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Issue 063
COSTA DEL SOL
13th - 19th July
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Boat chase outrage A COSTA DEL SOL police union is to call for support from Spain’s new socialist government after a high speed boat chase left sunbathers horrified. “Something has to be done,” said Marilo Valencia, secretary of the national Unified Police Union in Malaga. “There are just not enough officers… and the speedboats are simply returned to the same gangs once they are auctioned off after being seized.” It comes after a suspected drugs boat being pursued by a National Police helicopter sped along a Manilva beach packed with holidaymakers before running aground as some onlookers ran for their lives. Others filmed the Bondstyle action on their mobile phones in disbelief, while
Credit: Policia National
by Jimmy Grayling
DRAMATIC SCENES: More officers are needed, says union official Marilo Valencia.
families paddling or swimming near the shore could have been hit by the powerful vessel. The driver is suspected of carrying fuel to meet a larger boat used for transporting hashish from Morocco to Spain, with the rendezvous picked up by police radar. But the second craft fled to Morocco as the helicopter approached, spark-
ing the dramatic beach scenes as the other sped off in the opposite direction. After hitting the sand, videos posted on social media show the driver sprinting away while trying to cover his face with his tshirt. He was caught by an off-duty police officer who had been swimming as the incident unfolded but ran
up the beach to rugbytackle the fugitive. Ms Valencia said she will urge the government’s new provincial subdelegate, Maria Gamez, to provide more reinforcements in an upcoming meeting. “This took place in broad daylight and Malaga Province could do worse than address the longstanding deficit of 600 Na-
tional Police officers. “There are people working 13 to 14-hour days.”
Wildfire warning THE high temperatures being recorded in Malaga Province, among other areas, has increased the risk of fire, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet). Malaga City has been marked on Aemet’s heat map as ‘extreme risk’ and a yellow warning has been issued. The rest of the province is registered at a very high risk of fire, along with Antequera and Ronda.