CATALAN police have launched an crackdown on bladed weapons at metro stations and parks following a bloody 72 hours that left two people dead and seven injured in the Barcelona metropolitan area.
The Mossos d’Esquadra regional police force is ramping up ‘Plan Daga’, a targeted operation to strip knives from the streets ahead of the busy summer tourist season.
Increased stop-and-search checks will be rolled out across leisure areas, parks and public transport exits in Barcelona and surrounding popular expat areas.
The surge in policing comes after a Chinese woman was brutally stabbed to death in broad daylight in the upmarket area of Esplugues de Llobregat over the weekend.
Just hours later, a suspected thief was fatally stabbed by a minor in the Raval neighbourhood of Barcelona following a violent dispute that began over a stolen mobile phone.
Five further knife attacks took place across Catalunya within the same 72-hour window, including stabbings at Plaza Catalunya and another atthe Feria de Abril near the Forum in Barcelona.
READ MORE: Young woman is stabbed to death in wealthy Barcelona suburb as attacker is arrested at gunpoint
Interior Minister Nuria Parlon admitted the sudden cluster of violence has caused severe public alarm, making it difficult to reassure residents and tourists with overall crime statistics.
Official figures actually show a 31.5% drop in knife crime during the first quarter of 2026, falling from 1,140 incidents to 780 compared to the same period last year.
Intendent Toni Rodriguez told local television that officers currently seize between 500 and 600 bladed weapons every month.
He added that while police pressure is slightly reducing reoffending rates, the ‘proliferation’ of weapons on the streets remains a chronic social issue.
“It requires educational and pedagogical measures, not just policing,” Rodriguez explained.
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