The Local Police of Arrecife arrested two individuals this Tuesday afternoon accused of illegally trying to squat a house located on Cienfuegos Street, in the heart of the capital of Lanzarote.
The agents were alerted by neighbors and, upon arriving at the scene, surprised the suspects in full action: one was carrying a piece of wood torn from the door, while the other was manipulating a metal crowbar to force access to the interior of the property.
The police proceedings indicate that both individuals intended to squat the house, an extreme that was confirmed after various investigations. One of the detainees has no known address and is of Bulgarian nationality, while the other, of Moroccan origin, is registered in Arrecife.
The operation took place on a day marked by the reinforcement of police surveillance, following the activation of the Territorial Emergency Plan of the Canary Islands (PLATECA) due to the major blackout that affected the Iberian Peninsula since Monday.
The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, who also holds direct responsibility for the Local Police, confirmed this Wednesday that the surveillance device was intensified in different parts of the municipality as a preventive measure. He also assured that the City Council will maintain a "forceful action" against any attempt of violent squatting.
The two detainees were placed at the disposal of the National Police at 4:46 p.m. on Tuesday, to continue with the judicial proceedings. After the operation, workers from the Department of Roads and Works proceeded to brick up the forced entrance, an action that was recorded in the police report.
