The Partido Popular has called for an urgent increase in police resources on the Costa del Sol following a 22% increase in crimes.

The conservative party said this week that crime has risen by 22% along the coast ‘since Pedro Sanchez came to power’.

It should be noted that the PP has been in power in Andalucia over the same period.

The party said the growing influence of organised drug gangs is placing increasing pressure on security forces across Malaga province.

The warning came during a meeting in Mijas attended by the PP’s national Interior spokesperson Ana Vazquez, Malaga PP secretary general Jose Ramon Carmona and Mijas mayor Ana Mata.

Vazquez said the government’s security strategy for the province needs urgent review.

Calls for special status

The PP is demanding that Malaga province be included in a proposed Special Singularity Zone designation, a measure the party says would provide additional resources and support for police officers tackling organised crime and drug trafficking.

The designation has long been sought for areas most heavily affected by narcotics trafficking, particularly in southern Spain.

According to Vazquez, Malaga has now become the second province in Andalucia, behind only Cadiz, for seizures of military-grade weapons carried out by the Guardia Civil.

She also claimed the province ranks first in Andalucia for weapons seizures conducted by the National Police.

‘Worrying’ rise in knife crime

Among the statistics highlighted by the PP was an 84% increase in offences involving bladed weapons on the Costa del Sol.

Vazquez described the figure as deeply concerning and linked it to the growing violence associated with organised criminal groups operating in the region.

She also said attacks against police officers have increased by 35% in Malaga province and renewed calls for police officers and Guardia Civil personnel to be formally recognised as working in a high-risk profession.

Demand to restore elite anti-drug unit

The PP is also seeking the return of OCON-Sur, the elite anti-drug trafficking unit that was disbanded in 2022.

The specialist unit played a key role in tackling major drug trafficking networks operating in southern Spain and was particularly active in Andalucia.

According to party officials, Malaga is now among the provinces recording the highest number of drug trafficking investigations in the country.

New police stations

Jose Ramon Carmona said security had become one of the biggest concerns among municipalities on the Costa del Sol.

He criticised what he described as a lack of new security infrastructure in recent years and said the party would take its proposals to both Congress and the Senate.

Among the measures being requested are a new Policia Nacional station in Ronda, a new Guardia Civil barracks in Mijas and additional officers and resources to help combat organised crime across the province.

The calls come amid growing concern over the Costa del Sol’s reputation as a hub for international criminal networks, with police carrying out a series of major operations against drug trafficking groups and organised crime gangs in recent months.