A Local Police officer in the south of Tenerife has been arrested after an internal investigation uncovered continuing crimes of bribery, fraud, abuse of his position, and falsification of public documents. The officer has allegedly taken advantage of his work in the tourist areas of Arona, namely Los Cristianos and Playa Las Americas, by issuing fake fines to tourists and keeping the money.
According to the official police press release, the agent has been approaching young foreign tourists, normally aged between 19-25 years old, who were smoking joints and drinking in the street, spoke to them, told them they were breaking the law, and issued them a ‘fake’ fine for their actions for 600 euros.
He told them that this would be processed when they returned home after their holiday, unless they paid 100 euros, or in some cases 200 euros, in cash now to cancel it. Very often he would accompany them to a cash machine to assist them whilst they withdrew it, and then he kept it.
The investigation started after a local resident, who has remained anonymous, reported his actions to the Arona City Council saying that he had been acting strangely and aggressively toward tourists on the seafront, during the daytime.
According to investigators, he targeted tourists to ensure that no one would report him, or reveal his allegedly irregular conduct, but he didn’t account for a law-abiding citizen not happy with his behaviour.
Since he was reported, a series of procedures have been carried out to clarify the facts, and to determine if they were true or false. Based on the results, the police officer was arrested in the afternoon of last Monday, June 27th.
After appearing at Court in Arona, he was charged on bail, which he paid, and was provisionally released pending trial. He has been suspended from work until the trial is over.
The police would like to inform people that sanctions or fines are not issued on pieces of paper to be paid ‘on the spot’, they are processed through the Government Delegation or, in some cases, the Canarian Government itself.
