Foreign nationals: 84% of theft arrests in Catalonia

84% of theft arrests in Catalonia involve foreign nationals: the uncomfortable figure

The numbers are blunt but useful. An internal report by the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalonia's regional police), made public after a parliamentary initiative by VOX, reveals that foreign nationals accounted for 84.3% of theft arrests in Catalonia during 2025. The same statistics attribute 73% of violent robberies and around 60% of sensual assaults to them. In the Generalitat's population register, the registered foreign population barely reaches 16%. The gap between the two percentages cannot be explained away with a simple note about police bias, although some try.

The arithmetic that doesn't add up with the official narrative

If foreign nationals are one in six of the registered population yet account for four in five theft arrests, the gap is so wide that any explanation based on chance or police misconduct sounds like an excuse. The counterarguments usually point out that the report measures arrests, not convictions, and that police forces tend to focus their checks on certain profiles. The most common response: the same bias should also be at work in the 73% of violent robberies and the 60% of sensual assaults, crimes where the victim reports the perpetrator and the margin for police discretion is smaller.

The naturalization factor

Another nuance that surfaces in the debate is that of naturalized citizens. The 16% of registered foreign nationals excludes those who already hold a Spanish ID card, and it is not far-fetched to think that part of the remaining 15.7% of theft arrests corresponds to that profile. Some argue that if both groups were added together, the share of people with a migrant background in arrests would approach 90% or even more. The exact figure is impossible to calculate with public data, but it gives an idea of how far official statistics may be glossing over reality.

The discussion comes, moreover, at a time when the Mossos are under scrutiny over the prosecution of three officers in connection with Puigdemont's escape in August 2024. It is a context that does not help the institution's credibility, but it does not automatically invalidate its figures either.

In the short term, both sides will keep arguing from the same data without reaching common ground. The only reasonable way out would be to publish the full breakdown by nationality, origin and incivil record. Until that happens, the 84% will remain a weapon to throw around rather than a figure for reflection.