Law and disorder

ONE weekend and 165 criminal complaints. A typically tough outing for Gandia police who decided to launch a stand against anti-social behaviour at the end of August and reveal just what kind of behaviour they routinely have to put up with. 

A substantial portion of the complaints were noise related, with 70 incidents involving screaming outside clubs, inside homes and on the street, while dozens more were stopped for drinking in public, taking drugs, urinating, possessing weapons and selling their wares without a permit. 

Gandia police, fed-up with constant complaints, decided earlier this summer to initiate a New York City style zero tolerance approach to public disorder but their tougher stance has had little deterrent effect on the local lowlife who have substantially raised the chaos stakes this year.

From July 1 to August 20 alone there were almost 5,000 reported incidents involving drinking, violence, drug abuse or other nefarious activity and police have blamed tourists for a large chunk of the trouble. 

Announcing the zero tolerance policy and a more robust police presence, Mayor Diana Morant claimed that Gandia was no longer a ‘lawless city,’ but it may well take some cooler weather for the chaos to calm down.