Walter Finch
HOLIDAYMAKERS on the Costa del Sol are getting a pleasant – or perhaps not-so – surprise this summer as they spot police officers from their own countries patrolling alongside their Spanish counterparts.
Two officers from Berlin’s Polizei are currently stationed in Malaga city and Torre del Mar – a heavy favourite with German tourists – whilst a Dutch Politie officer has also joined them.
One of the German officers in Malaga patrols both on foot and by vehicle with the Policia Nacional.
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She also works at the Foreign Tourist Assistance Service office in Plaza de la Marina, taking reports and helping German-speaking visitors.
Meanwhile in Torre del Mar, the foreign officers are a regular presence at local festivals – including the recent Weekend Beach festival – concerts and leisure areas, as well as in neighbouring Velez-Malaga.
They regularly visit hotels, chiringuitos and commercial establishments to connect with tourism sector managers and German-speaking tourists.
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“Tourists are pleasantly surprised to see police from their respective countries who seem familiar to them,” explained Spanish police.
The foreign officers, wearing their distinctive national uniforms, are part of the ‘European Police Stations’ project that has been running for over a decade to boost security and assistance for international tourists during the peak summer months.
The project, which launched in 2008 with France before expanding to include Portugal in 2012, Italy in 2014 and Germany in 2020, aims to provide familiar faces for tourists who often express delight at seeing police from their home countries.
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The foreign officers act as advisors, helpers and translators, bridging any language gaps between Spanish police and international visitors.
The initiative has proved so popular that new deployments are added each year, with more officers from collaborating countries set to arrive in Malaga province in the coming weeks.
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The person who titled two of the pictures here needs a lesson in avoiding sexist characterizations. Example: The picture of the three male officers is titled “A Dutch, Spanish and German cop survey the scene”. But the picture of a male and female officer with the female officer speaking to the civilian is titled “A female German officer talks with a tourist”. Emphasizing the gender of the officer is no more acceptable than if the author had pointed out differing colors of skin of officers. There is no need to insert gratuitous gender characterizations of any officers depicted in the pictures just doing their job. Be better.
Point taken, but if you read the article carefully you’ll see that it makes specific mention of this German police officer, who is female, and as such the caption in the picture was intended to identify her as that particular person in the article, rather than gratuitously point out her gender.