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TROUBLE AND THE POLICE |
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Hotels in Barcelona |
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Vacation Rentals in Barcelona |
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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
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...
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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...
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The police
There are four types of
police
: the Guārdia Civil, the Policía Nacional, the municipal police known as the Guārdia Urbana, and the Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra, all of them armed.
The
Guārdia Civil
, in green uniforms and...
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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...
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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...
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