Twelve Arrested in Alicante for Assaulting Vulnerable Individuals to Steal Jewellery

The National Police have arrested twelve suspected thieves during a special operation aimed at enhancing public safety and preventing violent robberies, primarily committed using the 'snatch method', to maintain Alicante as a safe environment for residents and tourists.

A series of complaints filed in the last two weeks related to violent robberies alerted the National Police, who initiated a preventive operation to eradicate this type of crime, which was causing a significant sense of insecurity among the public, according to the Provincial Police Station.

The police operation resulted in the arrest of a dozen individuals who used the 'snatch method' against vulnerable people, from whom they would steal gold chains worn around their necks after approaching them in public places. Additionally, six criminal acts have been solved, and various pieces of jewellery have been recovered and returned to their rightful owners.

The 'modus operandi' was always the same. The alleged perpetrators selected their victims: elderly individuals, minors, or those with diminished intellectual capacities. They followed them until they reached an isolated area where they would confront them to snatch the items they carried, mainly gold chains, according to the same sources.

The perpetrators did not hesitate to use physical violence if necessary to achieve their illicit goal, even causing injuries to several victims, quickly fleeing the scene through adjacent streets once they obtained the loot.

With the jewellery in their possession, they headed to gold buying and selling points to try to sell them through the so-called 'black market'. The perpetrators did not randomly choose the items they stole; they mainly selected valuable jewellery (pendants, necklaces...) that they could sell immediately to third parties without any problem and gain economic profit.

Continuing with the investigations, the agents focused their operations mainly in the neighbourhoods of Carolinas, El Pla, and Bulevar del Pla, areas where police presence was reinforced with both uniformed and plainclothes officers.

For two weeks, a police operation was carried out in these areas, with the intention of addressing all aspects of public safety prevention, with a particular focus on preventing violent robberies.

The various police units conducted identifications of individuals, both on foot and in vehicles, through static control devices on various streets. Additionally, immediate and coordinated responses were provided to calls made by citizens to the National Police through the Cimacc 091 Room related to violent robberies committed throughout the northern area.

This operation resulted in the arrest of 12 individuals for their involvement in violent robbery crimes and the resolution of six criminal acts, with various pieces of jewellery recovered and returned to their owners.

The operation carried out, the Corps highlights, aims to continue strengthening public safety, with a particular focus on the northern area of the city, with the primary interest of ensuring that Alicante remains a safe environment for both its residents and tourists.