Benidorm tests its security with a city lockdown operation

Benidorm was closed off for several hours. The National Police and the Local Police jointly conducted 'Operation Thunder', a drill simulating a lockdown device to secure the city against potential criminal activities where offenders might attempt to flee.

This exercise involved not only the blocking of all strategic entry and exit points to Benidorm but also the implementation of instructions for mobilising forces, code names, call signs, and measuring response times.

To ensure the drill was as realistic as possible, the officers involved were unaware it was going to take place, starting from an unprepared state they had to address. The coordinated mobilisation of resources was crucial in meeting the expectations of the leadership of both police forces.

The Chief Inspector 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."