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Luxury car theft gang clamped

Several arrests made on Costa Blanca

By Tom Cain
GUARDIA CIVIL have arrested 22 people in connection with the theft of luxury cars on the Costa Blanca and all over Spain.

Operation ‘Lujo’ was set up at the end of 2007 after police identified a pattern in the number of luxury cars being stolen.

They centred their investigations on Alicante, Madrid and Málaga and this led to the identification of a number of individuals.

A police spokesman said that the gang was divided into three groups, each with its own responsibilities. The first group would identify the cars to be stolen, they were followed by specialist car thieves who used electronic devices to record central locking codes on the target vehicles and neutralise their alarm systems.

Once the vehicles had been stolen the third group produced false documentation for the cars, which included changing the number plates and altering chassis number details.

Of the 22 people detained, 16 are Bulgarian, five are Spanish and one is a Peruvian.

Two of the arrests were made in Alicante and Polop de la Marina and police recovered 83 stolen vehicles in searches of properties in Alicante, Madrid and Málaga.

All 22 detainees have been remanded in custody while the police investigation continues.

tcain@cbnews.es

Photo EFE

New ID office opens in Benidorm

Improved service for expat residents promised

By Tom Cain
A NEW office dealing with Spanish identity cards (DNI) and passports has been opened on Benidorm’s Avenida Callosa d’En Sarrià in order to address the growing queues that are forming outside the National Police station.

Government delegate in Alicante, Encarna Llinares, inaugurated the new offices on Monday saying that by transferring the DNI and passport section it will allow staff at the National Police station to concentrate solely on foreigners’ residence certificate applications and other paperwork.

She added that with summer fast approaching she expected the new offices to be overflowing with people making passport applications but plans had already been made to increase the number of personnel as and when required.

With the new offices up and running the old facility at the National Police station will be given a makeover and its service to foreign residents will continue.

Sra Llinares said that with fewer people attending the offices foreign residents will receive a speedier service with shorter queues.

tcain@cbnews.es

Hunt for British suspects

Police release photos of alleged sexual assailants

By Tom Cain
GUARDIA Civil in Calpe have released the photographs of two British men wanted in connection with an alleged serious sex crime committed against an underage boy in Calpe in March.

The two men, Andrew Paul Woodward and Warren Hewitt, were both resident in Calpe but disappeared shortly after the incident.

Police believe the two men may still be in the local area although they could have moved to another Costa location.

The family of the young boy are asking all residents to keep an eye out for the two men, his father said: “The psychological impact on the family has been enormous and I am determined to campaign as long as it takes to catch these men, and will never rest until they are arrested.”

If anyone sees these men or knows of their whereabouts, they can contact the Guardia Civil on 062 or the Equipo Policía Judicial of the Guardia Civil in Calpe on +34 96 583 00 80 or Calpe local police on +34 96 583 90 00.

tcain@cbnews.es

Photos supplied by Guardia Civil

EU turns blind eye to
La Nucía development

News Staff Reporter
THE EUROPEAN Union’s petition committee has turned a blind eye to La Nucía’s PAI Plan Parcial development scheme for La Serreta zone, although some MEPs warn it is breaking EU regulations.

MEP David Hammerstein said that the La Serreta PAI contradicts EU regulations in that the awarding of the contract was not put out to tender and that the 12-million-euro cost of the project would be met in part by around 300 property owners in La Serreta.

This would involve them having to pay a quota and in some cases giving up part of their properties without any form of compensation.

The old LRAU land law allows councils and developers to take property and make charges providing the project in question is for the public benefit.

In the case of La Serreta the project involves the building of a golf course and housing complex.

However, petitions’ committee chairman Eddie MacCreevy, stated this week that it will not ‘question the authority of councils to declare a project to be in the public interest incurring the expropriation of private land.”

SEWAGE SYSTEM UPGRADE

La Nucía council’s ongoing plan to upgrade the sewage system on all its urbanisations is nearing completion.

A council spokesman said that over the last two years 30 small water treatment stations had been eliminated and 4,500 septic tanks decommissioned. He added that 7,500 homes on 24 separate urbanisations were now connected to the sewage system.

The final phase of the 18-million-euro project is due to be finished by September.

TV shutdown mystery

News Staff Reporter
CUSTOMERS of companies supplying Sky television via a rebroadcast system were left literally in the dark this week when programmes were cut without warning on Tuesday evening.

