Call for crackdown on pea men
Town hall demands national legislation to classify the con as a 'criminal activity' and give police authority to eradicate them from the resort
A FULL council meeting in Benidorm on Monday morning saw a unanimous approval by all parties of a demand for immediate action by the general courts to reform the law on illegal activities such as that carried out by the infamous pea men to classify it as a criminal activity thereby giving police the authority to eradicate this practice.
Although it has been around for many decades, things came to a head last week when a video recording went viral of a British man that was viciously beaten up by a ‘pea gang’ who was trying to warn holidaymakers that it was a scam, thereby damaging the image of what is being promoted as a ‘family resort’.
Although many campaigns have been launched to warn holidaymakers not to engage with them, the practice has continued, with the police unable to technically do anything as it was only classified as a misdemeanour.
Once reclassified as a crime, it will enable the police to eradicate this fraudulent activity, which leaves thousands out of pocket every year.
No to tourist tax
Benidorm has voted against the implementation of a nightly tourist tax, claiming it will damage tourism in an industry already affected by the consequences of Brexit.
European tour operators also warned of the detrimental affect such a tax would have on bookings in a market already up against stiff competition from destinations such as Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia, who are subsidising rates in order to attract more tourists there.