Illegal migrants caught out

Neighbourhood Watch protocol success

Thanks to expats' Neighbourhood Watch protocol success

ILLEGAL immigrants who landed a frail boat at a Costa Blanca cove were quickly detained by the authorities thanks to a sharp- eyed dog walker.

The ‘ slightly dishevelled’ arrivals approached the British woman on Benitachell’s Cumbre del Sol urbanisation early on Sunday morning and asked – in French – directions to Benidorm.

Unable to speak the language and suspicious of a group of young men, she pointed down the coast in the general direction of the resort and immediately called Cumbre’s Neighbourhood Watch on her return home. The police were called, triggering a local protocol.

The men’s boat, surrounded by abandoned lifejackets, was later found on the beach at nearby Cala del Moraig, the popular Benitachell beach currently closed for repairs following the high season after January’s Storm Gloria wreaked substantial damage.

A group of eight men were caught by local police and

Guardia Civil officers on the urbanisation’s south exit; two are believed to have escaped the net despite an extended search of the area’s ‘ labyrinth’ of streets.

Nurses in full hazard gear arrived in transport to take the group to Alicante where they will be tested for Covid- 19 and given a full health check before their status in Spain is processed.

Muriel Sadler, lead coordinator for Neighbourhood Watch, said her friend, a member of the organisation, came across the group near the former Lirios shopping parade when she was walking her dog at around 08.00.

Scruffy

The friend described them as ‘ slightly scruffy’ and ‘ another giveaway’ was they had no masks – wearing a face covering is mandatory in Spain.

Muriel said the sea had been an ‘ absolute flat calm’ on Sunday morning; the immigrants had climbed over fences to prevent access to the cove while work is carried out and made their way inland.

“Our friend rang me just before 09.00 and said she was out walking the dog at 08.15 and was walking past the Lirios centre with her dog and spotted about 12 young fellows who were not wearing masks and heard them speaking in French,” she said.

“They asked her which way was it to Benidorm and she pointed south – she noticed a couple of them had missing teeth and the whole group was slightly dishevelled. Back at home her husband suggested ringing me and I called the police. I think it was fairly obvious they were illegal.

“The police rang back to double check timings – I think so they could estimate how far they could have walked. They came across eight of them sat on a crash barrier on the south side of the urbanisation.”

And Muriel said the police later rang to thank her and Neighbourhood Watch for playing a key role in helping catch the immigrants.

“I think we played a critical part in this and we were thanked by the police for our swift action; they said they were caught a lot quicker thanks to the tip- off.”