An off-duty Civil Guard officer was assaulted early Sunday morning in Ceuta, after being approached by five illegal immigrants near a gas station. The incident occurred around 4:30 AM on Cañonero Dato Avenue.
According to the information provided, the officer was walking in the area of the Carranza gas station when the five illegal immigrants asked him for money. When he refused, they attempted to rob him, and the Civil Guard officer resisted. The assailants responded with several punches to the face and kicks to various parts of the body before fleeing the scene.
Police in Ceuta with illegal immigrants
The officer managed to report what happened, and the National Police immediately launched a search operation. The Civil Guard officer himself assisted the agents in identifying the area where the attackers might have taken refuge.
Minutes later, the five suspects were located hiding in some stairs connecting the roundabout of Avenida de España with the neighborhood Junta de Obras del Puerto. Upon noticing the police presence, the five immigrants attempted to escape on foot and physically resisted during the intervention.
Ultimately, the agents managed to arrest three of the five involved, while the other two managed to escape. The detainees were held in custody for their alleged involvement in crimes of robbery with violence and intimidation in attempted form and serious disobedience to authority.
This incident adds to a series of reported incidents in Ceuta over the past few weeks due to the influx of thousands of illegal immigrants, in a context of significant pressure on the city's police forces. The Jupol union claims that officers are facing a considerable increase in interventions and demands greater reinforcements to address the situation.
Illegal immigrants in Ceuta
Additionally, union representatives stated that the Police are receivingmore than 200 daily calls related to crimes, compared to the 20 or 30 that, according to their estimates, were common previously.
Insecurity is also reportedly affecting residents. The media reported another robbery that occurred on Saturday, in which a woman claimed to have been threatened with a knife and forced to hand over her belongings.
The assault on the Civil Guard officer once again highlights security in Ceuta and the conditions under which law enforcement operates, as the migration crisis affecting the city continues.
