Crime drops 9% in Barcelona, but knife-related incidents surge 38%

Knife-related incidents  in Barcelona surged by 38.3% in the first six months of 2025, according to figures published on Monday by the Barcelona Local Security Board.

Some 1,844 knives and blades were confiscated between January and June, up 48.5% on the same period last year.

Crimes related to repeat offenders dropped by 10%, thefts fell by 6.8%, reaching the lowest level in the past ten years (excluding the pandemic) and continuing a downward trend that began last year.

Reports of sexual violence, however, rose by 17.1%.

Crime down 8.8%, thefts continue to decline

Between January and June 2025, there were 83,646 recorded criminal offenses in Barcelona, 8.8% fewer than during the same period in 2024, bringing the city close to 2017 levels.

Thefts, the most common type of crime, dropped 6.8% (from 47,578 to 44,332), the lowest level in the past decade, excluding the pandemic.

Violent street robberies decreased by 5.5%, while burglaries fell sharply: −31.4% for residential burglaries, −50.7% for burglaries at businesses, and −35.6% for thefts from vehicles.

The decline in overall crime has been accompanied by a slight improvement in the public's perception of safety.

According to the latest Barcelona Victimization Survey, the victimization rate dropped to 28.6% in 2024, and the perceived safety rating in the city rose to 5.5, up from 5.3 the previous year. The perceived safety rating of respondents' local neighborhood rose from 6.1 to 6.3. 

Some 40.2% of respondents said safety in the city is about the same – up 5.2 points from last year – while 8.6% felt it had improved (+1.7), and 41.4% said it had worsened (−5.7).

Repeat offender crime down 10%

Crimes tied to repeat offenders fell 10% in the first six months of the year. Police identified 41% more individuals, although arrests related to repeat offenses dropped only 2.9%.

Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, identified 280 individuals with multiple arrests, 266 of whom were active this year, accumulating 1,776 total arrests and 5,284 criminal incidents – mostly thefts and violent robberies. 

Crimes related to squatting fell 21.9%, while arrests in that area rose 6.3%.

Sexual assault reports increase by 17.4%

The report highlights a 17.4% increase in reported sexual assaults, with 607 cases between January and June 2025, up from 517 in the same period in 2024.

Gender-based sexual assaults rose from 88 to 115 (+30.7%), and violations of restraining orders climbed from 219 to 264 (+20.5%). On the other hand, threats and coercion dropped 20.5%.

Assaults causing injury rose 7.2% (from 2,248 to 2,448), while the number of homicides fell from 10 to 5. 

Hate and discrimination crimes dropped from a peak of 124 in the first half of 2024 to 98 in 2025.

Increased pressure on drug dealing points

So far this year, authorities in Barcelona have dismantled 71 drug-selling points.

A total of 46 home raids and searches were carried out, 30 of which have resulted in the properties being returned to their owners.

In these operations, 94 individuals were arrested and more than 300 kilograms of drugs were seized.

In total, 1,280 arrests have been made in connection with public health offences – a 23.9% increase compared to 2024.

During the first six months of the year, police seized 217 kg of marijuana, 122 kg of hashish, 4.3 kg of cocaine, 6.62 kg of MDMA, 2.23 kg of methamphetamine, 323 grams of ketamine, 300 grams of crack cocaine, and 534 grams of heroin.

New police unit

At Monday's press conference, officials announced that Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Provincial Prosecutor's Office will sign an agreement to create a new unit within the Guàrdia Urbana (local police), which will act as a judicial police support team.

The goal is to strengthen collaboration during investigations into crimes such as repeat offending, gender-based violence, and domestic violence.