The Government Delegate in the Canary Islands, Carolina Darias San Sebastián, presented together with the lieutenant colonel of the 1602nd Command of the Civil Guard of Las Palmas, Miguel Estévez Lara, the set of actions carried out by the services of the Civil Guard during the month of September in Lanzarote, where the nine arrests of the alleged perpetrators of robberies in different private homes and urbanizations of the Island stood out.
"We can now be very calm in Lanzarote, since the arrest of these criminals, due to the seriousness of the events, was a priority", declared the lieutenant colonel of the Civil Guard of Las Palmas, Miguel Estévez, who detailed that in the nine arrests made, two pistols and numerous video, music and video game consoles that had been stolen from different homes had been seized.
"The detainees have already been placed in pre-trial detention and further related arrests are not ruled out. Of the nine detainees, eight were of Colombian origin and one Dominican", said Estévez, who assured that the alleged robbers planned to carry out more robberies in private homes.
The detainees carried out their alleged robberies hooded and using gloves, which made the investigation process difficult. "It was after the arrest of a citizen of Colombian origin carrying a pistol that gave one of the first clues. Subsequently, the other eight alleged members of the gang of robbers were arrested," explained Estévez, who pointed out that the investigations are continuing under summary secrecy.
"The case remains open and the detainees have been accused of participating in two of the robberies in registered homes, although it is not ruled out that they are related to the rest of similar events that occurred on the Island," said the lieutenant colonel of the Civil Guard of Las Palmas.
For the Delegate of the Government of Spain in the Canary Islands, Carolina Darias, "the actions of the Civil Guard and the coordination between the security forces have been fundamental to achieve the success of the arrests".
On the other hand, the Captain of the Civil Guard of Lanzarote, Juan Miguel Gutiérrez, also spoke at the press conference highlighting the latest actions of the Corps on the Island, where on September 10 a Spanish citizen and a British citizen were arrested for their relationship with several robberies of works of art (including a lithograph by Dalí).
Gutiérrez also recalled the meritorious action of three Civil Guard agents on September 11, when they managed to rescue a resident of Puerto del Carmen when he was trapped in a fire in his home. "It is necessary to highlight the work of these agents who managed to rescue a citizen, having to be treated later for mild smoke poisoning," commented Gutiérrez, who also emphasized the arrest of a citizen of Moroccan origin who committed thirty robberies in cars in the town of Playa Honda.
Fewer boats than in 2007
Despite the arrival of the last boats, the last of them in the early hours of Monday, Carolina Darias highlighted the decrease in this phenomenon during the summer in the archipelago as a whole. "1,233 fewer people have arrived compared to the figures obtained on the same dates last year", declared the Government Delegate in the Canary Islands, who also congratulated the security forces for their "excellent coordination in the matter" and pointed out that the Government of Spain has contributed four million euros more to the budget to deal with the arrival of more illegal boats.
Despite the fact that the special SIVE radar of the Civil Guard did not detect five of the six boats that arrived on the Island during the past week, the delegate assured that the work of the body "is being exemplary" and that "there is still good cooperation from the Moroccan authorities".
Decrease in traffic accidents
Darias also pointed out the progressive decrease in deaths from traffic accidents, which have decreased by 62.5 percent in Lanzarote compared to the same dates in 2007. On the Island, the number of deaths has gone from eight to only three, and there has also been a decrease of 53 percent at the Canary Islands level.
"It has been a spectacular decrease, so we can verify that road safety campaigns have been a success and that there is more awareness about accidents on the roads", said the Government Delegate, who pointed to the increase in traffic controls and the introduction of the driving license by points as effective measures.
