“Hello John. I was held at knifepoint, but we’re fine. Bruised, but no cuts. I have been to the doctor and to the Police. They took Tina’s bag, but I have the keys to the apartment. Peter”. That’s one of the messages an apartment manager got last week in Costa Adeje. An example of the succession of robberies that Juan gives us an account of, which occurred throughout the two last weeks.
From the municipalities of Arona and Adeje it is reported that there has not been a considerable increase in crime -although these data correspond more to the National Police and Civil Guard than to the local police-, but even so they have already launched a broad device of security before the avalanche of visitors this Holy Week, given an occupation that will touch 100% from Los Cristianos to La Caleta.
The good weather -although rain is expected for Thursday- and this short holiday period will make the influx of tourists and visitors to the island similar to a week in August. For this reason, the Adeje City Council has reinforced security with more than 125 additional agents, including the different police and members of Civil Protection, not only to monitor the beaches and shopping and nightlife areas, but also to cover various festivals. to which thousands of young people usually go.
Arona will do the same, increasing 70 troops between the Crazy Police, National Police, Civil Guard and Civil Protection, although making it clear that “this is the Easter device, it is not that we have noticed more insecurity than normal in recent weeks” , clarified from the Consistory aronero.
It must be remembered that a year ago the Arona City Council obtained authorization from the Delegation of the Government of Spain to install some 20 surveillance cameras in the areas with the greatest nighttime conflict, due to the large presence of pubs and discos and the consequent crowding of users . We are talking about the Las Verónicas shopping center, between Rafael Puig Lluvina avenue and Francisco Andrade Fumero street in Playa de Las Américas.
Despite this presence of cameras, fights at dawn have not stopped taking place in the area, even in the presence of police officers, almost always carried out by British tourists, young and old, the majority in the area.
Mercedes Vargas, Councilor for Security in Adeje, comments that “the security service is always reinforced at Easter, since we not only welcome foreign and national tourists who are already here or come to spend the week of vacation, but also the island’s own residents add up, not only to spend the day on the beach, but also because of the number of events and festivals that we have in the municipality until the 9th. Within this framework of action, it is true that there is police reinforcement , with 125 more troops, apart from the ordinary service each week.
We will take turns monitoring depending on the points with the highest concentration of people, not only on beaches but also on promenades, as well as at festivals or at events with such a large influx of public as in La Pasión that we celebrate on Friday on Calle Grande ”, He points out, and points out that “from last week until next Sunday we already put surveillance on beaches that did not have it, such as La Caleta, El Puertito and Ajabo beach.”
“There is crime”
Merchants and restaurateurs in the tourist area par excellence in the south of Tenerife denounce the increase in crime in Playa de Las Américas and Costa Adeje, specifically. Thus, they indicate that they have robbed up to four times in a small 14-hour supermarket in Costa Adeje, that they have entered to rob the Oasis apartments, San Eugenio supermarket, a casino store or in Pueblo Canario, and that they have stolen wallets and mobile phones to customers in cafeterias and restaurants in the area; There have even been acts of vandalism with the breaking of shop windows or ATMs.
Last Thursday, a group of merchants contacted the Citizen Participation area of the National Police in Playa de Las Américas and concluded the “increase in crime.” The Police admit that “they have too much work” and also recall that “in these cases you have to report it, because many do not do it”, as well as the possibility of “reporting the incident in real time through a modern mobile application ”. In that appointment it was also exposed that one of the causes of this increase in street “petty crime” may be related to the boom in the sale and consumption of heroin to the detriment of cocaine.
