Violent crimes have increased by 28% in the last year in La Garrotxa. From March 2023 to the end of February 2024, 51 events of these characteristics were recorded, compared to the 37 that the Mossos counted in the same period of the previous year.
This has led the Municipal Police of Olot to decide to create a specific night patrol group starting in August to fight against these events. This is an initiative similar to the 'Group 200' that the Mossos have throughout the region. Furthermore, in a few weeks it is expected that the security cameras that have been installed in different towns in La Garrotxa will come into operation and that should help the Mossos to control any crimes that occur.
The Security Board that met in Olot this Tuesday has revealed an increase in violent crimes - especially robberies - in La Garrotxa in the last year. An increase that, the Mossos explain, was more evident after the Tura festivities, which were "very calm" from a police point of view. However, in the following weeks an "uptick in these events that cause social alarm" was detected in the center of the capital of La Garrotxa. This led the Mossos to create the so-called 'Group 200', dedicated to monitoring these spaces and preventing robberies with violence and intimidation, especially linked to nightlife.
There are eight police officers who patrol in coordination and who reinforce certain hours and monitor certain spaces. This device has substantially reduced the number of crimes in the center of the capital of La Garrotxa, but at the same time it has caused those responsible for the events to move to other neighborhoods.
Although for the coordinator of the Local Police of Catalonia, Marc Costa, Olot is a "safe city that has acceptable crime figures", the reality is that the "subjective perception" is that there is a certain insecurity. The problem, explains the mayor of the city, Pep Berga, is that the feeling that neighbors may have is one of insecurity.
For this reason, a group similar to that of the Mossos d'Esquadra will be launched from the Olot City Council, dedicated exclusively to crimes involving violence and intimidation. These are three agents and a corporal who will jointly patrol through spaces that the police have detected, in order to prevent crimes and at the same time, give "more of a feeling of security."
The initiative will be launched from August, since it is included in the 15% increase in police officers planned by the City Council. Thus, we will have to wait for the new police officers who are now undergoing training at the Public Security Institute of Catalonia (ISPC) to join.
