Cover

Brett Simons leads the pack of previously jovial men into Hogans, a Las Ramblas bar, for safety. This being his second stay in Barcelona, Brett is in a state of shock, saying, “We were having such a good night and now our trip is ruined. I came here two summers ago on another stag night and we never witnessed anything like this. Where are the cops here when you need them?” The men remain in the bar, afraid, while the prostitutes wait for them outside. As Semisonic’s “Closing Time” plays on the speakers, they reluctantly head out and jump into taxis as another member of the group gets his wallet stolen.

Benvinguts to the new Barcelona, a city where each street holds a thieving vixen or conniving lad that could turn any good trip bad. The Departament d’Interior de la Generalitat (Catalan Government Interior Department) reported a 16.37% increase in violent theft just last year. So who’s trying to save the day in Barcelona? Here, many crimes carry only a small fine, there is a lack of police presence and the Barcelona Ajuntament (City Council) is being held back thanks to bureaucratic protocol. As the distress signal shines brightly in a city full of prostitutes, thieves and con artists, it seems Barcelona’s Batman has his hands tied.

3.30 am, in front of Hogans, an elderly man staggers down the street — perhaps he’s had one whisky too many. A transvestite prostitute attacks him from behind, wrestling him to the ground and snatching everything from his pocket. As he sits there crying for help, the only person that stops to aid him is the doorman of the bar, Shanka. Shanka has been working at the bar for five years and is no stranger to the area’s recent downfall. “It wasn’t always like this, yes there have always been prostitutes and pickpockets, but they weren’t so violent. In the past few months there has been a huge change, it’s becoming scary and no one is putting a stop to it.”

When violence and thievery plague a city, typically it is the government’s job to intervene. After all, in the comics, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” So, the City Council is slowly stepping up. According to their press department, they are in the midst of submitting reports and studies to the Catalan Government in order to acquire permission to install four security cameras in different locations on Las Ramblas. At present, there is no official date on when the installation will happen.

These cameras are part of the City Council’s response to the growing crime. The hope is that when monitoring begins on Las Ramblas, they will be able to take more specific and swift action against the

crimes being committed. However, there are certain bureaucratic hoops a hero must leap through first. One of the greatest challenges in getting the security cameras up is passing through each of the Spanish and Catalan Government channels regarding the controversial use of security cameras in public.

The City Council is currently bogged down filing thorough documentation with the Catalan Government to satisfy both Spanish and Catalan law. In the Ley Orgánica (Spanish Constitutional Law) 4/1997 of August 4th, it requires, among other things, “concrete documentation and analysis of each situation, proof of “the existence of a reasonable threat to citizen safety” and the “consideration of the effect on the citizens’ rights to honor, image and privacy”, to acquire camera permissions.

In addition, the City Council must contend with the Agència Catalana de Protecció de Dades (Catalan Agency to Protect Personal Information). The agency’s clause 1/2009 states that if those cameras capture sound in addition to images, a sign must be posted letting citizens know their voices are being

recorded. While it may seem like the City Council is moving slowly, they are simply following protocol. For now, both the City Council and its citizens will have to be patient.

The City Council’s job in collecting data is made tougher as many crimes go unreported, a disturbing

pattern that has repeated in one anecdote after another. US traveler Chris Burton is just one

of many victims who chose not to go to the police. On being robbed, brutally beaten and left

unconscious on the street, he remarked, “Of course I didn’t go to the cops, what are they going

to do? I’ve heard the stories about people getting mugged and beaten here and when they go to

the cops they do absolutely nothing. What’s the point?” The point is that with increased reporting,

the government will have a better idea of how bad things are getting.

The City Council has a new plan that is intended to make citizens safer, as well as more inclined

to report crimes. The comprehensive Plan Local de Seguridad Ciudadana (Local Plan for Citizen Safety) 2009-2011 will not only reinforce police presence, but is being hailed by the City Council themselves as “revolutionary”, since it incorporates ways to prevent and combat crime through civic education, urban planning and a stronger relationship with the Tourism Consortium. The plan, which the City Council hopes will make citizens feel safer, will supply visitors with more extensive tips on crime prevention as well as more thorough information on reporting crimes. It will be presented at the next Government session and is hopefully one step closer to helping the City Council fulfill the hero role — that’s so desperately needed.

