As they have denounced on their social media, the Local Police office in the town of Costa Teguise **has been closed since last August following the retirement of an officer**. "Nothing happens, an officer retires and an office closes," explains the councilor for Primero Teguise, Jonás Álvarez. "And meanwhile, the months go by without the town hall being able to fill that position or reorganize the service to maintain in-person attention.""This lack of planning can have direct consequences," they state. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, in its latest report, **crime has increased by around 10% compared to last year** in the municipality. "An increase that is not an abstract figure, but a reality that is particularly felt in the small businesses of Costa Teguise, where thefts are increasingly frequent and where owners report the almost total absence of police patrols," it continues."It is in commercial areas such as those near Avenida del Mar or Avenida Islas Canarias where this increase has been most noticeable. We have visited small businesses, and they all agree that these are **petty thefts** perpetrated by individuals who know the law and act with complete impunity. The shopkeepers have even told us that, on occasion, the Local Police ask them to call the Civil Guard because they won't arrive in time, or that the Civil Guard acts more quickly for this type of crime," explains the president of Primero Teguise."We have a safe municipality, they repeat from the governing party," explains Jonás Álvarez, "however, the reality is that it is increasingly common to hear residents and shopkeepers wondering where the local police are, why there isn't more patrolling, and why, when problems arise, the response is late or doesn't come at all. When there have even been assaults on residents and workers for trying to prevent these robberies, we must recognize that more street presence and more human resources are needed."
From Primero Teguise they recall that the municipality hosted 590,000 tourists in 2024, the vast majority of whom ended up staying in Costa Teguise. More than four million overnight stays in our municipality, which, according to Primero Teguise, “making a monthly average and being cautious, more than 11,000 tourists are supported weekly. That means doubling the population of Costa Teguise,” explain the islandist party.
They point out that the problem "is not just the lack of personnel, but the total absence of foresight. Knowing these figures and how tourism affects the municipality, one must consciously work with that and with the rest of the constraints. Retirements are known in advance, crime peaks can be analyzed, and the need for patrols in commercial and residential areas is more than evident."
Jonás Álvarez expresses his "concern over the lack of planning and response from the Local Police councilor and the governing party": "even so, the city council has opted to do nothing, allowing the closure of a police station to drag on for months and for the workload to fall on an already stretched staff. They should explain to us how, with an approximate staff of 37 police officers, only two or three pairs of police officers are patrolling per day, for the entire municipality, which is the largest on the island and also has one of the most important tourist centers in the Canary Islands."
Faced with this scenario, the islandist party proposes "to act immediately and responsibly. It is essential to expand the staff and fill any existing vacancies, reopen the closed office, and ensure it is efficient and not merely an information point.""We recall that the Local Police office was already closed once, and when we reported the situation, an office change was made and it was moved to a smaller building that is also shared with the Tourism office, leaving the Local Police with a simple room, without a garage or a reserved space for them to carry out patrols," recalls Álvarez, who concludes by saying, "if what they are waiting for is to make another office change, it can't get any smaller."
First Teguise ends by asking to "reinforce police presence in Costa Teguise, especially in commercial areas and in those centers where an increase in petty theft and minor offenses has been detected, as prevention is the most effective and also the most economical tool". PTG defends the need for "a municipal security plan based on real data, which allows shifts, patrols, and resources to be adapted to the reality of the municipality and not to a fictitious image of normality. A plan that includes the agents themselves, merchants, and residents, and that leaves behind constant improvisation".
