000

Hi,

I have created a map of robberies in Barcelona – http://www.yourobme.com/robberies/espana/barcelona – that may be very helpful for those visiting the city. This way you will be able to spot dangerous places.

I hope it helps!

By: Bambi

Bambi — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:00:16 +0000

George, your homeowners insurance should cover the loss, but probably only if you filed a police report.

By: George

George — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:56:32 +0000

We were conned by the puncture trick….to painful to relate at the moment – does anyone know if insurance will cover us?

By: Thiefhunters in Paradise » 6,000 thefts per day on Barcelona visitors

Thiefhunters in Paradise » 6,000 thefts per day on Barcelona visitors — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:07:52 +0000

[...] over and over again; presumably to collect cash to pay their fines. Looking at the fistful of fines Kharem showed us, this is a pretty lucrative system for the city. A stupid-tourist tax perhaps, or a licensing fee [...]

By: Another One Bites the Dust « Blog on the Run

Another One Bites the Dust « Blog on the Run — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:49:35 +0000

[...] the Dust Screw it–I’m done doing research.Â It only leads you to sites like THIS–more than the content of the blog, it is the comment section that really bothers me.Â I will [...]

By: Adrian

Adrian — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:16:58 +0000

Hi all!

I’ve been living in Barcelona for one and a half years and I am pretty disappointed with it. I did not have “many” problems – mainly flat tires three times (luckily nothing stolen from the car those three times as every time it happened I was close to home so I would drive the car till the parking which had security cameras and guards), girlfriend purse stolen from the car at the stop light and the nastiest one, one morning going to the parking (this time, a different parking, with no security, but still, closed private parking with lots of cars) to find that the driver window has been broken. They stole the GPS which was in the glove compartment and two pairs of sun-glasses.

I know of numerous other incidents and I’m still hearing more every day. In our building for instance – which is not in the very center by far – there have been in the past six months two robberies; again, this is a building which has videophone at the entrance and the downstairs door is always closed – however, they still manage to get in every once in a while.

I am very frustrated that I do not understand, besides the authorities ignorance, the ignorance of the locals, which fall victims as well in many cases. Most of Barcelona lives off from tourism, and they do not do anything to protect it.

Meanwhile, I will not recommend anybody to visit or come live in Barcelona. Until things get straighten up at least. And I think everybody should do the same. I think we need to raise awareness and I hope some non-profit organisations will appear that will go around the city and in the airports and post posters with security warnings and informational materials about the high level of crime.

By: Aghast

Aghast — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:47:41 +0000

Hi everyone,

I stumbled upon this blog googling on the subject. My parents, both very well-travelled and savvy and still relatively young, just came back from Barcelona.

They were scammed by 2 individuals IMPERSONATING POLICE OFFICERS. These two scammers accosted my parents, demanding to see their passports and wallets to check if they were “buying drugs” or some bullsh*t.

My parents, not speaking Spanish, had absolutely no way of challenging them, and they couldn’t even read the “ID” that was proffered to them. And being from East Asia, there is a certain attitude of trust in police officers.

A few hours after that, my dad realized that USD 500 was missing from his wallet. I visited Barca myself in 2003 with 3 other friends but encountered no incident.

I don’t think I’ll ever go back now. How on Earth does one challenge an apparent police officer in a country where one speaks not the language????

By: Hollis

Hollis — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:21:59 +0000

@ Teri – If you moved to another neighborhood half your worries / stress would be over. You live right in the belly of the beast which is half of the problem right there. At least the majority of crime here is “petty” and not far worse, aggressive crime. That said I do not cut the local authorities any slack at all. I know the US Consulate has broached this subject with the Catalan authorities though no direct action has come of it that I know of. I’m just a month into moving here myself; I believe a proactive mindset can and will bring real change to this serious problem. I will say that things have gotten better since my first week, but that’s not to say the crime has gone away. Have a pint of bitter for us back home in London. All best with your move. Cheers.

