Crime Prevention - La Marina Info

LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES:
(POLICE - AMBULANCE - FIRE)
TELEPHONE: 966 794 453
IN CAR POLICE MOBILE - 696 465 481.

UPDATE ...

Bars and restaurants in Avenida Londres, and more recently those located in calle Afredo Kraus on La Marina urbanisation, close to the police station, have been burgled and vandalised. Electrical equipment, televisions etc, have been stolen and much damage caused to the establishments. Is it just a coincidence that Juan Garcia, the provisional secretary for the Police and Firefighters union is asking why, after numerous meetings over many months with the San Fulgencio council, they have ignored the union’s recommendations to increase policing in the municipality, especially in the urbanisations. The response from the council is that this is due to political decisions and that as far as they are concerned the current policing agents should be enough to cover the all the urbanisations in the municipality.  

Thieves are operating in teams with scouts and look-outs that sometimes hide in the gardens of neighbouring unoccupied houses, they move in when they see an opportunity. People currently here on holiday and permanent residents should be on the alert and remain security conscious at all times. NEVER leave the gate unlocked even for a minute and NEVER leave any expensive items, cash, wallets or purses on view. It only takes a few seconds and the thieves will be in and out before you know it.

A good way to deter robbers from entering your home is to instal visual deterrents; a burglar alarm, security grills, CCTV camera/s, auto-on security lights, etc. Thieves will always take the easier option. If you do not have any visual deterrents you are a target. If you find that you have been robbed the telephone number for the mobile phone in local police patrol car is 696 465 481.

WHAT IS A BOGUS CALLER ?
Bogus callers at your door will pretend to be any one of a number of authentic callers (not just gas men). They may claim to be officials from the Town Hall, Iberdrola, home service companies or other organizations. They may impersonate workmen and say that they need to come in and check something or to make urgent repairs. Even women and young children may be used to gain your trust and entry to your home. These types of bogus callers all want to steal from you, to trick you, or overcharge you for work they do (in a recent case one neighbour was charged 180 euros for a gas regulator (12 Euros from the do-it-yourself shop).
It is very important to make sure any callers to your home are genuine. KEEP YOUR GATE LOCKED AT ALL TIMES AND NEVER ALLOW ANYONE INTO YOUR HOME UNLESS BY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION FROM SOMEONE YOU KNOW AND TRUST. REMEMBER IT IS YOUR DECISION TO LET THEM INTO YOUR HOME. IF YOU DO THEN THEY CAN LEGITIMATELY OVERCHARGE YOU FOR THEIR SERVICE.

PROTECT THOSE MOST AT RISK
Unfortunately those at greatest risk from the bogus caller are the most vulnerable in our community, the very elderly, women, and those who live on their own, that is what makes a bogus caller crime such a despicable offence. If you have a vulnerable, elderly neighbour, particularly those who live on their own, please go and talk to them. Make sure that they keep their gate locked at all times and that have a door chain fitted, and that they do not allow entry to anyone they do not know personally. Also let them know that they can call you to ask you for your help if they are in any doubt. If we looked out for our neighbours we can greatly reduce the number of people who become victims of this very distressing offence.


A WARNING FOR ALL PET OWNERS IN LA MARINA AND LA ESCUERA URBANISATIONS...
A German Shepherd that was allowed out by his owner to roam the streets killed a local residents pet dog in a horrific incident. The same rouge dog was reported to the police and Scottish councillor Jeffrey Wiszniewski in 2012 when it attacked and killed another residents beloved Yorkshire Terrier, unfortunately nothing was done and the dog was consistently allowed to roam the streets. For advice on what to do if you suspect a dog is about to attack your pet visit this web page: http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/how-to-break-up-a-neighborhood-dogfight-safely

In another incident a local residents dog bolted from his home after a loud noise spooked him in Parque del Duero on La Marina urbanisation in the middle of the hot summer. Only a few minutes had passed before the owner realised that their pet dog named Pukas was missing and they went searching for him. Their beloved family pet had already been picked up by a Cereco van (the animal collection company that San Fulgencio Town Hall has a contract with to tour the urbanisation and collect strays). Little Pukas was subjected to a torturous journey around the Costa Blanca in the back of a Cereco van as the driver searched for and collected other strays in other municipalities before arriving at their warehouse in Crevillente eight hours later. With no air conditioning or water available in the van for collected strays Pukas was dead on arrival there. The owner of Pukas denounced Cereco and the local council.

Cereco have a contract to collect stray pets with more than 40 Town Halls. In the past three years, the current coalition, with the full agrrement of Scottish councillor Jeffrey Wiszniewski as the deputy mayor, has maintained a contract with Cereco despite many collected pet cats and dogs having suffered and been killed by the Cereco company. It is important to note that the previous council had an arrangement with local animal rescue volunteers which collected local strays and ensured their safety. However, when the current coalition took power they immediately cancelled this arrangement in favour of a contract with the infamous Cereco company at a cost to tax payers of more than 12,000 Euros each year.

To prevent your dog being collected and taken away from the area by Cereco please ensure it has a legible tag on its collar with your current telephone number on it, also the Town Hall REMACAP tag that was first introduce in 2010 by previous English councillor Mark Lewis.

HOW TO MAKE A DENUNCIA IN ENGLISH: Before you make the call you should have your NIE (or passport number) and your address available for identification purposes, then telephone 902-102-112. The operator will ask you some questions to determine the nature of the crime. Once all the information has been written down you will be given a reference number – write this down. The operator will then enter the details of your statement into the system and the denuncia report will be despatched to your nearest police station. You will be asked for the location of the nearest police station, you will be required to go there with your documents, quoting the reference number that you have been given, within 48 hours.