Crime in Spain is combated by Spain's law enforcement agencies. Spain has a relatively low overall crime rate in comparison to other European countries. In 2021 it was listed as number 25 out of 41 European countries for crime index (1 being the highest crime rate and 41 being the lowest)

Crime by type

Theft

Instances of robbery are particularly widespread in Spain, as of 2020 Spain had the second highest recorded instances of theft in the EU. One of the often cited reasons for this is a national law that states that theft of anything worth less than €400 ($459) is not a crime, but a misdemeanor. Additionally offenses for theft of anything valued less than 400 euro are not accumulated to result in more serious charges. So criminals can continue to rob and steal without risk of serious consequences beyond a small fine.

Murder

In 2020, Spain had a murder rate of 0.6 per 100,000 population. There were a total of 298 murders in Spain in 2020. Many

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

attacks have occurred in Spain, the most deadly of which was the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

Drug-related crime

Spain is the principal route of entry of drugs and narcotics into the European Union. Indeed, about half of the cocaine found by law enforcement agencies in Europe is found by Spanish police. Spain has a high number of drug users, leading the table of cocaine users in Europe.

Cocaine importation

Cocaine usage in Spain is high by world standards. Spain is a major transit point for cocaine entering Europe. After arrival in Spain, much of the cocaine is then trafficked to other countries. In 2005, over 50% of the cocaine found by police in Europe was found by Spanish police. The so-called

Galician mafia Galician clans are the drug smuggling groups in the Spain, Spanish region of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. Due to the activities of these clans, Galicia is often cited as being the main European entry point for Colombian cocaine. Activities Traditio ...

is the main trafficker of cocaine into

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and to European countries such as the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Background level of crime against tourists

The

US Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other ...

Bureau of Consular Affairs The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) is a bureau of the United States Department of State reporting to the under secretary of state for management. The mission of the Bureau is to administer laws, formulate regulations and implement policies re ...

advised travellers in 2011 that Spain had a "moderate rate of crime". Street crimes against tourists occur in the principal tourist areas. Madrid and Barcelona, in particular, report incidents of "pick-pocketing, mugging, and occasional violent attacks". In Madrid, incidents have been reported in "all major tourist areas, including the area near the Prado Museum, near Atocha train station, in Retiro Park, in areas of old Madrid including near the Royal Palace, and in Plaza Mayor". In Barcelona, the largest number of incidents reported also occurred in major tourist areas. Embassy of the United States in Spain issued a warning to its nationals against the increasing violent crime in Barcelona. The embassy highlighted crimes, which were recently committed in the most popular tourist places, such as, the theft of jewelry, money and watches. These offenses have physically harmed the victims in some cases.

Crime statistics

Crime statistics for Spain are published annually by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Different agencies of Spain and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

conduct analysis of the crime data in Spain. Statistics show Spain is one of the European countries with the lowest crime rate, according to a 2005 Gallop Europe research study. The rate of misdemeanours and

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

s in Spain was 46 per 1,000 people in 2009. In 2013 Spain had one of the lowest crime rates in Europe.La criminalidad en España cada 1000 habitantes (entre enero y mayo 2014)
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References

External links

Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK. Travel and Living Abroad - Spain

United Nations Seventh Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems, covering the period 1998 - 2000

* ttp://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Crime_statistics European Commission - Eurostat: Crime statistics {{Crime in Europe