Gandia police clamp down on illegal street sellers and pickpockets

GANDIA Council is clamping down on illegal street vendors with a concentrated campaign designed to clean up the streets and the beach area before the start of the busy summer holiday season.
Local police chief, Marc Cuesta, said: “We will be establishing a greater police presence both in the city and the area close to the beach to tackle the worsening problem of illegal street trading.”
Coordinator for Citizen Security Javier Reig pointed out that main problems occurred over weekends as illegal vendors traded in counterfeit goods that included high-end fashion labels, DVDs, sunglasses and jewellery.
Police patrols recently changed their shift times unexpectedly, leading to the apprehension of a number of illegal traders. More than 20 vendors were questioned and eight charged.
Pickpockets have also become a major headache for police. After eight weeks of investigations two women offenders were finally arrested this week. Tracking them down was complicated by their ability to totally change their appearance through the use of wigs and other accessories.