Arona Business Owners Hire Private Security Amid Surge in Crime
Business owners in Los Cristianos, Tenerife, are hiring private security to combat an unprecedented surge in nighttime break-ins and petty crime that they claim local authorities have failed to address.
Rising crime in Arona, Tenerife, has reached a breaking point, forcing business owners in Los Cristianos to pay for private security to protect their livelihoods. The Los Cristianos Open Commercial Zone Association recently warned the local council that the area is facing an unprecedented wave of nighttime break-ins.
The impact goes beyond financial loss; it is disrupting daily business operations. According to reports shared with local officials, the crime is concentrated between Avenida de Suecia and Calle Juan XXIII. With up to ten businesses targeted each week, owners feel the police response has been inadequate. Despite providing photographic evidence, merchants say the repeat offenders and slow bureaucratic processes have left them feeling helpless—a frustration that has been building for over a year.
The problem extends beyond break-ins. Business owners have also reported an increase in pickpocketing in busy tourist areas like the Las Vistas promenade and Avenida Juan Carlos I. Furthermore, they cite a decline in the area’s environment due to public substance use linked to social issues.
The Arona City Council faces a difficult challenge. Officials have stated that security improvements depend on hiring more local police officers and establishing working groups to monitor high-risk areas.
This situation highlights a common struggle in Canary Island tourist hubs: balancing economic activity with public safety and social support. For local merchants, the current institutional response has failed to stop the decline in security over the past year, leaving them to rely increasingly on private security to fill the gap left by public services.