A major supplier of satellite TV equipment told Costa Blanca News that there was rumour BskyB, the suppliers of Sky television, was in negotiations with Spanish supplier Canal Plus to provide its service in English.

However, this was denied by a Sky spokesman in London who told CBNews that Sky was not negotiating with Canal Plus.

He said: “We authorise the reception of Sky TV in the UK and Ireland only. Our Terms and Conditions expressly prohibit reception elsewhere in Europe.

“While we’re not naive enough to think overseas viewing can be stopped in every case; if we have evidence that a viewing card is being used outside the UK or Ireland, we will switch it off.”

He added that the company has no way of tracking where an individual box is so it can only act when the name and address of a card holder is given to them.

At the time of going to press the reason for this week’s shut-off has still not been explained.

In some areas such as Jalón, signals were getting through while in the Vega Baja, especially the Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa, people were still experiencing problems.

Customers are advised to contact their suppliers if problems persist.

Costa celebrates Europe

News Staff Reporter
EXPATS throughout the Costas will today (Friday) be joining in the numerous Europe Day celebrations scheduled by local and provincial council.

In Finestrat, the residents of other nationalities council (RON) will be hosting a special meeting between local expats and Mayor Honorato Algado.

Altea will be celebrating Europe Day with a special ceremony at the town hall at10.30.

Other towns will be hosting similar events to celebrate May 9.

LOCAL TAX INFOMATION MEETINGS
(in English)

PROPOSED DATE	TOWN	TIME	ADDRESS
May 7	Murla	17:00	Plaza Mayor, 19
May 10	Tárbena	17:00	Casa de Cultura. Avda. Eusebio Signes 1
May 12	La Romana	17:00	Casa de la Juventud
May 14	Tormos	17:00	Casa de Cultura "Almazara"

Altea bypass meets opposition

The PP in Altea has called for a commission to be formed with urgency to look into the proposed bypass project that was put out to tender last week.

PP spokesman, Juan Domingo Berenguer, said that the bypass plan in its present form would seriously affect the lives of many residents and that the mayor should insist that alternative plans causing fewer problems be explored.

Alternative plans include making the AP-7 toll road as it passes by Altea free and the construction of new access roads.

New viewing point on Sierra Helada

Alfaz del Pi town hall in conjunction with the administration of the Sierra Helada natural park has opened a new viewing point from where visitors can see the Mediterranean, the diverse natural plant life and part of the marine reserve.

The new viewing pint is situated the extreme north east of the close to the path that leads to the Albir lighthouse.

Alfaz del Pi’s environment councillor Mayte García along with Sierra Helada natural park’s director Eduardo Mínguez inaugurated the viewing point at a special ceremony last week.

Dénia demands medical centre

Dénia council along with staff at its only medical centre are demanding regional health authorities provide another medical centre.

Mayoress Paqui Viciano said that council has offered four plots of land and a building to the health authority but it has failed to respond to the offers.

She added that with a population of 50,000 the town badly needs another facility, especially during the summer months when the current centre has to cope with hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The mayoress has asked for a meeting with the health authorities in order to pressure them into opening temporary clinics to cover the summer period.

Hells bells

The recently returned bell belonging to the Santa Bárbera chapel in Altea la Vella has been stolen again.

The bell, made in 1772, was first stolen in 1976. It was purchased shortly afterwards by a German couple who were visiting a local flea market.

The couple installed the bell in their house but in March of this year after finding out the history behind the bell they returned it to Altea council.

A police spokesman said the bell had been placed inside a glass case in the council offices in Altea la Vella and sometime on Sunday evening thieves broke in and stole it.

Guardia Civil are now investigating the case.

Films and food

Alfaz del Pi mayor Vicente Arques announced a culinary and movie world homage planned for May 23 to May 30 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the local film festival on July 4.

This new event will be inaugurated at La Taula de Bon Profit in La Nucía at 21.30 on Friday 23 with an extensive menu. Every dish will be linked to well known films. Restaurants participating in this new gastronomic festival include Venus Albir, Casa Enrique, El Viejo Almacen and Ta Casa.

All news on the popular Alfaz film festival will now be available on the new official web page www.festival
delalfas.es. The page will be updated continuously with all relevant information surrounding Alfaz’s most international event.

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