According to data from the Mossos d’Esquadra, the reduction has been uneven across police regions. In Barcelona, the decrease was 40%, while in the North Region it was 11% and in the South Region 19%. In the latter, tourists arriving in the city from the airport are the main victims.
The Mossos attribute this decline to a dual strategy: active surveillance both at stations and inside trains, with uniformed and plainclothes officers, and investigative efforts to dismantle organized gangs. Suspect identification is aided by surveillance camera footage.
92% of crimes on public rail transport are thefts or robberies without violence. Pickpocketing methods include distracting victims, often posing as tourists, or skillfully opening bags and backpacks. In organized groups, loot is passed among members, while lone thieves usually disembark at the next station.
Another tactic involves exploiting crowds to push and steal items without the victim realizing it. Specialized gangs have also been detected observing bank card PINs when tickets are purchased, subsequently following the victim to withdraw money before a report is filed.
Officers have dismantled a gang known as “mirapins” for this method, whose members have moved to other cities outside of Catalonia. Police work has established their organization and attributed several crimes to them.
With the application of the repeat offense law, imprisonment can be requested for repeated petty theft, or courts can be urged to impose restraining orders from specific stations or rail lines.
