The fight against thefts in the countryside: 1,500 kilos of stolen mangoes seized and four people arrested in Malaga province

The mango harvest in the Axarquía area to the east of Malaga province is in full swing. Although it doesn't have the same economic value as the avocado, it is still worth around two euros per kilo as the number of fruit grown has gone down enormously as result of the extreme drought which has plagued the area for the last five years.

As part of a coordinated initiative between the Vélez-Málaga Local Police, National Police and the Guardia Civil, 42 controls have been carried out in the last month in and around the town, in which around 200 vehicles have been inspected.

Officers have managed to intercept 1,500 kilos of mangoes that had been stolen from several farms and four people have been arrested, according to a statement Vélez-Málaga town hall released on Monday 16 September. In one of the operations 500 kilos of mangoes stolen from a farm in Cajiz were seized, while in another one tonne of the fruit was found in a house in the town's La Gloria neighbourhood. In this case the inhabitants of the house were unable to prove the legal origin of the fruit.

Police officers have also carried out inspections at street markets in the Vélez-Málaga area, during which they have seized 90 kilos of stolen tomatoes in addition to the mangoes.

Mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesus Lupiáñez, and the councillor for agriculture, Jesus Maria Claros, held a meeting on Monday with representatives of the main farmers' associations in the Axarquía, as well as members the National Police and Local Police.

The purpose of the meeting was to coordinate actions to combat theft in rural areas, with special attention to the theft of subtropical products. The routine controls, which began in mid-August to combat these thefts and reinforcie vigilance on the roads that connect the fields with the main roads in and out of Vélez-Málaga was discussed. These controls have focused on identifying and preventing the theft of agricultural products and in particular subtropical fruits, which have a high market value and are frequently stolen.

Lupiáñez stressed "the importance of maintaining this close collaboration between the farmers and the security forces," and emphasised that "the joint work is bearing fruit and thanks to the controls and the active cooperation of the farmers, the number of thefts has been significantly reduced this year.

Representatives of the agricultural associations present at the meeting, including Asaja, UPA, COAG and the Spanish tropical fruit association, expressed their "gratitude" to the authorities and the security forces for having started the controls earlier this year. They said, "Thefts have decreased considerably, which generates greater peace of mind among growers and allows them to focus on their work with the certainty that their crops are better protected."

It was agreed that regular meetings should take place between the various bodies involved to continue evaluating the effectiveness of the measures and to adopt new actions if necessary. Vélez-Málaga town hall reiterated its "commitment" to the agricultural sector, which it said was "one of the fundamental pillars of the local economy", and will continue to implement the necessary measures to ensure the protection and welfare of farmers.