Barcelona has a reputation
as a city plagued by petty
crime, and indeed recently
the situation has reached
a near-crisis point.
Popular wisdom blames the
recent rise on
immigration, but the fact
is that half of the 400
bag-snatchers known to
police operating in the
centre are Spanish.
Because robbery without
injury is treated as a
misdemeanour under Spanish
law, snatchers know that
they can operate with near
impunity. Tourists should
stay alert to possible
threats, and follow
certain basic security
strategies. You may also
encounter begging - people
come here from other
Spanish cities to beg -
and you should also beware
of people accosting you to
give you or sell you
flowers, herbs, small
Catalan-flag stickers, or
who in any other manner
try to distract you.
However, don't be
unduly paranoid. Most of
Barcelona is as safe (or
dangerous) as any other
city you may be used to -
and the potential for
violent street crime is
much lower than in Britain
and the United States. And
once you're away from the
city and into the Catalan
countryside you'll be less
troubled by dangerous
streets. Most of the
region is rural, friendly
and safe, though do be on
your guard at all times
against bag-snatching. As
anywhere, when driving,
take precautions before
pulling over to help
apparently stranded
motorists - in recent
years Peruvian bands have
been successfully robbing
foreigners driving on
Catalan highways by luring
them to pull over.
Avoiding trouble
Almost all the problems
tourists in Barcelona
encounter are to do with
petty crime -
pickpocketing and
bag-snatching - rather
than more serious
physical confrontations,
so it's as well to be on
your guard and know
where your possessions
are at all times.
Sensible
precautions
include: carrying bags
slung across your body,
not off one shoulder;
not carrying anything in
zipped pockets which you
can't keep an eye on;
having photocopies of
your passport, leaving
the original and any
tickets in the hotel
safe; never leaving your
wallet in your back
pocket; and noting down
travellers' cheque and
credit card numbers.
Don't depend on
moneybelts
- good thieves know how
they are carried and how
to remove them.
The bottom end of the
Ramblas and the
medieval streets to
either side are where
you most need to be on
your guard. Take the
usual precautions at
night: avoid unlit
streets and dark alleys,
don't go out brimming
with valuables, and
don't flash fancy
cameras or look
hopelessly lost in
run-down areas. Other
places to be especially
wary are around the
Sagrada Família and on
the metro.
Thieves often work in
pairs, so watch out for
people standing
unusually close if
you're studying
postcards or papers at
stalls on the Ramblas;
keep an eye on your
wallet if it appears
you're being distracted.
Ploys (by some
very sophisticated
operators) include: the
"helpful"
person pointing out bird
shit (shaving cream or
something similar) on
your jacket while
someone relieves you of
your money; the card or
paper you're invited to
read on the street to
distract your attention.
In café terraces
never leave your bags
unzipped or on a
neighbouring chair,
place them under your
table and loop a chair
leg through a shoulder
strap. Be careful of
someone in a café
making a move for your
drink with one hand -
the other hand will be
in your bag as you react
to save your drink.
If you have a car
don't leave anything in
view when you park it;
take the radio with you.
When driving in the
city, keep all car doors
locked, thieves can
easily snatch a bag from
a car's back seat and
run off, leaving the
driver stranded.
Vehicles are rarely
stolen, but luggage and
valuables left in cars
do make a tempting
target and rental cars
are easy to spot.
Looking for hotel
rooms , don't leave
any bags unattended
anywhere. This applies
especially to buildings
where the hotel or hostal
is on the higher floors
and you're tempted to
leave baggage in the
hallway or ground-floor
lobby. Don't assume that
your fellow dorm mates
or travellers are honest
just because they speak
your language.
What to do if you're
robbed
If you're robbed, you
need to
go to the
police to report it,
not least because your
insurance company will
require a police report.
Don't expect a great
deal of concern if your
loss is relatively small
- but do expect the
process of completing
forms and formalities to
take ages.
In the unlikely event
that you're mugged
, or otherwise
threatened, never
resist; hand over what's
wanted and run straight
to the police who will
be more sympathetic on
these occasions. There's
also a police office
- Centro Atencíon
Policial - specifically
designed to help
tourists, with
English-speaking
officers, legal and
medical advice, and
practical help if you've
lost your money and
credit cards. We've
listed details of the
main police stations
in Barcelona .
The police
There are four types of
police
: the Guàrdia Civil,
the Policía Nacional,
the municipal police
known as the Guàrdia
Urbana, and the Catalan
Mossos d'Esquadra, all
of them armed.
