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.
Discover more from Costa Blanca Daily
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Costa Blanca
In Alicante, three arrested for stealing a gold chain from a man who was working out

Three men have been taken into custody by National Police officers in Alicante on suspicion of violent robbery and resisting an officer. A gold chain was brutally torn from around the neck of a man who was exercising in public after the suspects asked him to take a picture of them. A foot chase and prompt police action led to the recovery of the jewellery and the arrest of the offenders.
The incident started when someone called CIMACC Room 091 to report that he had been robbed. The victim was seen pursuing three males by the patrol sent to the location, but they ran away when they saw the police.
Officers started a foot pursuit right away, and the three males were finally apprehended and stopped. They were charged with violent robbery and resisting arrest. Officers recovered the stolen gold chain, and it was given back to its rightful owner.
The victim informed police that two people approached him while he was playing sports in a public area and requested him to take their picture. While he went to retrieve his mobile phone, one of the criminals violently grabbed him by the neck and pulled his chain. The three accused attempted to escape after physically assaulting him for resisting.
The inmates have been turned over to the Alicante investigating court after police investigations.
Discover more from Costa Blanca Daily
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Costa Blanca
Young man arrested in Alicante for murder in France

In a combined operation by the Spanish National Police and French authorities, S. AB, an 18-year-old Algerian immigrant, was found and taken into custody on Tuesday 25th March in Alicante, in the Valencian Country, about two months after he fled France, where he was wanted for murder. A 25-year-old security guard at a popular nightclub in the city of Saint-Étienne took in the youngster, who had entered the country illegally. The individual who was arrested is being held by the police while they wait for him to be extradited to France, which may take up to a month.
After failing to get in touch with the victim for days, a relative went in search of him and discovered him dead inside his flat on February 9th. There were no indications that a knife or gun had been used. The autopsy’s forensic specialists determined that strangulation-induced cardiac arrest was the cause of death. Although the motive for the crime is still being investigated, investigators discovered evidence of drugs next to the body, which could indicate retaliation for a drug debt or another disagreement involving drug trafficking.
Searching for a “very dangerous” fugitive for a month
SAB was always the main suspect in this case; the victim’s family knew he had provided him with shelter in the days before her death, and they didn’t hear from him again. Officers from the Specialised Organised Crime Division tracked the suspect’s potential exit from the country after learning that he had departed Saint-Étienne in the hours immediately after the murder. Hundreds of bus and train station cameras were examined, yet SAB used covert means to enter Spain and continued to travel till he arrived in Alicante.
Two weeks after the crime, on February 22th, Interpol released a Red Notice, which is an arrest and surrender warrant that permits worldwide cooperation in the apprehension of dangerous criminals, along with the suspect’s information and photo. This information, along with other details regarding his potential movements throughout Spain, was gathered by the Spanish National Police’s Fugitives Squad. A few weeks later, police were able to track him down, and they conducted close surveillance in the Alicante region until March 25th, the day he was arrested.
There were no problems during the arrest process. The police are currently working to determine the motive behind the murder while his extradition is pending. At this point, it’s unknown if it was a personal conflict or anything related to drugs.
Discover more from Costa Blanca Daily
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Costa Blanca
Alicante health centres are restricting phone appointments

Phone medical care was promoted during the pandemic to conduct pre-screenings for coronavirus cases and provide information about the disease. It subsequently became established as a useful tool to expedite consultations that did not require in-person visits and to relieve congestion in overcrowded health centres. However, in recent weeks, some patients have encountered difficulties requesting a telephone appointment through the Ministry of Health’s app, GVA SALUT+, as this option is not available in some health centres, leaving only an in-person choice.
The regional government explains that this is because telephone consultations may experience “long delays” due to congestion, but denies that this option has been eliminated in any health area. In cases where telephone appointments are not available on the app, patients who wish to be seen by their primary care physician by phone must request it directly from the admission staff at their reference health centre, according to healthcare professionals consulted by this newspaper.
Medical sources explain that in some health centres, telephone appointments have been restricted to certain professionals due to their widespread use and the “frequent” lack of response from some patients when the doctor called. This situation especially affects people who study or work outside their city of origin and cannot attend their health centre in person.
Affected People
“I always made a telephone appointment with my doctor. For example, the other day I had a urinary tract infection, and although I was treated at another emergency room, I usually followed up with my doctor so she could prescribe more medication if necessary,” explains O.P., a patient who has been unable to access this option for at least three weeks.
A similar case is that of V.F., who lives outside his city and needed to process a medical leave after suffering a severe blow that landed him in the emergency room. “I had to go to my health centre in person for the appointment with my doctor,” he notes. Despite these testimonies, the Regional Ministry of Health insists that telephone consultations are still available at all health centres and attributes the incidents to “specific technical adjustments to the schedules.” Furthermore, they emphasise that they consider this resource “very valuable” and that they do not intend to eliminate it.
Differences between in-person and telephone appointments
Regarding the time difference between in-person and telephone appointments, a notable difference can be observed at some health centres in the province. At the San Blas health centre in Alicante, in-person appointments are available same day with several times to choose from, while telephone appointments are delayed by two weeks.
At the Plaza América health centre, also in Alicante, the telephone option with some professionals does not offer appointments, and at the I de Villena health centre, it is not even available. In Elche, at the Doctor Alberto García auxiliary office, appointments by phone are delayed by almost two weeks.
In-Person
It’s worth remembering that the Ministry of Health has prioritised in-person care over telephone calls in the provinces of Alicante, Valencia, and Castellón in the last month, as part of the new scheduling model implemented by the Directorate General of Primary Care. According to doctors consulted, the new schedules limited telephone consultations to a maximum of six per day, which has significantly reduced their availability.
Discover more from Costa Blanca Daily
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
-
Costa Blanca2 weeks ago
Elche is seeking tender for an additional 22,000 plants, shrubs, and flowers from 150 different species
-
Costa Blanca2 weeks ago
€85,000 lottery winner in Torrevieja
-
Costa Blanca2 weeks ago
Man sought for robbery and fraud in Amsterdam has been caught in Alicante
-
News2 weeks ago
Two arrested in Elda for stealing from restaurants and hostels
-
Costa Blanca1 week ago
In Alicante, a criminal group that specialised in robberies at pharmacies and banks has been dismantled
-
Costa Blanca2 weeks ago
Man stole fire extinguishers to sell as scrap metal
-
Costa Blanca2 weeks ago
Alicante’s new rent cap
-
Costa Blanca2 weeks ago
In Torrevieja, twenty new local police officers assume their duties