Fewer thefts on Barcelona metro

05 Sep, 2012

Thefts dropped by 19 per cent between July 2011 and July 2012 on the Barcelona metro. The decrease is thought to be because of extra police patrols at station intersections, on platforms and directly at the doors of the trains. Many of the suspects were arrested on the spot.

Thieves are now focusing on smart phones instead of cash and they operate in smaller groups of about two or three instead of 15. Police believe that there are still 150 pickpockets operating on the city’s public transport network on a regular basis.

It is estimated that there were about 30 thefts a day in August when some 1.6 million passengers a day used the metro.

Crime in general throughout Barcelona was down by five per cent in July this year over the same period last year according to police reports.