By: Teri Leigh

Teri Leigh — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:17:42 +0000

Good to know at least somebody is talking about this problem. IÂ´m from London and have lived here 7 years, everyone goes on about crime in London but it is much worse here and done with impunity by the low life scum that do it. The last comment which is clearly written by a smug local whoÂ´s never been robbed before is not very helpful. So nobody can wear a strange hat, whatÂ´s that about?? No backpacks (small or large), everyone uses them these days and itÂ´s a bit out of date to assume anyone with one is a tourist! If all of us who lived here or are considering doing so has to pay attention to the long list of dos and donts then quite frankly it is not worth the hassle. In London I never had to think about my bag, here it is always on my mind and IÂ´ve only had possessions stolen once and that was on a bus so crowded I was wedged in so tightly I couldnÂ´t move my arms, despite the fact that my bag was in front of me and fully zipped a latino scumbag managed to take out my purse and quickly got off the next stop, I saw him but couldnÂ´t move! The police here are terrible, not surprising with their third world salaries, my brotherÂ´s a cop in the UK and earns 8 times more. Over here the police are so relaxed they are almost horizontal. Not only that they openly smoke on duty and this gives a very bad impression. My partner was attacked by one of the Pakistani illegal beer sellers who have invaded the city in the last couple of years and flout the law with impunity as they know they can get away with it. We were walking along the cesspit that is called the Ramblas at around 3am (full of prostitutes, Eastern European mafia and pakis). We are so sick of being approached by the beer sellers that my partner lost his temper and told one of them to **** off. The said Pakistani threw a can at him and hit him hard on the head, when I looked at him I saw blood pouring down his head and was in shock. I took him over the police station literally on the Ramblas, the police simply standing there looking out on the debauchery that happens every night, doing nothing. I spent a long time talking to them and basically they said their hands were tied! They insisted my boyfriend had a tetanus shot as they knew that the Paki beer sellers keep their stash in the sewers below which are full of rats and they said he could get a nasty infection. My partner had to have stitches but the Paki got away with it and is no doubt still there peddling his wears. Our life here is a misery, especially from Thurs to Sun night when the streets of the old town (we live there) are full of low life. We canÂ´t sleep at night due to the noise in the street caused by the locals and tourists hanging around longer due to being able to buy beer until 5am and stand in the street shouting and screaming. IÂ´ve called the police so many times and am sick of it. Now IÂ´ve noticed the Paki beer sellers are starting to spread further out of their area and start selling earlier and earlier, nobody does a thing. Going to the local beach is out of the question as I go there to relax but now you get bombarded with beer sellers, Chinese massage women and Africans selling rubbish, each illegal immigrant has their speciality. There was a report on the local tv about the beach beer sellers who were filmed undercover and are actually selling Class A and B drugs and the Chinese massage girls are offering hand jobs, it has become an open sewer. We are planning to move back to London early next year as weÂ´ve had enough. London has its problems but since living here I realise that we are exposed to much more crime than we ever were back home. My father is Spanish, obviously from another era, things were different in his days and when I was coming here as a youngster. This is an over liberal society that has a stigma about right wing politics and the legacy of Franco, I believe for this reason the police donÂ´t want to be seen to be heavy handed in any way and have gone to the other extreme in order to placate the lefty socialists that prevail this city. The mass tourism here is necessary to the locals whether they like it or not, quite frankly there is little other industry going on and most people live off the tourists in some shape or form. As this is the case they should not bite the hand that feeds them, tourists will not keep coming as things decline to the level they have or likely to get worse. Barcelona is just as expensive as London (I know this for a fact) so there are plenty more places people who donÂ´t want to be robbed can go. It saddens me to see this happen to my fatherÂ´s city but IÂ´ve had enough!!!!

By: Josep

Josep — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:03:46 +0000

Never been mugged or pickpocketed in Barcelona in 50 years. First place, use common sense. Don’t dress like a tourist. For example; no strange hats, don’t use socks if using sandals, don’t hang, no hanging bags. Forget about backpacks, small bags, small backpacks, as to cameras, expensive cameras attracts thiefs. Watch out for people behind you, or lurking around. Avoid gypsies and crowds and be extremely careful in Gothic, Born and Ramblas. Keep your valuables at the hotel safe. Why do you tiurist tote expensive cameras, expensive pcs, bags with money, etc, with you? Dress modestly.

By: Bambi

Bambi — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:25:05 +0000

Hollis—Thanks for your comment. You’re much more observant that most people if you’ve spotted 6 or 7 incidents of thievery in a week. By now I bet you’ve seen more more. You have choices about how to use your advantage. I’d love to hear how it’s going for you after a few months in Barcelona. I hope you like the city as much as Bob and I do, despite the level of street crime. Please write again!

Although the crime is easy to spot if you’re looking, it isn’t easy to solve. A complicated set of circumstances make change unlikely—the same circumstances that help make Barcelona the lively, creative, freewheeling city that it is. I touched on some of those issues in this very post.