Urgent - Need To Know Which Police Station In Calpe To Report Violent Incident - Page 2

My brother has now made a statement to the Police and is being examined at a nearby hospital. I am hoping that the ex-tenant and his father will be charged with assault and the man who came rushing to hit my brother with a metal rod also charged with intent to harm.

After speaking to my brother today , I was shocked to learn:

1. The Police would not allow him to enter the station for 2  hours (kept waiting outside in the sun)

2. When they allowed him in they then said you need a translator sitting right next to you (they wouldn't accept anyone helping on the phone because they needed the translator to sign the police statement).

3. Once my brother found a translator (they were quite surprised he found one) they said he must produce a medical examiners report from a local hospital.

4. My brother and translator went to the local hospital , but first they said that they cannot provide a medical report because my brother should have attended on the day of the attack (which was the previous day). But thankfully , the translator persuaded them to conduct one  (our translator was heaven sent because I don't think anyone else could have helped my brother the way he did).

5. Once my brother and translator returned back to the Police station with the medical examiners report , the Police were quite shocked because they expected my brother to have given up (and saved them doing all the paperwork).

It seems that the Police procedures make it as difficult as possible to report a crime in Spain.

I’m not surprised at the lack of action from the police, they are probably like that all over the world. Unless you have someone you know involved with the police it’s difficult. They hate doing the paperwork and if it’s anywhere near the end of their shift then forget it 🤷‍♂️

After my brothers terrible experience in Spain , I wrote to the British Consulate Of Alicante . This is their response and it might be useful for anyone who may have a similar experience.

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Thank you for contacting the British Consulate, your message has been forwarded to me to reply to here at the British Consulate in Alicante.

I am very sorry to hear about what has happened to your brother in Calpe at the hands of his ex-tenants, I sincerely hope he is recovering from his injuries. Security and safety in Spain is a matter for the local authorities here, it is not something the Consulate can intervene in, in the same way in the UK it is the responsibility of the UK authorities, regardless of the nationality of the person at risk. We therefore advise you to follow the local complaint procedure in Spain as we are not normally able to take up complaints with the local authorities on behalf of British nationals.

My understanding in Spain is that the police are not normally able to take action unless a formal police report has been made. This has to be done in person, not by email. If someone is not in Spain but needs to report a matter to the police in Spain, they may be able to do so through the local police in the UK.

You may also be aware that there are three police forces in Spain, the local police, the Guardia Civil and the National Police.

The local police (managed by the town hall councillor you refer to) has very limited responsibility and most serious matters are handled by the Guardia Civil (in the case of Calpe) or the National Police in larger cities.

For further information about the local police in Calpe and also advice on how to make a complaint, you can contact the “Oficina de Atención al Ciudadano” (citizen information office) at [email protected] 

If you would like to make a complaint regarding the handling of the situation by the Guardia Civil (you specifically mention that they did not have an interpreter available), you can submit your complaint in writing to the Oficina de Atención al Ciudadano de la Guardia Civil. You must include your full name, NIE or passport number, home address, and telephone number. Please see address below:

Oficina de Atención al Ciudadano de la Guardia Civil

C/Guzmán el Bueno, 110

28003 Madrid

Our advice is that wherever possible, you translate your complaint into Spanish and include as much information as possible regarding what happened.

Once you have submitted your complaint, if you do not receive a reply within 20 days, you can then escalate it further by contacting the following organisation:

Inspección de Personal y Servicios de Seguridad 

C/ Cea Bermúdez, 35-37

Madrid

28003

Tel: (0034) 915372647-2568

If you contact the Inspección de Personal y Servicios de Seguridad, please make sure you make reference to your initial complaint and when it was sent.  

If you are then not satisfied with the response from the Inspección de Personal y Servicios de Seguridad, you can escalate your complaint to the Spanish national Ombudsman (El Defensor del Pueblo) by filling in the online form below: 

https://www.defensordelpueblo.es/tu-queja/02-data

After you have completed this, you will receive an email with a reference number so that you can track your complaint.

More information on the role of the Spanish national Ombudsman (El Defensor del Pueblo) can be found on their website here: www.defensordelpueblo.es/en/ 

For additional support as a victim of crime, your brother may also wish to speak to the Victims Support office in the court in Denia as they may also be able to offer your brother some additional advice:

https://oficinavictimas.gva.es/es/oficina-oavd/-/asset_publisher/TSR215AnQOiJ/content/oavd-denia

I hope this information is of help and I hope that you and your brother are able to resolve this situation with the support of the local authorities here in Spain.