Benalua Courthouse security equipment broken

SECURITY measures at the Palacio de Justicia courthouse in the Benalua area of Alicante are reportedly not up to scratch.

CCTV and other security equipment have been damaged and have not been working for around eight months, Spanish newspaper Diario Informacion reported.

This includes the x-ray machine at the entrance to the court used to ensure that weapons, as well as illegal substances, do not get into the building.

During this time the Justice Department has allegedly failed to take action on these complaints about the ‘faulty equipment’ lodged by security guards who requested it be fixed.

It would cost around €600 to fix the broken piece of the x-ray machine, the guards estimate. However, it has not been possible to do so due to lack of money.

This situation has meant that Guardia Civil officers must be present with the security officers to help them carry out physical bag checks of people entering the building causing delays.

The walk-through metal detector does not work correctly either. Security guards say it does not always make a ‘beeping’ sound when people carrying metal objects pass through it.

Additionally the CCTV cameras in the Minor’s Prosecution Office and the entrance to the building by Avenida de Aguilera, are not only out of order, but according to Informacion have never worked.

The broken cameras made life more difficult for officers investigating a robbery case in which valuable jewellery was stolen from a safe kept in the court.

Investigators were forced to install hidden cameras to identify the robbers, leading to the arrest of three security guards in January.

The three guards are currently suspended from their duties pending the ourcome of the investigation.