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Trouble and the police
 

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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


Other useful information for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections):




Spain,
Barcelona