Gunshot wound and a kidnapping raise alarm among Orihuela Costa residents

The Guardia Civil is investigating an altercation on the Orihuela Costa in which a man was shot and seriously injured. The individual, about whom the Guardia Civil has been reluctant to offer any details, has been receiving medical treatment since the event on May 13th.

The event occurred at ​​La Zenia, home to well-known establishments such as the De Bassus brewery and Zenia Lounge. Two popular supermarkets and a retail mall are nearby.

In addition, an attempted kidnapping occurred on the Orihuela coast on Monday, May 19th. The victim escaped. According to a complaint from local police to the Unidos por la Costa neighbourhood group, the alleged perpetrators were in a grey Volkswagen Golf or Mazda station waggon, and the association posted information on its social media accounts in the event that anybody could provide additional information.

The Local Police accounts, maintained by the Police Headquarters, have been disabled since April, when the conflict between the City Council and the commissioner, José María Pomares, erupted after his forced resignation. Accounts in situations like this demonstrate that this is also a public service.

According to Unidos por la Costa, this open conflict between the City Council and the Security Force “does no good to the Local Police or the residents,” who only want the allocation of police resources on the coast to be based on needs, which are determined by “the serious increase in crime that has been occurring in recent months.”

The neighbourhood organisation has once again called for action. “What needs to be done is quite simple: pay attention, put a little care into it, and allocate the necessary resources,” they state. They also request “more resources, resources, schedules, presence, communication, deterrence, control of contentious issues, and the use of drones and cameras .”

In this regard, they have requested an extension of reporting hours at the Coastal Emergency Centre, which is currently open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., an interpreter for foreigners, the publication of official crime data from recent months, and the prompt implementation of the Local Police’s social media channels.

On behalf of the Party for the Independence of Orihuela Costa (PIOC), its president, Román Jiménez, criticised the PP and Vox government for having “a beautiful Emergency Center—4,700 square metres—completely underutilised, with no Civil Protection or firefighters, and a minimal police force.” “Our future is for Orihuela Costa to govern itself,” said the official.

According to the official census, the shoreline has 30,000 inhabitants, however outside of the statistics, the population might reach 100,000 at different periods of year. Outside of the summer season, there are numerous empty houses, as is common in tourist areas. The Coast is requesting extra police officers based on actual requirements, not on an incomplete census.

Because more than 40 ethnicities coexist, many residential neighbourhoods lack a sense of community, with life taking place in solitude and behind closed doors.

They also warn that they are hearing of numerous attempted squatters in residential areas such as Cabo Roig, “something that must be combated.”

Finally, they point out that the coastline’s morphology, which is characterised by various distributed housing projects, hinders police control.