Prostitution complaints in Barcelona reduced by 39% in 2012 compared to the previous year
Complaints regarding prostitution in Barcelona have decreased in 2012 but the penalties for drinking on the street and street vending have increased. The Local Police filed 1,091 complaints for offering, asking for or having sexual relations on the street in Barcelona, a 39% decrease compared to 2011 figures. Furthermore, there was a 7.7% decrease in noise-related incidents; 16.6% in public spaces. The number of fines issued for drinking on the street increased by 2.26%.
Barcelona (ACN). -There is less prostitution on the streets of Barcelona but the the Catalan capital has increased penalties for street vending and drinking throughout 2012. The Local Police filed 1,091 complaints for offering, asking for or having sexual relations on the street in Barcelona, a 39% decrease compared to 2011 figures. In addition, the number of people complaining for being bothered by prostitution activities decreased by 26%. These data are form part of a Barcelona City Council report which analyses the implementation of the local rules banning street prostitution, vending and drinking.
The City Council Agency dealing with prostitution issues, ABTIS, increased its resources by 67% over last year. The agency stated that during 2012, their services participated in 26,000 actions to take care of women who work as prostitutes or are victims of sexual exploitation. In addition, the labour insertion service took care of 40 former prostitutes and 21 of them ended with a labour contract.
Less noise complaints
The report reflects a 7.7% decrease in noise-related incidents, which means 4,534 fewer incidents. In addition, the noise-related incidents in public spaces decreased by 16.6%. The trend is shared among all the neighbourhoods, including the noisiest ones.
Meanwhile, the police filed more complaints for drinking on the street. The number of fines issued for these activities increased by 2.26%. In addition, street vending has been more persecuted, with 5.7% more complaints. 960,000 products were seized from street vendors; 430,000 were drink cans.