Benidorm rehearses 'Operation Thunder': Local and National Police 'seal' the city tightly

To transform Benidorm into one of Europe's major tourist destinations, many stakeholders must bring their best efforts to the table daily. Some factors, like the weather, are uncontrollable. Others, however, can be managed, rehearsed, and improved season after season.

Undoubtedly, one of the aspects most valued by tourists who flock to the city of skyscrapers each year is safety. This very week, a report from the Ministry of the Interior confirmed an annual crime reduction of over 20% in the city. A figure to celebrate, but also one that authorities aim to further decrease.

One way to achieve this, and thereby offer greater security to residents and visitors, is through drills. In this regard, the Local Police and the National Police jointly conducted a city lockdown drill this week. Both forces coordinated to execute the 'Operation Thunder' protocol, "which involves setting up a closure or 'cage' device following the alleged commission of a crime where offenders attempt to leave the municipal area," explained local police spokesperson Quique Tortosa.

In this exercise, not only were all strategic exit and entry points to Benidorm blocked, but "instructions for mobilizing forces, code names, indicators, and response time measurements" were also practiced.

Additionally, Tortosa added, "to ensure the drill's execution was as close to reality as possible, the participating officers were unaware it was going to take place, so they started from an unprepared situation they had to confront."

The coordinated mobilization of resources was key to meeting the expectations of the leadership of both police forces. The chief superintendent of the Benidorm Local Police, Luis Martín Arévalo, described the drill as "effective in a real situation" and confirmed that "the results are excellent thanks to the coordination between both forces."

All this coincided not only with the imminent start of the high tourist season but also with the publication by the Ministry of the Interior of a report for the first quarter of the year, showing a 0.5% reduction in crime across the province of Alicante, a decrease that is even more pronounced in Benidorm.

In the case of Marina Baixa, crime has decreased in Benidorm, La Vila Joiosa, Altea, and l'Alfàs del Pi. Only Altea has seen an increase after several reports of decline, rising by 5.9% largely due to an increase in sexual freedom crimes, which rose from one to six.

The most notable crime reductions have been in La Vila Joiosa, where a 24.3% drop has been recorded. In this municipality, the decrease in burglaries in homes, businesses, and other facilities is significant, dropping from 45 to 24 in a year. The total number of reported offenses in La Vila stands at 567 during this period.

Also significant is the reduction in crime in Benidorm, where the Ministry of the Interior reports a 21.2% decrease, largely explained by the drop in burglaries in homes, which fell from 34 to nine, a 73.5% reduction. From January to March, 1,271 criminal offenses occurred in the city.

In l'Alfàs del Pi, the decrease in crime is more modest, at 3.6%, highlighting how vehicle thefts have dropped from nine to zero, with no car or motorcycle thefts in just one year. Government statistics compile indicators from the National Police, Civil Guard, Autonomous Police, and Local Police, which provide data to the Crime Statistics System.