Crime in Spain

Instances of robbery are particularly widespread. As of 2020, Spain had the second highest recorded instances of theft in the EU.{{Cite web |title=Crime statistics |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Crime_statistics |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=ec.europa.eu |language=en}} One of the often cited reasons for this is a deficient 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.{{Cite web |title=Amid Tourists and Gentrification, Barcelona Faces a Crime Wave |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-01/barcelona-faces-a-crime-spike-and-a-policing-dilemma |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=www.bloomberg.com}}

{{See|List of countries by intentional homicide rate}}

In 2020, Spain had a homicide rate of 0.64 per 100,000 population, making it the 6th lowest among 30 European countries and lower than the European Union average of 0.9. There were a total of 298 homicides in Spain in 2020.{{Cite web |title=Spain Number of homicides, 1990-2021 - knoema.com |url=https://knoema.com//atlas/Spain/Number-of-homicides |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=Knoema |language=en-US}} Many terrorist attacks have occurred in Spain, the most deadly of which was the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

Asturias, in Northern Spain, has one of the countries' lowest crime rates. With a population of 1 million people, it registered only 1 homicide during 2021.{{cite web |title=Asturias registró en 2021 la segunda tasa de criminalidad más baja del país (in Spanish) |url=https://www.rtpa.es/noticias-asturias:Asturias-registro-en-2021-la-segunda-tasa-de-criminalidad-mas-baja-del-pais_111645447507.html|website=www.rtpa.es}} Its biggest city, Gijón, with more than 250,000 inhabitants, has not registered a homicide since February 2020 (as of June 2022), before COVID-19 lockdown.{{cite web |title=Gijón - Crimen: asesinatos, robos, secuestros y otros delitos registrados en cada municipio (in Spanish) |url=https://www.epdata.es/datos/crimen-asesinatos-robos-secuestros-otros-delitos-registrados-cada-municipio/6/gijon/3456 |website=www.epdata.es}}{{cite web |last=Peláez |first=I. |date=2022-05-06 |title=El asesino de la gijonesa Lorena Dacuña, condenado a 20 años de cárcel y cinco de libertad vigilada |url=https://www.lne.es/gijon/2022/05/06/asesino-gijonesa-lorena-dacuna-condenado-65798813.html |website=La Nueva España |language=es}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/sep/07/spain.drugstrade|title=Spain tops table of cocaine use|last=Tremlett|first=Giles|work=The Guardian|access-date=15 August 2011|location=London|date=7 September 2005}} As of 2005, Spain had the highest rate of cocaine users in the world.

Cocaine usage in Spain is high by world standards.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/sep/07/spain.drugstrade | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Giles | last=Tremlett | title=Spain tops table of cocaine use | date=7 September 2005}} 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 is the main trafficker of cocaine into Spain and to European countries such as the United Kingdom.

The US Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs advised travellers in 2011 that Spain had a "moderate rate of crime".{{cite web |url=https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1024.html|title=Spain and Andorra Country Specific Information |publisher=travel.state.gov |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130214020345/https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1024.html |archive-date=14 February 2013}} 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.

In 2019, the 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.majorcadailybulletin.com/news/international/2019/08/22/57281/alert-from-the-embassy-due-crime-barcelona.html |title=Alert from the U.S. Embassy due to crime in Barcelona |access-date=22 August 2019 |publisher=Majorca Daily Bulletin}}

{{main |List of incidents of violence against women in Spain}}

Spain has specific a gender-based violence law with its own courts. In 20 years they have dealt with 2 million complaints and convicted 700,000 people.

Since 2003 the Spanish government has been counting gender violence murders, by December 2022 they had reached 1,183 murders. {{cite web |title=Spain sees 'dreadful' December spike in women being murdered |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20221230-spain-sees-dreadful-december-spike-in-women-being-murdered |date=30 December 2022}} With an annual number between 43 (2021) and 76 (2008) [http://www.violenciagenero.msssi.gob.es/violenciaEnCifras/victimasMortales/fichaMujeres/mortales/docs/Datos_violencia_genero_ano_2008.pdf Official data] of Ministry of Health website {{in lang|es}} murders a year.

Crime statistics for Spain are published annually by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.{{cite web|url=http://www.ine.es/inebmenu/mnu_justicia.htm|title=Datos de Seguridad y Justicia|website=Instituto Nacional de Estadística|language=es|access-date=15 August 2011|location=Madrid|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902044255/http://www.ine.es/inebmenu/mnu_justicia.htm|archive-date=2 September 2011|url-status=dead}} Different agencies of Spain and the European Union 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 Gallup Europe research study.{{cite book|last=Hampshire|first=David|title=Living and Working in Spain: Survival Handbook|edition=Third|series=Survival Handbooks|year=2000|publisher=Survival Books|isbn=978-1-901130-41-6}}{{cite web |url=http://www.gallup-europe.be/euics/Xz38/downloads/EUICS%20-%20The%20Burden%20of%20Crime%20in%20the%20EU.pdf |title=The Burden of Crime in the EU |first1=Jan |last1=van Dijk |first2=Robert |last2=Manchin |first3=John |last3=van Kesteren |first4=Sami |last4=Nevala |first5=Gergely |last5=Hideg |publisher=Galluo Europe |access-date=15 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928101908/http://www.gallup-europe.be/euics/Xz38/downloads/EUICS%20-%20The%20Burden%20of%20Crime%20in%20the%20EU.pdf |archive-date=28 September 2011 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/199011/0/delincuencia/europa/gallup/|title=Un informe europeo clasifica a España como el país de Europa con menos delincuencia común|last=Gómez|first=Ignacio|publisher=Diario 20 Minutos|language=es|access-date=15 August 2011|location=Madrid|date=2007-02-06}}{{cite web|url=http://www.europeword.com/blog/europe/european-crime-rates/|title=European Crime Rates|last=Europeworld|publisher=Europe World|access-date=23 August 2011|archive-date=29 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829002248/http://www.europeword.com/blog/europe/european-crime-rates/|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1541699/Britain-tops-European-crime-league.html|title=Britain tops European crime league|last=Johnston|first=Philip|date=6 February 2007|publisher=The Telegraph|access-date=23 August 2011|location=London}} The rate of misdemeanours and crimes in Spain was 46 per 1,000 people in 2009.{{Cite news|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/delincuencia/2009/fue/baja/decada/Interior/elpepuesp/20100309elpepunac_11/Tes|title=La delincuencia en 2009 fue la más baja de la década, según Interior|journal=El País|author=J. A. R.|date=9 March 2010|language=es|access-date=15 August 2011}} In 2013 Spain had one of the lowest crime rates in Europe. [http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/07/17/media/1405598391_771398.html La criminalidad en España cada 1000 habitantes (entre enero y mayo 2014)]

• Spain's law enforcement agencies

{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/spain Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK. Travel and Living Abroad - Spain]
• [http://www.unodc.org/pdf/crime/seventh_survey/7sc.pdf United Nations Seventh Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems, covering the period 1998 - 2000]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120325001658/http://spainforvisitors.com/archive/features/crimeandsafety_1.htm John Gordon Ross' Blog. Spain and Portugal for visitors - Sense and Sensibility - Crime and Safety in Spain]
• [http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Crime_statistics European Commission - Eurostat: Crime statistics]

{{Spain topics}}

{{Crime in Europe}}