Costa Blanca
Local Police in Benidorm commemorates its 181st anniversary

Officers and commemorative entities received badges and awards as part of the Benidorm Local Police’s 118th anniversary celebration, which included an institutional event in the Town Hall’s Assembly Hall and a display by the K9 Unit and Response and Prevention Group (GRP) in front of the Town Hall.
The public gathered in the Plaza de Sus Majestades los Reyes de España to witness the performance by the K9 Unit, also known as the “Canine Patrol” of Benidorm. The K9 Unit showed off the harmony between the GRP officers, trainers, and dogs in five fictitious exercises featuring Hanko and Kili, in which the dogs were the key that prevented crimes from being committed in public places.
Following the protest, Benidorm Mayor Toni Pérez and PLBND Chief Superintendent Luis Martín Arévalo inspected the officers who had been trained in front of the Town Hall’s main façade. The Assembly Hall then hosted the formal ceremony.
Along with the mayor, the regional deputies José Ramón González de Zárate and Mario Villar, the regional secretary for Housing of the Generalitat, Sebastián Fernández, the commissioner of the National Police in Benidorm, Luis Manuel Sánchez, the lieutenant of the Traffic Detachment of the Civil Guard, Manuel Sánchez, and numerous other members of the city’s civil society attended the force’s tribute, which was accompanied by Councillor for Citizen Security Jesús Carrobles and other municipal corporation members.
Toni Pérez described the Benidorm Local Police as the “flag and spearhead” of Benidorm in his formal speech. As seen by its performance during the summer high season, a community that does not yet have 75,000 residents is “capable of attending to more than 380,000” people.
The “first calling card” for anyone experiencing trouble when visiting Benidorm is the local police. In order to help the citizen or visitor and advise them “by referring them” to the municipal or administration services they require, Toni Pérez has urged them to “get out” of the automobile or “leave the motorbike aside.”
With examples like the professional career or the Job Evaluation in the City Council, “a desire of more than 15 years,” the mayor emphasised his dedication to the force, which was established in 1844.
In her remarks on the occasion of today’s March 8th celebration, Toni Pérez recalled that the first promotion of female police officers was initiated in Benidorm during the tenure of José Such Ortega, at the time of the Democratic Centre Union (UCD), and that “some of them are still active in other municipal services.”
According to Mayor Luis Arévalo, police officers “are people who work for people” and have an obligation to “guarantee a safe life” for their fellow citizens. He also asserted that more agents are needed in order to give the city the finest service possible.
Ceremony of Awards
The PLBND also expressed gratitude to the National Police, Civil Guard, Benidorm Firefighters, Local Assembly of the Red Cross, and the municipal concessionaire Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas. The Sociocultural Association of the Local Police also gave a metope of recognition to the Cultural and Recreational Association ‘La Barqueta’ during the event.
Similarly, the organisation has given its commemorative coin to those who have contributed significantly to the institution. José Fuster, the president of Civil Protection; Antonio Zamora, the beach concessionaire’s Rescue and First Aid coordinator; M§ Isabel Medina, the chief prosecutor of the Courts of Benidorm; and Joan Francesc Vives, the senior judge, have all received the gift.
Antonio Ortega, Jaime Ángel González, Manuel Risueño, Álvaro Fuertes, José Tomás Galaví, Francisco Javier Sánchez, Mireia Cruz, David Fontanet, Mario César Martínez, José Ramón Fuentes, David Torres, José Casto, Ramón Agüero, Alejandro Andrés, Marcos Perles, Cyntia Romero, Yolanda Bocos, Jorge Ferrer, and Jorge Martín were then given the Generalitat’s honours and decorations.
Officers David González and Jesús López, on the other hand, received the Cross of Police Merit with Blue Distinction for their outstanding performance of their duties and behaviour. Lastly, the PLBND gave a diploma and a commemorative coin to Francisco Javier Gallego, Emilio Espejo, Saúl Pablo Pastor, Juan Vicente Soler, and Juan Miguel Igualada, the officials who retired during the previous fiscal year.
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Costa Blanca
Sticky Vicky’s daughter quits mum’s iconic Benidorm show

Adhesive the stage act has been sensationally abandoned by Vicky’s daughter, who has followed in her late mother’s footsteps, thereby leaving behind her family’s Benidorm legacy.
The unexpected decision was made after María Gadea Aragón assumed responsibility for the adult-themed magic performances following the passing of her mother, Victoria María Aragón Gadea, in 2023 at the age of 80.
María, who had been employing her mother’s stage identity in the well-known Spanish resort, has now discontinued her performances after a decade on stage.
María performed frequently at venues including the Palladium, Zodiaco, and Rockerfellers, as well as Benidorm which is a popular destination for British expatriates and vacationers.
Des Bellamy-Wright, an employee at the Benidorm Palladium, verified that María is no longer employed in the lively Spanish city. Des stated, “Sticky Vicky is no longer operational in Benidorm.” The ‘Carmen Snake – Sticky Show’ is a similarly entertaining program that is broadcast every night at 12:45 a.m. “
The official reason for Maria’s retirement was not disclosed, and her final performance was in November 2024.
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Elche’s H&M shop closing

