Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police, carried out a joint operation in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat with the city's Guàrdia Urbana, the local police, and Spain's Policía Nacional, identifying 51 people in an operation aimed at violent robberies, according to the reported police results cited by APD Notícies.

For residents, shoppers and commuters around the affected streets, the immediate effect is a visible police presence and checks on people, vehicles and electric scooters as officers try to curb robberies, weapons offences and drug-related crime. The operation also ended with one arrest for an immigration offence and several administrative penalties, including fines linked to scooters.

Police have described this type of deployment as part of the Kanpai strategy, a name used for high-visibility sweeps focused on repeat offending through street controls, identity checks, inspections and arrests. Earlier reporting cited by ARA, referenced in barna.news, said the aim of Kanpai deployments is to identify and arrest repeat offenders during concentrated operations lasting several hours.

Fines issued for scooters, drugs and bladed weapons

According to APD Notícies, the L'Hospitalet operation produced fines for possession of bladed weapons, drug-related offences and irregular use of electric scooters, as well as the identification of 51 people.

The source material provided does not set out a full official incident-by-incident police log, but parallel reporting on recent L'Hospitalet deployments gives a clearer picture of how these operations have been conducted on the ground. In a BRIDA operation on Friday 2 May in the Pubilla Cases area, between Avinguda de Severo Ochoa and Plaça de la Bòbila, Mossos, Guàrdia Urbana and Policía Nacional identified 64 people and 10 vehicles, according to ElCaso.

  • Two people were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking offences.
  • One person was investigated for driving without a licence.
  • Two fines were issued for possession of narcotic substances.
  • Five electric scooter riders were reported for improper riding.
  • Thirty personal mobility vehicles were inspected, and three were seized for failing to comply with regulations.

That earlier operation was separate from the 51 identifications reported by APD Notícies, but it shows the same policing approach now being used in L'Hospitalet: joint patrols, roadside checks and targeted action on scooters used in street crime.

Why scooters are a focus in L'Hospitalet

Police pressure has increasingly centred on electric scooters because, according to ElCaso, half of all robberies reported in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat are committed using them. The report said some offenders use modified personal mobility vehicles that exceed the legal speed limit of 25 km/h.

Police have used Kanpai as a high-visibility street operation to identify and arrest repeat offenders through concentrated checks over several hours.

ElCaso also reported that Guàrdia Urbana officers in recent days had seized modified scooters capable of reaching up to 114 km/h. That figure does not come from the APD Notícies report on the 51 identifications, but it helps explain why scooter inspections are now a regular part of anti-robbery deployments in L'Hospitalet.

For local people, the practical point is that checks are not limited to suspected robbery suspects. Riders using electric scooters can also face inspection and penalties if their vehicle has been modified or is being used outside the rules. Residents who want to report immediate safety issues, suspected robberies or dangerous driving should do so through the emergency services on 112, which is the standard police emergency contact in Catalonia.

The latest reported operation ended with 51 people identified, one person arrested for an immigration offence, and penalties linked to bladed weapons, drugs and scooters.

Primary sources: dhs.gov. Reported by Source Text Link, barna.news, Orsolya Gazdagi, europapress.es, larazon.es, nbclosangeles.com, abc7.com, Josh DuBose, Lily Dallow, Cesc Maideu, Jose Polo, Sofía Díaz, apdnoticies.com.