Third government ruling against plan cannot be appealed, says councillor


There will be no security cameras in Puerto Banús. The sub-delegation of the government in Málaga province has rejected for the third time plans to introduced the cameras in the port zone.
The scheme had the backing of the local businesses, the CIT tourism body and the town hall. But the government has rejected the appeal by these organisations over its decision in January that the area did not warrant camera surveillance as it was not an area that suffered from serious crime.
The road to installing these cameras now seems to be closed. Marbella's councillor for security, Francisca Caracuel, has told the administration that there is no possibility that the latest ruling can be challenged. She will hold a meeting shortly with members of the CIT, which had promoted the scheme, to discuss if the plan should be amended.
The CIT has criticised thecentral government decision. Its president, Miguel Gómez y Molina, said he was surprised at the ruling, especially as 28 security cameras are to be installed in Málaga city.
The plan for Puerto Banús would have seen between 10 and 15 cameras connected via radio to a central control point. Here they would have been supervised by a number of agents specially trained for the task. It would have allowed for the best use of the port's security personnel, especially at peak holiday periods when around a million people of different nationalities flock to the area.
The businesses in the port had been willing to co-finance the cameras, which would have cost around 150,000 euros. It would also serve as a model for other parts of Marbella to copy. Permission for cameras was first sought in 2005 and Sr Gómez y Molina said it was inexplicable why ''the jewel in the crown of Andalucía tourism'' should be without this security provision.

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