The Swedish retail chain H&M announced in 2024 that it would be reducing the number of stores and employment it has in Spain due to “organisational, productive, and economic” reasons. Around 50 layoffs were the result of the closure of stores in the L’Aljub retail centres in Elche, Ociopía in Orihuela, and Habaneras in Torrevieja, which had consequences for the province of Alicante.
Additionally, these were the sole instances in the Valencian Community that were impacted. The Torrevieja store was the first to shut its doors in May 2024 since that time. The Orihuela store was subsequently closed on September 14th of the same year. Currently, the Elche store has shuttered its doors. The facility was closed to the public on March 14th, following its final day of operation on March 11th. It will be entirely shut down on March 22nd. Approximately 20 employees are being laid off at this Elche store. It is the final establishment in the province of Alicante that will not reopen, and the circumstances of the dismissal were negotiated in October. The employees have departed the company with an agreement as a result of these negotiations, according to Yolanda de la Casa, the general secretary of the CCOO Services Federation in Alicante.
The dismissal terms that were established following the October negotiations were 45 days until 2012 and 33 days until the present. A gratuity of 3,500 euros was granted for the first five years, 4,000 euros for the next ten years, and a maximum of 4,500 euros for the subsequent years.
Furthermore, three relocations have occurred among the 50 individuals who were laid off in the province, spanning Elche, Orihuela, and Torrevieja. Lely Fernández of UGT l’Alacantí-La Marina informed this newspaper that these were part-time employees from the Habaneras shopping centre in Torrevieja who were transferred to the La Zenia shopping centre, which continues to operate and is accessible.
H&M initiated 2024 by announcing the closure of 28 stores and approximately 588 collective redundancies. The figure was reduced to 521 reductions in a subsequent revision.
The Torrevieja store closed its doors to the public on May 17th, 2024, and the lease expired on May 24th, never to be reopened. Nevertheless, numerous employees at this establishment were granted the opportunity to relocate to other nearby stores that were still operational. In September 2024, Ociopía followed suit, and Elche followed suit in March 2025.
The H&M group operates over 100 stores and employs nearly 4,000 individuals in the country. This decision was made by the Scandinavian company in order to “adapt and perfect” its stores in a “changing” shopping environment for its consumers. Additionally, Spain would be responsible for 17% of the brand’s global closures, as indicated by the data that the company disclosed months ago when it presented its 2023 financial year.
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Man stole fire extinguishers to sell as scrap metal

A 20-year-old male is currently under investigation by the Guardia Civil for the purported theft of ten fire extinguishers. The fire extinguishers were discovered by Seprona officers during an inspection of a scrap metal establishment in Torrevieja. The store manager and the criminal are both the subject of an investigation.
The fire extinguishers, which were in near-new condition and completely charged, were discovered by the Servicio de Protección a la Naturaleza (Seprona) officers during the inspection. The investigation was initiated due to the fact that this material is “uncommon” in this form of business, as explained by sources from the Armed Forces.
Upon discovering the fire extinguishers, the officers enquired about the scrapyard manager’s documentation regarding the extinguishers’ arrival. The manager responded that he did not possess any proof of ownership. Additionally, he disclosed that a woman and her son had abandoned them there without his permission.
The company responsible for maintaining the fire extinguishers was identified by Seprona officers after they analysed the evidence and proof acquired. This verified that the extinguishers were located in a building in Torrevieja. The missing equipment was reported by the property manager of this community of proprietors shortly thereafter.
Fire extinguishers were recovered
Officers were permitted to confiscate the fire extinguishers and transport them to the Torrevieja Civil Guard barracks as a result of the formal complaint. Upon verification of their origin, they were returned to their legitimate owners.
The individuals implicated have been identified as a result of the operation. The 20-year-old man who is supposed to have stolen the fire extinguishers is being investigated for theft, while the 23-year-old proprietor of the scrap yard is being investigated for receiving stolen goods.
The Guardia Civil emphasises the necessity of reporting these types of incidents and reminds all individuals of the significance of doing so. In order to prevent the acquisition of stolen material, scrap metal dealers must establish rigorous controls, such as document checks on sellers and items received.
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