The transvestite prostitutes on Las Ramblas also have a lot to say about the increasing violence and feeling of insecurity. One woman angrily said, “The police here don’t do anything, look at these scars!” as she showed off wounds from fighting with area thieves. “The thieves used to just rob money from tourists, but now they’re using force. They all carry knives, and when the police catch them they claim they don’t have ID, so they get taken to jail for one day and let out the next.” The prostitutes aren’t the only ones who find this frustrating.

Frustrating can also describe Marc’s situation on Nou de la Rambla. One of two Catalan guys who witnessed a group of foreigners getting robbed and tried to help by yelling, “Hey cuidado”, he was attacked and stabbed. Marc didn’t even realize he was bleeding until halfway down the street. While he retells the ordeal, a feeling of defeat fills the air.

“We had to walk all the way to the police station on Las Ramblas before we found an officer. Once we were there, we explained the story to two officers outside and they told us to call them if we found the thieves. Their response was surprising.” It was both shocking and disheartening to him that a citizen trying to report a crime would receive such apathy from those who are supposed to serve and protect.

This did not stop Marc and his friends, “After that, we went inside to file a report and talked to another officer. He took out a binder with 100 photos and showed us four more exactly like it. They were filled with thieves who are arrested, sometimes every week, and then let back out onto the street the next day. Apparently most of them claim they don’t have identification, so the police can’t keep them off the streets or deport them back to their countries.” The inability to properly identify perpetrators is not the only thing holding Barcelona’s cops back, a lack of manpower and weak punishments are making for an inefficient response to the increasing violence.

Barcelona has two police forces dealing with these kinds of crime, the Guardia Urbana (city police) and Mossos D’Esquadra (Catalan police). This summer the City Council admitted it “currently lacks 1,000 officers and is working to achieve an ‘optimum’ number of Mossos D’Esquarda by 2013.” By the end of the summer an additional 240 new Mossos will be incorporated. Even so, once on the job, the weak penalties in place for these crimes tend to hold the officers back and contribute to their more apathetic attitude.

Spain’s Penal Code states that if the amount stolen is less than €400, no jail time will be served. The top consequence for a thief then is a fine, which they often do not pay. These range from €1.20 to €300.51, depending on the severity of the act. What then is considered serious enough to have harsh consequences?

An international news agency reported that Barcelona’s City Council may fine Irish rock band, U2, for up to €15,000 (the maximum under current anti-noise pollution laws) for making too much noise during rehearsals for their June and July shows — yes, but they didn’t beat anyone unconscious. The noise pollution law is just one of the controversial civic ordinances that was passed in 2006. Heck, even playing with a ball in the street starts with a fine of €125, very different from the €1.20 minimum for theft.

These minor consequences for serious offenses and the fact that many offenders never pay up, have led the general public to take matters into their own hands. Shanka the doorman and his friends, together with many beer sellers on Las Ramblas are turning into the unofficial police of the area. According to

accredited accounts heard by miniguide*, the often maligned latero (beer sellers) group especially has come to the rescue of many victims. They trip up thieves, pursue them and at times have even recovered stolen goods. They, along with citizens like Marc, are doing whatever they can to make their city, and ours a safer place.

Another way citizens can help is by filing police reports. These reports allow the government to monitor crime rates. If they spiral out of control, then the Powers That Be can take proper action. If New York City could bring down crime and violence after the 1980s, then Barcelona has one hell of a chance.

What we need to do is make the government realize the urgency of the situation. If they do not act swiftly, the safety of the city’s residents and visitors, as well as its image as a tourist destination will fall into peril. As all the signs point to a security crisis, we need to get on the phones and email and tell our government representatives, consulates and embassies that this is unacceptable. Batman had Robin, thankfully Barcelona has us to help save the day.

Emergencies: 112

Ambulance: 061

Guardia Urbana: 092

Mossos D’Esquadra: 088

Reporting Crimes: www.policiadecatalunya.net

Consulates and Embassies