The Guàrdia Civil
, in green uniforms and
sometimes sporting black
three-cornered hats, are
a national police force
which are formally a
military organization
but also investigate
crime on a national
(and, in some places,
local level).
Traditionally associated
with the oppressive
Franco regime, their
role in Catalunya has
been gradually limited,
though they can still be
seen guarding some
public buildings, and at
airports and border
crossings.
The Policía
Nacional wear
uniforms resembling blue
combat gear and will
normally only be seen in
Barcelona. Here they
operate primarily as an
anti-crime force, which
includes street patrols,
investigations, checking
papers of suspected
illegal immigrants, and
crowd control. If you
are mugged or robbed in
Barcelona, it is the
Policía Nacional who
will take your
statement.
More visible on the
streets of Barcelona and
generally more
sympathetic are the Guàrdia
Urbana , in blue
shirts and navy jackets,
who are responsible for
controlling the traffic.
They are likely to be
the first to respond to
calls for help. They
also guard the Ajuntament
installations.
Catalunya also has
its own autonomous
police force, the Mossos
d'Esquadra , whose
navy-blue uniforms with
red trim give them the
aspect of bellhops
rather then police. In
Barcelona you'll see
them guarding buildings
which belong to the Generalitat
, but in the countryside
they are gradually
taking over highway
patrol and investigative
duties from the Guàrdia
Civil, as well as from
the Policía Nacional in
some large towns (such
as Girona).
Offences
There are a few
offences
you might commit
unwittingly that it's as
well to be aware of.
? In theory you're
supposed to carry some
kind of identification
at all times, and the
police can stop you in
the street and demand
it. In practice they're
rarely bothered if
you're clearly a
foreigner.
? Nude bathing
or unauthorized
camping are
activities more likely
to bring you into
contact with
officialdom, though a
warning to cover up or
move on is more likely
than any real
confrontation. Topless
tanning is commonplace
at all the trendier
resorts, but in country
areas, where attitudes
are still very
traditional, you should
take care not to upset
local sensibilities.
? If you have an accident
while driving, try not
to make a statement to
anyone who doesn't speak
fluent English. The SNTO
in your home country can
provide a list of the
most important rules on
the road in Spain; and
see "Transport:
Driving and vehicle
rental".
? In theory at least,
any drug use is
now forbidden. You'll
see signs in some bars
saying " no
porros " (no
joints), which you
should heed. However,
the police are in
practice little worried
about personal use.
Larger quantities (and
any other drugs) are a
very different matter.
Should you be arrested
on any charge, you have
the right to contact
your consulate ,
and although they're
notoriously reluctant to
get involved they are
required to assist you
to some degree if you
have your passport
stolen or lose all your
money. If you've been
detained for a drugs
offence, don't expect
any sympathy or help
from your consulate.
Terrorism
With the abandonment of
a year-long unilateral
"truce" the
Basque terrorist group
ETA
resumed their campaign
of bombings and
assassinations in 2000.
Despite the fact that
Catalunya is the home to
a minority which also
suffered under the
domination of Franco's
Madrid, the region
(particularly Barcelona)
has been the occasional
target of attacks; in
June 1987 a bomb placed
in a department store
parking garage killed 28
people and injured over
40 in ETA's bloodiest
attack. In the summer
and autumn of
2000
their return to violence
saw the murders of two
representatives of the
ruling PP-party and the
university professor and
socialist politician
Ernest Lluch (whose
death provoked a
demonstration by nearly
a million people), and
the shooting of a local
police officer who
stopped two terrorists
on their way to blow up
a journalist. ETA's
Barcelona cell was
dismantled in January
2001, following the
capture of two members
who were driving through
the city carrying a bomb
(they were going to
leave it at the Post
Office).
In addition to
attacks by ETA, the
radical left-wing group GRAPO
planted two bombs in
Barcelona in 2000,
neither of which
resulted in deaths.
Catalunya's own
regionalist terrorist
group, Terra Lliure
, had a short life in
the 1980s and 1990s, but
acted only against
property which they
considered to be
emblematic of Castilian
domination; their most
famous victim was the
replica of Columbus's
ship, Santa Maria
, which used to be
moored at the bottom of
the Ramblas. All this
said the odds against a
visitor being affected
by terrorism are
astronomical, although
you may pass by one of
the silent noontime
gatherings in Plaça
Sant Jaume which take
place the day after any
ETA assassination.
