Eight Inquiries in Eight Months: PSOE Criticises Alicante's Anti-Squatting Office

The anti-squatting office of the Local Police is struggling to take off. The flagship proposal of the budget agreement between PP and Vox for 2024 has recorded only eight inquiries in its first eight months of operation. The measure was announced with great fanfare, offering 24-hour service throughout the year.

The service comprises four officers and an administrative assistant. However, despite the social alarm caused by illegal squatting of homes, this office has received fewer than ten complaints since its inception.

With these figures, the spokesperson for the socialist municipal group, Ana Barceló, has accused the mayor, Luis Barcala, of "creating unnecessary alarm" in the city with this issue. The socialists have labelled the office as a "boondoggle" and an "absolute failure".

In a document sent by the Local Police at the request of the PSOE, it is acknowledged that since the service began on November 26, 2024, only eight consultations have been conducted.

Additionally, the socialist group claims that Alicante lacks real figures on home occupation. "The government's lack of data is such that not even the Municipal Housing Board of Alicante has specific information on how many public properties are currently occupied," they highlight in a statement.

"Barcala was the forerunner of a service designed to generate alarm, without data to support the magnitude of the problem in the city. Now Mazón follows in his footsteps, under the orders of the far-right, announcing courses to train local police against squatting. The Valencian Government spreads the strategy of fear instead of promoting public housing. The Vive Plan continues to yield no results in Alicante," Barceló concluded.