Benidorm Local Police Seeks 'Pirate Hunters'

From 'Ghostbusters' to 'Piratebusters'. The Benidorm Local Police is on the hunt for 'pirate hunters' capable of detecting illegal transports that have emerged in Alicante's tourist capital.

"Do what you must," express the municipal body. "Do not accept unauthorized services" and they provide an example of a possible conversation that might occur between a tourist and one of these illegal businesses.

"Hello, do you do airport transfers?" sends a potential client who is informed immediately that the requested services are "cheap". With a doubtful face, through an emoji, asks if it is a legal transport, with a clear and expected response: "Well... no, but that doesn't matter."

With this conversation the agents aim to raise awareness among citizens, as well as provide the keys to act in such a situation. "Of course it matters," a new message from the applicant with an angry face, followed by "sorry, I'm not interested."

At the same time, the Benidorm Local Police advises citizens that "if you have doubts or believe it is an illegal transport, do not hesitate, call us" to catch these 'pirates', as they have included in the profile picture of the fictitious conversation with the illegal company, and guide interested users and tourists.

Likewise, the Departments of Citizen Security and Mobility of Benidorm are "promoting specialized training for officers who are assigned to traffic or transport because a series of incidents have been detected in some vehicles that are transporting passengers as if they were taxis, but do not have the necessary licenses," they explained to TodoAlicante.

It has been in just two weeks that the Benidorm Local Police has found two illegal transports: a vehicle with broken rear door opening systems, sharp elements, blocked seat belts and seats covered with duct tape, and 'the witch train'.

It was during a control, carried out at the beginning of October, when the agents immobilized a taxi belonging to the illegal fleet of Benidorm due to these irregularities and "very serious deficiencies". Furthermore, this catalogue resulted in a series of imposed fines totaling "more than 9,000 euros".

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To the airport in the "witch train": the Local Police immobilizes an illegal transport in Benidorm full of deficiencies

Regarding the 'witch train', it is a minibus that presented a huge 'bite' in one of its wheels, in addition to unusable seat belts, sharp elements inside the passenger compartment and parts of the van held together with tied straps.

As explained at the time by the Local Police spokesperson, Quique Tortosa, this fleet of illegal transports operating in Benidorm and other municipalities of the Marina Baixa "are private vehicles lacking any type of distinctive and operate by word of mouth among tourists, mostly of British origin."