Spain increasing police presence in large tourist areas this summer

The Spanish government has activated Operation Summer 2022, an initiative that strengthens the National Police and the Guardia Civil with an extra 3,629 agents to the 21,980 that already patrol the main tourist areas of seven regions of Spain, including the Costa del Sol, the Costa Blanca, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands.

According to an official statement from the Ministry del Interior, the operation will begin on July 1st and end on August 31^st in all areas, except for the Balearics which will continue until September 30^th.

The Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez, said that the reduction in the incidence of Covid, thanks to high vaccination levels in Spain and surrounding countries, has facilitated the progressive withdrawal of restrictions and controls that affected tourism, which nevertheless enables a sustainable recovery of the sector at levels similar or higher than in 2019.

“The objective is to increase citizen security in these areas to favour the high influx of tourists through an initiative that allows increased surveillance and preventive control in urban and interurban communication routes, ports, airports, hotels, beaches, nightlife areas, as well as at large events,” the statement reads.

“As a whole, Operation Summer 2021 is supported by the deployment of 45,028 troops in its territorial scope of application, 24,442 National Police, and 20,586 Guardia Civil,” the statement also noted.

The operation is complementary to the Safe Tourism Plan that the Secretary of State for Security will launch soon throughout Spain, to prevent domestic and foreign tourists from suffering from criminal acts during their travels and stays in the country.