A Witness to the Brawl in Alicante Boulevard: "The Neighbourhood Has Deteriorated, There's More Crime"

Andrea and her partner have been living in the Boulevard del Pla area for two years. They decided to move to one of its residential complexes, overlooking the promenade, for the tranquillity and convenience of the neighbourhood. The tram line connecting to the city centre is one of the attractions, along with the proximity to the hospital and gardens.

This young woman from Alicante was already familiar with the area from years ago, which encouraged her to live in the neighbourhood. However, since becoming a resident, her perception has changed. "The Boulevard, especially the area around the Garbinet Tram stop, has deteriorated," she laments. "There's more crime."

One of the latest incidents was the brawl that took place this past Sunday on the promenade, resulting in twelve arrests, four injuries, and a confiscated katana. It was around 8 p.m. when the fight broke out between dozens of young Maghrebi and Spanish individuals in the Boulevard del Pla.

Several citizens called the CIMACC Room of 091, alerting about a brawl involving several individuals wielding blunt objects, prompting a rapid police deployment by the National Police service units with the support of the Alicante Local Police.

Upon arrival, officers observed a crowd of individuals fighting among themselves, who, upon noticing the presence of the officers, attempted to flee and hide to evade police action.

Andrea was one of the neighbours who witnessed the events from her window. "I was at home when suddenly I started hearing a lot of shouting. People were yelling. I looked out the window and saw a fairly large group of teenagers. I didn't quite understand what was happening," she recalls from the day.

According to her, within minutes, National and Local Police officers arrived, and even more people gathered, as if they were spectators. "I saw one of the boys fighting bend down in the bushes and pull out a stick... It was a katana! I was completely shocked." She also recalls seeing a helmet flying through the crowd and landing on the Tram tracks.

Additionally, this local resident points out that neighbours in her community, through the WhatsApp chat, claimed in conversations at the time that some of those involved in the fight took refuge in a park located in the backstreets of the Boulevard del Pla promenade.

The brawl that resulted in twelve arrests, eight of whom were minors, is not the only incident experienced by this Alicante resident and her neighbours. "Last year, during the Hogueras, I saw two boys throwing wand-shaped firecrackers at each other." Andrea recalls how people walking in the area "ran away."

"The Boulevard has become a problematic area," laments this resident, who also denounces the insecurity caused by groups of teenagers around the vegetation and bushes. "They are very dense, and at night they fill with kids; you don't know what they might have hidden," she expresses, thinking of the katana confiscated last Sunday.

This resident also appreciates the police presence in the neighbourhood. "The police come on motorcycles and even ride through the promenade." In her case, she admits that "I always tend to avoid the Garbinet stop," as from her home, she hears shouting, and when she looks out, "I've seen more than once crowds of teenagers leaving the school and ending up fighting on the Tram tracks." In short, "lately, there's more tension in the neighbourhood," she concludes.