Police break up illegal camp in Torrox dry riverbed for second time this summer

The town hall cited the risk of fire and flooding as among the main reasons for these interventions, particularly in settlements built alongside riverbeds or in places where mattresses, household goods, rubbish and other materials had accumulated. The town hall argued that some of these locations also failed to meet minimum standards of safety, habitability and hygiene and therefore considers it necessary to prevent these situations from becoming entrenched.

Among the measures taken was the second clearance of an illegal camp located beneath the bridge over the River Güi, at the western end of El Morche and very close to the municipal boundary with Vélez-Málaga, following the first clearance carried out in mid-July. The town hall justifies this latest intervention both on the grounds of the conditions at the site and its location within the riverbed, and the consequent danger that a potential rise in the river’s water level would pose.

The mayor of Torrox, Óscar Medina said that the measures aim to combine security with support for people who may find themselves in a vulnerable situation. “We are continuing to take action to protect both people in vulnerable situations and private property, ensuring safety and harmonious coexistence in our public spaces,” he said in a statement.

Medina believes that “we cannot accept as normal the situation where someone sleeps in a riverbed or stays illegally in a building, whether public or private, surrounded by materials that could cause a fire”. The mayor has also highlighted the need for a joint response from the authorities and pointed out that the town hall had already called on the central government to provide solutions to tackle this sort of situation.

The camp on the River Güi had already been cleared in mid-July, as reported by SUR. The Guardia Civil, Local Police, Civil Protection and the municipal cleaning services all took part in that initial operation. At the time, around ten people were sleeping there. The campers left the site without any incidents or arrests taking place. Following the clearance, mattresses, blankets, rubbish and various makeshift structures that had accumulated under the bridge were removed.

The latest operation shows that the camp was reoccupied following that initial operation. The town hall has once again called upon the contractor FCC Caviclum to carry out the subsequent clean-up and removal of belongings and rubbish. Back in July, municipal sources told SUR that they had identified other smaller camps in various parts of Torrox, as well as some attempts to gain access to unoccupied properties – circumstances which were being monitored by the security forces.

This summer’s operations have not been limited to the River Güi. According to the council, the Local Police have carried out evictions in Punta del Faro, Calle Carlos Cano, Calle Baja, the area around the Ferrara sports facilities and the Almería road, near the Urban Beach hotel, among other locations. The town hall has not specified how many of the nearly twenty operations involved residential properties and how many involved camps in open spaces, nor has it disclosed the total number of people affected.

Medina expressly thanked the Guardia Civil officers for their coordination and also acknowledged the work of the Chief Deputy Inspector of the Local Police, José Manuel Ruiz; the Chief Officer of the service, Diego Blancat; and the Deputy Officer, Pablo Escobar. The town hall also acknowledged the involvement of the municipal social services and civil protection volunteers in this type of operation.

The mayor finally argued that these measures must be accompanied by alternatives for those in particularly vulnerable situations. “The solution to these situations cannot lie in turning a blind eye or allowing settlements to become established in dangerous locations, but rather in offering dignified, safe and coordinated responses,” said Medina. T