According to the Spanish Secretary of State for Security, less than one out of every thousand tourists who visit Spain are victims of crime; a low figure which contributes to Spain’s popularity as a safe and popular holiday destination.
That being said, this low crime doesn’t console the unlucky few who do fall victim to petty thieves who take advantage of occasional lapses.
These unfortunate incidences usually mean having to go to the police and file a report, phone banks to cancel credit cards and contact local consulates or embassies to report stolen passports. This could mean hours spent at the local police station without a qualified translator and valuable holiday time wasted.
Well, the good news is that the Mayor of Benalmadena recently (in January) signed an agreement to launch a new Foreign Tourist Attention Centre here in Benalmadena. Located in the same building as the Tourist Office, this new service will provide police assistance in English to all tourist requiring help to solve any incident experienced during their stay.
Manned by four Police Officer (Two National and two local), this new centre will allow foreign tourists to file police reports, cancel credit cards, ask questions about replacing stolen paperwork, put tourists in contact with their embassy and receive information related to security.
This is an initiative which is slowly being rolled out to major tourist destinations throughout Spain with the following towns and cities already enjoying the service: Málaga, Marbella, Benidorm, Gandía, Almuñecar, Manacor, Muro and Santa Margalida.
Benalmadena is next on the list with the new Foreign Tourist Attention Centre due to open in the next month – We will be sure to let you know the minute we receive confirmation that it is fully operational.
Hopefully, you’ll never have to make use of this new service; however, knowing it’s there should provide a little peace of mind and reassurance that you will be well looked after if required.
What do you think of the new Foreign Tourist Attention Centre in Benalmádena? Is it comforting to know that this service is available? Let us know in the comments below.
