POLICE in Catalunya have warned that children as young as 11 are carrying out violent street robberies on e-scooters.
Around half of all violent thefts in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat involve suspects on scooters or rental bicycles, according to Catalan police, known as the Mossos d’Esquadra.
Victims are targeted in seconds for mobile phones and valuable jewellery.
The regional police force says organised groups of offenders aged between 11 and 13 are driving the trend, with matters complicated further by the fact these children fall below the age of criminal responsibility in Spain.
Officers warn that once-opportunistic thefts have become structured operations where youngsters strike quickly and disperse.
Authorities carried out a major crackdown called Operation Kanpai on Thursday in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat to target repeat offenders.
The operation was led by the Mossos d’Esquadra and Policia Local, supported by specialist motorcycle units and Spain’s Policia Nacional.
Police set up checkpoints at metro exits, shopping streets and parks to search people for knives and drugs.
Interior minister Nuria Parlon says authorities are preparing a wider security plan after crime rose by 10% in the area.
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Authorities expect to present the new strategy in the coming weeks.
Offenders exploit the speed of scooters to snatch phones from victims’ hands.
Some minors even change clothes after a robbery to avoid detection before targeting a new victim.
Plainclothes officers track groups in hotspots like Collblanc and Santa Eulàlia, and have even found some suspects carrying pepper spray and tasers.
Municipal officers confiscated six e-scooters during Thursday’s operation, including one capable of reaching 115kph.
Officers also recovered a stolen mobile phone.
A total of 65 people were identified and four arrested due to outstanding court orders.
Police filed five complaints for drug possession and issued seven summonses under immigration law.
They said groups in La Florida are hiding weapons in parked car wheels and are wrapping stolen phones in aluminium foil to block tracking signals.
The involvement of such young children in organised crime has sparked major concern among residents in the Barcelona suburb.
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