The scattered rural areas in western Vélez-Málaga (Almayate Alto and Valle-Niza) are facing a very worrying spike in break-ins.

Worse still, thieves deliberately started container and brush fires to distract residents, police, and emergency services, so that they could hit cortijos without worrying about the police.

The number of break-ins is growing in this crime wave that began on the Thursday the 16th of this month, then escalating to three homes the next day, and nine dwelling by Saturday.

Burglars entered properties whilst residents with their children were inside sleeping, which has caused consternation in the area but the police have not been idle, as they arrested a man on Sunday for his suspected connection to the string of fires. The investigations remain open.

Neither are residents sitting around waiting to be burgled, as they are using WhatsApp groups to stay alert, coordinate info, and act as neighbourhood-watch patrols.

The frustration is growing, however, as many consider that these thieves are acting with apparent impunity, so they are demanding legal reforms to end offender impunity, as well as requesting specialised, rural, police patrols.

(News, Almayate Alto/Valle Niza, Velez-Malaga, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia – Source/Photo: E. Cabezas/Sur)

Keywords: Cortijo Break-in & Fire Decoys, Cortijos, Deliberate Fire, Rubbish Hoppers, Wasteland, Police, Burglars

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