Police launch major operation against repeat offenders in Barcelona metro

“A strong message to criminals” is how police described the large-scale operation launched on Saturday night targeting repeat offenders in the Barcelona metro network.

More than 200 officers from the Catalan police Mossos d'Esquadra, the National Police, and local police forces took part in a new 'Kanpai' operation aimed at cracking down on what authorities called “active, persistent criminals.”

With the cooperation of metro authorities, officers carried out inspections at several stations, focusing on the possession of weapons and drugs.

“The goal is to reduce the feeling of insecurity among users and make things harder for professional criminals,” said Eugeni Tarjuelo, head of the operation.

Police also carried out checks at Estació de França, where buses arriving from or heading to known high-crime areas — such as Marseille — were searched.

Officers conducted inspections in metro stations across Barcelona, Badalona, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, l’Hospitalet, Cornellà, El Prat de Llobregat, and Esplugues de Llobregat, as well as at Estació de França.

“We want to show active, persistent criminals that we will not stop until we make their actions more difficult and put an end to the impunity they operate with,” Tarjuelo added.

The head of the operation also emphasized that the objective was not to carry out “indiscriminate ID checks,” but rather to identify individuals likely to be persistent offenders.

Police carried out dozens of ID checks and searches, seizing pepper spray, a screwdriver, and small amounts of drugs.