Car park hustlers, graffiti and street sex acts: Alicante's anti-social behaviour crackdown by numbers

The city's councillor for security, Julio Calero, provided a breakdown of the complaints by category during Thursday's municipal plenary session. The figures cover the period from 2024 to 2026.

The figures were provided in response to a question from Mario Ortolá about sanctions imposed since the ordinance was approved in 2022. Calero was quick to point out that police interventions went beyond the figures recorded through these administrative proceedings.

Under the ordinance, "gorrillas" accounted for 18 complaints, the largest number recorded. Nine of these were filed this summer in different parts of Alicante.

Calero said the car park attendants leave when they spot police officers and that the council intends to step up enforcement to ensure "such behaviour isn't repeated".

They were followed by vehicle noise, with 13 complaints; graffiti, with 11; sexual acts in public, with ten; and unauthorised camping in public spaces, with seven.

The figures refer to complaints or proposed sanctions and do not show how many ultimately resulted in final sanctions.

Calero said some police interventions do not follow the council's administrative procedure. In some cases, incidents are reported as "disobedience towards judicial authorities".

The difference between police interventions and formal complaints is also apparent in cases of unauthorised camping. Although the figures show only seven complaints, Calero said interventions were taking place "every day" and that officers had been instructed to file the corresponding complaints.

Where public spaces are being occupied, officers prioritise ending the occupation and ensuring the person receives support from social services, in coordination with those services.

Complaints over drinking alcohol in public are handled separately from the five categories included in the 59-complaint total.

Calero said around 50 complaints relating to alcohol consumption are processed every week and passed to the security department for processing. This figure is separate from the 59 complaints recorded for the other five types of behaviour.

The council also said it deals with some behaviour linked to public coexistence under other municipal regulations. These include urinating or defecating in public, neighbourhood noise and the misuse of children's playgrounds.

Of the ten complaints concerning sexual acts in public, Calero said that "specific campaigns against prostitution in public places" had been carried out after the ordinance was approved. He said sustained police surveillance had reduced the activity in the "hotspots" where it had previously been concentrated.

The figures presented do not show the total number of complaints since 2022. Calero attributed the absence of records for the first two years to the police computer system not being equipped to record them, although he said complaints were nevertheless being filed.

The council said it would continue to enforce the ordinance "firmly where a sanction is the appropriate response", while using prevention and social support where these measures are more effective at preventing the behaviour from recurring.