The residents of Molvízar (just north of Salobreña) are more than a little concerned over four break-ins during just one night: A pharmacy, the health centre, the sub-post office and a bakery.

Anybody who knows Molvízar knows that it isn’t exactly Hong Kong on a Monday morning as far as population goes; in fact, it only has 3,200 inhabitants, so when the village finds itself the target for multiple burglaries on just one night they begin asking themselves, “is this just the beginning?”

Neither is it a case of the victims losing vast amounts of wealth, because hardly any money was taken during this spate of burglaries in the early hours of one Friday. The sub-post office yielded just 18 euros, which probably didn’t even cover the gasoline cost of ‘visiting’ the village.

Next, the health centre, being very close to hand (next door) was paid a visit. The ‘swag’ was a prescriptions booklet. Funnily enough, none of the drugs was taken, including the morphine! The burglars cannot be accused of being methodical or organized because the prescriptions booklet is useless both because it is easy to trace and also because they omitted to take any of the rubber stamps needed to complete them.

Overwhelmed by their success, they then visited the pharmacy; here the ‘takings’ were better because there was almost 100 euros in cash and a couple of boxes of tranquilizers. No doubt dazzled by the haul of cash, they forgot the more valuable medicines and drugs on the premises, including the morphine again, bless their cotton socks.

So, having visited the post office, health centre and pharmacy, where else would you be guaranteed a sizable booty? A bakery probably wouldn’t spring to mind, but they were on a roll so that’s where they headed next. Maybe they thought that a bakery would have a lot of ‘dough?’ They were to be disappointed because the till only contained change for the next day’s float.

Facts seem to indicate very few police resources: two local policemen, with the nearest Guardia Civil post in Salobreña around ten kilometres away along a meandering back road.

Importantly, this wasn’t the first time that this village had been visited by people with problems interpreting rightful ownership, because only a week previously there were three other break-ins: the Town Hall where a handful of euros were taken, but the computers passed over. More ambitiously the local corner shop was deprived of half a cheese, a few cans of soft drinks and a box of mantecadas. The thief (it looks to be a single-man operation) also burgled a house, taking several arrobas (16 litres each) of local wine.

Lastly, Molvízar is the village that has produced more Guardia Civil policemen per square metre than anywhere else in Spain and… the Mayor has a private investigator’s licence!

(News: Molvizar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)