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Diari de Catalunya

Law Allowing Prison Sentences for Repeat Theft Comes into Force

The new regulation, promoted by Junts and approved in Congress, aims to combat repeated thefts, especially in Barcelona and the metropolitan area.

Generic image of a hand holding a mobile phone in an urban setting, symbolizing theft.
IA

Generic image of a hand holding a mobile phone in an urban setting, symbolizing theft.

The new law against repeat offenses has come into force, allowing thieves who repeatedly commit thefts to be punished with prison sentences, a measure that will directly impact security in Barcelona and its metropolitan area.

From now on, individuals arrested and convicted on more than one occasion for crimes such as mobile phone theft may face prison sentences ranging from one to three years. This is one of the most relevant provisions of the toughening of penalties applied with the entry into force of the repeat offender law.
The initiative, originally proposed by Junts, was definitively approved in the Congress of Deputies two weeks ago, with the support of parties such as the PP, the PSOE, Vox, the PNB, and UPN. The main objective of the norm is to confront thieves who repeatedly commit thefts, a type of crime that generates a heavy workload for police forces and is the most reported in the city of Barcelona.
Data from the Mossos d'Esquadra reveal that during 2024, 202,941 thefts were registered in Catalonia, with a significant concentration in Barcelona and its metropolitan area, many of which are attributable to repeat offenders. Until now, these cases were usually resolved with a fine, but the new legislation provides for the possibility of sending a thief to prison with three firm convictions, regardless of the value of the stolen objects.
The legislative reform, which was one of the demands of Carles Puigdemont's party to the government of Pedro Sánchez, was presented in 2024 and was finally pushed through on March 26, after having been shelved for months due to Sumar's disagreement. Its processing was reactivated after Junts announced the breakdown of relations with the PSOE.
During the processing in the Justice Committee of the Lower House, the PSOE and Junts also agreed to punish mobile phone theft with up to three years in prison and to toughen penalties for certain fraud offenses. The law also empowers local councils to appear in repeat theft cases, even if the victim does not file a complaint.
Furthermore, after passing through the Senate, where the PP holds an absolute majority, an amendment has been approved that establishes prison sentences of six to eighteen months or fines for those who defraud energy for marijuana cultivation, and another that provides for punishing what is known as "petaqueo," related to the supply of fuel to drug boats, with between three and five years in prison.
However, a PP proposal to expand Prosecutor's Office positions and an amendment that would have led to the deployment of 400 additional civil servants in immigration police stations were vetoed. These vetoes, citing an additional budgetary cost of approximately 70 million euros, were accepted by the Bureau of the Lower House with the support of the PSOE and Sumar.

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