The intervention of some agents of the Urban Guard who patrolled incognito and on a bicycle by the environment of the Plaza Catalunya was instrumental this week in catching a suspected group of thieves just as they were trying to steal a watch from a tourist couple in downtown Barcelona. The agents, dressed in plain clothes, managed not to arouse the suspicions of three alleged robbers who were loitering around the Passeig de Gràcia. They ended up arresting two of the alleged criminals.
The events occurred on Tuesday at noon, around 12:30 p.m., when some policemen who were pedaling through the city center noticed that the suspects were following the footsteps of the two travelers near the Apple store, at the intersection of the Plaza de Catalunya with Paseo de Gràcia. The agents kept their cover as they watched the trio, until they jumped on the victims to try to steal a watch.
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The Urban Guard reports that the plainclothes patrol managed to apprehend two of them in full action and abort the attempted robbery. One of the three alleged criminals managed to flee. Patrols of police officers -these did have logos and with their members in uniform- immediately came to the aid of the police officers and took the detainees away from the scene.
Thefts in Barcelona fell by 26% in 2022. Of course, they continue to be the most common crime in Barcelona, representing almost half of the criminal action in the city. According to the most recent statistics, 42% were committed on the street, 20% on public transport -especially in the metro- and 31.5% in establishments.
