After attempting to kill another man in San Miguel de Salinas with scissors after stabbing him with a glass, a 23-year-old man was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted murder.

The accused escaped criminal was found and captured thanks to an operation that involved two Civil Guards and three Local Police patrols.

The detainee faces charges of attempted murder, harm, breach of sentence, and theft. Additionally, there was a restraining order against the property where the incidents took place.

In Spain, a doctor is attacked every ten hours. Although there are fewer attacks in the province of Alicante, the issue is becoming more prevalent. In fact, the number of these incidents (both verbal and physical) increased by 37% in 2024 as compared to the previous year.

The Official College of Physicians of Alicante (COMA), which received 26 allegations of assaults on physicians (while doing their duties) last year, published these numbers. Males made up 58% of the victims, with the majority being under 35.

Additionally, there were more physical assaults—5 occurrences compared to the 2 in 2023—and threats and coercion against doctors in their workplace—16 compared to the 13 that were reported to the College the year before. verbal abuse, to which the five notifications for harassment and insults must be added.

The majority of these violent incidents—24, or 92% of the total—took place in the public system. 65% of the attacks reported by the COMA in 2024 occurred in health centres and primary care emergency departments, continuing the trend of prior years that shows this to be the most violent and dangerous medical setting for physicians.

In the province of Alicante, the aggressor typically takes the form of a guy under 40 who is either a patient or a friend. Regarding the reasons behind the attacks, the most prominent ones are the disparities in the medical care that was given and the failure to provide the patient’s recommended medication.

Dr. José Manuel Peris, the Secretary General of the COMA, notes that although more doctors are reporting violent incidents they see too frequently, “these figures do not reflect the magnitude of the problem.” Many more attacks go unreported due of fear of potential retaliation, exhaustion from the copious paperwork necessary, the sluggishness of the legal system, or the absurd penalties that complaints frequently result in.

“We need stronger penalties, as well as a specific law against assaults on healthcare personnel, as already exists in other Autonomous Communities, and on-site reporting,” states the general secretary of COMA.

“Of course, threats and coercion, but also insults and humiliation, must never occur, and this must be made clear to the aggressors,” Dr. Peris says, urging his fellow medical professionals to always report any aggression. We run the risk of internalising and normalising them, which is not an option, and doctors do not deserve them. You must report them to the COMA and the police since remaining silent about the aggressions is tantamount to endorsing them.

Workshops on prevention

As part of the celebration of the “European Day against Attacks on Doctors and Health Professionals” on March 12th, the Medical Union of the Valencian Community (CESM-CV) and the Alicante Medical Association will collaborate with the Alicante Command’s Civil Guard and the National Police of the Alicante Provincial Police Station to host two workshops on self-defence and prevention techniques.

Inspector D. Vicente Romero, the Provincial Police Territorial Health Interlocutor’s working team, will conduct the first practical session. Next Wednesday, March 12th, at 1:00 p.m., the meeting will take place in the Juan XXIII Health Center’s assembly hall. The agents will give the center’s medical staff specialised training in this workshop to help them steer clear of dangerous circumstances.

This year marks the first time the COMA and the Civil Guard have collaborated on a workshop. The Santa Pola Health Centre was selected as the location. On March 25th, the Guardia Civil’s Police-Health Interlocutor, Lieutenant José Agustín Serna of the Alicante Command Headquarters, and his team will conduct a hands-on training for medical professionals.

In an operation last week, the National Police dismantled four black spots for the retail sale of drugs in Benidorm and La Nucía. Twenty persons were arrested, including four who are thought to be the network’s primary leaders. at addition to using some of the places of sale as drug flats for drug addicts to utilise, the gang disbanded by the Benidorm Police Station’s Judicial Police also discovered cockfights at a La Nucía chalet. Police have also discovered that numerous customers used stolen products to pay for the drugs, and some of these customers were even driven to the locations of sale by network members.

With the assistance of Citizen Security agents, Group I of the Benidorm Local Judicial Police Brigade conducted six house searches last week, including four in homes in Benidorm and La Nucía that were thought to be drug trafficking hotspots or illegal substance childcare centres. No drugs or items relevant to the investigation were discovered during the search of the residences of the primary plotter’s parents and boyfriend, who reside in Benidorm and l’Alfàs del Pi, respectively.

A crop of 101 marijuana plants more than a metre high, 39.24 grammes of hashish for 268 euros, and 246.9 grammes of cocaine, worth 14,821 euros per gramme, were found during the black market searches. Along with 3,295 euros in cash, the police also seized televisions, scooters, bicycles, tools, and other items that were purportedly stolen and used by customers to pay for the drugs. The police have given some of these things back to their original owners.

The National Police released 16 of the 20 people who were arrested in the operation—all of whom had criminal records—after they made statements at the police station. The remaining four, three of whom were represented by attorneys Lucía Ros García and Gonzalo Martín, were taken to the Benidorm and La Vila Joiosa courts, where the judges also granted their provisional release. The case is open for theft, animal abuse, drug trafficking, and involvement in a criminal organisation.

A portion of the confiscated drugs, stolen items, and many cages containing roosters, some of which showed evidence of fighting, were discovered by the police in the La Nucía chalet where the putative ringleader was detained. Two dead roosters were also discovered by the agents; one was hanging from a pine tree, and the other was in the pool.

Following information about a 36-year-old Spanish man who may be utilising multiple homes, some of which were squatted, to distribute heroin and cocaine, the Benidorm National Police launched the inquiry last November.

Investigators put the individual under observation after learning that he had a criminal past and had been involved in prior investigations. This allowed them to identify all the homes that might be utilised as drug sales locations or nurseries.

Several drug addicts were found to be frequenting the sales locations under investigation, purchasing little amounts of drugs, and paying for them with stolen goods during surveillance.

A motorbike that had been stolen and traded for narcotics by a drug addict was found. When the motorcycle’s owner went to a house to retrieve it, he discovered that they also stored stolen bicycles and scooters. Additionally, they were able to spot a parked vehicle that was reported stolen inside one of the homes under investigation during another observation.

In the Armanello neighbourhood, two of the demolished sales locations were situated in cramped slums. The region where the group was trafficking drugs has a high level of social alarm, according to the National Police.

The police investigation revealed that the ringleader had four trusted individuals in the homes that were utilised as black spots for retail sales and nurseries. The transportation of the drugs was handled by two other suspects, and in a third tier, there were two men who the group leader typically used to oversee car rentals and his own transportation, particularly after he was charged with a crime against road safety at the beginning of February for not having a driver’s license.