Sexual assaults have increased by 11% in Catalonia, in a context in which the Mossos d'Esquadra place most of these incidents in the private sphere and within trust relationships. The rebound coexists with a decrease in crimes against property, such as robberies and thefts, during the last year compared to 2024, while digital criminality continues to gain weight.
More denunciations and a sustained pattern in the private sphere
The Catalan police maintains that there is a sustained incidence of this type of crimes and emphasizes that, in most cases, the alleged aggressor is part of the victim's close environment. The reality that the investigators describe moves away from the image exclusively associated with attacks on the street or in open spaces.
"There is a pattern of sustained incidence of all these crimes, which occur mainly in the private sphere and in relationships of trust, rather than in public spaces" - Mossos d'Esquadra
That pattern is also reflected in the distribution of cases. Only one in five sexual offenses occurs in the nightlife environment, a fact that shifts the focus towards homes and personal environments, where it is more difficult to detect situations of violence or abuse early.
The effect of legal changes and of the increase in complaints
The increase in complaints is linked to several factors. Among them, the legislative modifications introduced in recent years, including the 'only yes is yes' law, and a greater perception of institutional and social support among women when it comes to reporting.
That change does not necessarily imply a homogeneous alteration of all criminal scenarios, but it does imply a greater emergence of acts that previously could have remained outside the judicial or police circuit. In parallel, the Mossos maintain their attention on the evolution of these complaints and on the need to adjust the police response to a reality that remains very linked to circles of trust.
Robberies and thefts decrease, but crimes on the internet grow
While sexual offenses rise, crimes against property have decreased in Catalonia during the last year compared to 2024. In that block are included offenses such as robberies and thefts, which register a downward trend against the advance of other forms of criminality.
Where an increase is indeed consolidated is in the digital environment. Last year more than 83,000 digital crimes were recorded, mostly scams. The figure confirms the displacement of a part of criminal activity towards the internet, with impacts that are already part of the daily police routine.
"Upward trend that demands adapting the police model" - Mossos d'Esquadra
The Catalan police warns that this evolution obliges to reinforce investigation and prevention tools on the network, in a scenario in which coexist the fall of the most classic patrimonial crimes, the increase in reports of sexual assaults and a constant expansion of scams and other forms of digital criminality.