Costa Blanca
Elche ‘declares war’ on graffiti

Graffiti in Elche might not last much longer. At least, that’s what the Elche City Council wants. They’ve reaffirmed their dedication to protecting history and made it harder for people to put silkscreens and graffiti on monuments, walls, and other public property.
The mayor, Pablo Ruz, made it clear that the council will take the “firmest” stand possible against this kind of behaviour. The people responsible will face more financial penalties and even legal action. Any action that harms the look and safety of public areas is seen as a “threat” by the government. “We are committed to putting an end to these acts of vandalism,” Ruz told me.
Three criminals have been caught
In this case, the Local Police of Elche said in a public statement yesterday that they have recently caught three people—two children and an adult—writing more than 100 pieces of graffiti on city walls, fences, and traffic signs. They say the damage is more than 3,000 euros, which is “significant economic damage” for the municipality.
It was made clear by the mayor that the parents of the children would have to pay for the damage as well as the fine, which is between 750 and 3,000 euros. The City Council has stated that the adult in question will have to pay the fine and also go through legal proceedings.
Dedicated unit to fight vandalism
To deal with this issue, the Local Police set up a special unit called the Urban and Environmental Unit (UMA) seven years ago. Its job is to oversee the upkeep of public and heritage areas and to investigate and punish vandalism. This team has helped cut down on vandalism in the city and has caught 30 people so far for this kind of crime.
“There is no place for vandalism in Elche,” Ruz said, “and the Local Police will be firm in this matter.” He also praised the UMA agents for their work in keeping an eye on these crimes and bringing them to justice. This has helped Elche become known as one of the towns with “the cleanest walls in Spain” and the first in the Levante region.
Places for public art
Though the City Council is trying to stop illegal graffiti, they also want to encourage urban art in a controlled way. In order to do this, it is looking for facades and party walls where graffiti artists can officially express their art with the help of the government. Ruz said, “We need to make it very clear what art is and what is graffiti and vandalism.”
The mayor also told people that putting ads, posters, or stickers on street lights is also against the law because it hurts the city’s image.
According to José Eugenio Medina, the local police commissioner, the UMA and the municipal brigades have worked together to keep Elche’s history in great shape. This has made the city a model for fighting urban vandalism.
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Costa Blanca
Hospitality and recreation establishments in Elche receive 36 infringement reports from local police

The Elche Local Police conducted an operation that involved inspecting thirteen hospitality and leisure outlets in various neighbourhoods, resulting in one arrest and 36 violations. The data was made public on Friday, 28th March, mainly as a reminder of the work that is being done. Councilman Juan de Dios Navarro gave the police top for their efforts.
According to local police inspector José Antonio Corrales, the majority of the infractions included drug usage and possession, including four for cocaine possession and seven for hashish, as well as improper company documentation. Additionally, there were two reports for disturbing the peace or disrespecting law enforcement, four for not following the minimum hygienic standards for food storage, one serious infraction for conducting the activity after hours and behind closed doors, and seven for irregularities found on the property, including improper documentation.
Additionally, officers found six infractions for permitting smoking in unapproved indoor locations, three for type “B” slot machine identification guide deficiencies, and one major infraction for emergency escape and door flaws. Additionally, a report was made about the selling of illegal tobacco at a pub, where 20 packets were confiscated and one individual was detained on court order and imprisoned.
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Visitor to Catral cemetery locked inside

As nightfall approached on one of these soggy spring days in March, a young man decided it would be a good idea to visit a cousin or acquaintance’s grave and take a walk through the cemetery. Because the cemetery still closes its (automatic) gates at six o’clock at this time of year, but without the winter gloom that may discourage anyone from going.
However, the door was locked when he attempted to exit. The visitor didn’t seem to want to spend any more time among the cemeteries, despite the cemetery’s reputation as a particularly tranquil spot. Unaware of the placard bearing the mobile phone number for anyone needing help, he dashed out the gate. It was all on camera.
Joaquín Lucas, the mayor of Catral, maintains that this occurrence is unrelated to the privatisation of the cemetery works and feels that management by an outside company is an efficient approach to provide this service in a municipal office. He went on to say that the young man who who was locked in is from the nearby municipality of Dolores rather than Catral.
The local police took to social media and atacked the man’s “reckless” behaviour. He has been named in connection with “criminal proceedings for a crime against another’s property.” Nonetheless, the business will be liable for any damages brought on by the damaged door anchors.
In addition to clarifying that the business employs two workers—a gravedigger and a labourer who maintains the communal areas and restrooms—the Councillor for Services, Daniel Escudero, reaffirmed that the automatic door is an option offered by the company itself.
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Five arrested in Alicante and Murcia for shoplifting

Five individuals involved in grocery theft have been taken into custody by the Guardia Civil. In the regions of Alicante and Murcia, the thieves were stealing in a number of locations for a well-known supermarket company. The things that were stolen are worth over 8,000 euros in total.
The investigation started after the retail chain representative filed a complaint. The pattern was consistent across all cases: three or four people went into the store, and one of them loaded up a cart with expensive things like canned goods, extra virgin olive oil, sausages, or alcoholic drinks. The last one hurried out of the grocery without paying, and another diverted the attention of the staff.
It was discovered that the same people were responsible for the crimes in multiple towns in Alicante and Murcia after examining the security footage from the impacted businesses. Since the suspects did not live in the residences where they were registered and lacked a stable address, it was very difficult to find them.
Shortly after committing another theft at a store in a suburban neighbourhood of Rojales (Alicante), officers caught two of the suspects off guard and took them into custody. Many of the stolen goods were found at that time and brought back to the impacted business.
The other three were later taken into custody in the cities of Almoradí (Alicante) and Guardamar del Segura. The majority of the pilfered items were sold on. Additionally, the two cars that were utilised in the crimes were taken.
Eleven thefts have been resolved as a consequence of the investigation conducted by the Novelda Civil Guard’s investigation section. The cities of Novelda, Torrevieja, Almoradí, Catral, and Rojales in Alicante as well as the municipalities of San Javier, Jumilla, San Pedro del Pinatar, Cartagena, Archena, and Caravaca de la Cruz in Murcia were the sites of these crimes.
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