The operation, named Iris, combines drone surveillance from the air with the presence of uniformed and plainclothes officers on platforms. The objective is to catch graffiti artists in the act. Granollers Centre station has been selected as a strategic point for this deployment, as it is a hub for Rodalies, long-distance, and freight trains, and where convoys are parked overnight.
In addition to Granollers Centre, similar operations have been carried out at other key locations, such as Estació de França, Montcada-Bifurcació, and Martorell. These officers specialize in crimes against public transport and also conduct investigative tasks to identify those responsible.
The latest operation, conducted on April 16, resulted in the arrest of nine graffiti artists and the criminal prosecution of nine others. They are accused of a total of 115 counts of damage to property since 2023. One of the investigated individuals had already been identified about seventy times for painting trains, and most of those arrested had prior records for theft or violent robbery.
“"They are attracted to challenges and complicated situations and are driven to achieve their goal."
According to police sources, graffiti artists use their criminal experience to carry out incursions into railway infrastructure. The complexity of the location where they operate becomes a factor of recognition within their group. In this operation, the police have quantified the damage to railway infrastructure at over 377,000 euros.
The predominant profile of graffiti artists is young individuals, with an average age of around 25, who seek a sense of belonging to a group. They are also motivated by the adrenaline of evading police and security guards, or simply the desire to leave their personal mark, the larger the better, on the bodywork and windows of trains. Some disseminate their actions through videos on social media, where they showcase their travels painting public transport in various cities.
