As soon as you arrive at the Peña Gorbea boulevard, three vehicles of the National Police become visible between the booths of Bulevarte, the market that offers children's workshops and artisan products and that these days once again occupies the promenade. Not all passers-by want to talk about the situation that this place in the Puente de Vallecas district is going through. Others, who arrive late to their destinations, admit for a few seconds that they "unfortunately" know the history of this street.
The Madrid Police Headquarters has begun the deployment of specific reinforcement after receiving several neighborhood complaints about people drinking alcohol, dealing substances or syringes on the ground in broad daylight. This situation is not new to some citizens, who see that this situation has been "degrading" in recent years. "I have been living here since 1975. It has had hard times, with horses or heroin, which took down a generation of Vallecanas and Vallecanos. Here they are trying to do the same: take down an entire generation," laments Luis, a 74-year-old man walking along the road.
On some terraces on the boulevard, customers have a drink while chatting with friends or family. The contrast becomes evident when arriving at the door of the premises, with banners warning that the authorities will be notified if anyone is detected "consuming or ingesting any type of drug in this establishment." Yanina, a 42-year-old Peruvian woman in charge of a stall at the market, remembers that there was a case of a woman walking around the area "hitting or bothering customers." She herself experienced "some fight with a junkie."
Citizen security responsibilities correspond to the Government Delegation and the National Police. However, the Municipal Police station of the Puente de Vallecas district develops, with the State security forces, a device on the boulevard during three daily shifts. According to data from the Vice Mayor's Office, Security and Emergencies, throughout this year more than fifty complaints have been filed for consumption of beverages in public, 25 for consumption and possession of narcotics, and a report has been made for possession of a weapon.
"Every time something happens, they solve it quickly"
The presence of the National Police has been more noticeable in recent days, some neighbors acknowledge. The Corps assures that the device is active on a regular basis, although it has been reinforced from time to time with more troops to "give peace of mind" to the neighborhood. Yanina, who has been running her position in Peña Gorbea for two years, emphasizes that "it was not an unsafe area before," but admits that recently "crime has increased a little more."
Outside a hair salon, Robert, 35, says he has seen "people arguing" on the street, but he considers it "normal." "You know how it is, everywhere there are always complaints. But I see the measure well because the Police are there to take care of people. People feel safer and this is a tourist area. They feel good and you feel that you are working," he emphasizes while directing his gaze towards the place where the agents are.
That feeling of security is also shared by Manuel, a 24-year-old from Jerez who is visiting the capital and staying at his friend's house in Vallecas. "They are always happening and the truth is that yes, it is safer. Every time a problem happens, any nonsense or whatever, they solve it quickly," he points out. He also claims to have seen "some drug addicts" on the streets. "But come on, as long as they don't bother people and all that stuff, I think there's no problem," he insists.
Municipal programs to care for drug addicts
During the last Government Meeting, the vice mayor and delegate of Security and Emergencies, Inma Sanz, defended that the Madrid City Council "has been working on the boulevard for some time" "not only from a police point of view, but also from the resources that Madrid Health has. In this sense, she demanded that the central Executive increase the number of agents on the streets of the capital, who "do not have the number of troops they should have." "It is important to give a response to the residents of Vallecas, who have time demanding solutions and regulatory modifications that allow us to tackle some criminal situations that are occurring," he noted. Since 2021, the area around the boulevard has 25 video surveillance cameras, a number that will increase in the coming months.
Yanina, Robert and Manuel welcome the increase in troops on the streets, but for Luis Peña Gorbea's path must be different. "Social services would have to look for solutions to the drug addiction diseases that many of those in these circumstances have. We pay taxes the same as in the rest of the districts," he highlights. He also does not believe that new video surveillance cameras will help improve the situation. "Crimes have occurred here and the cameras have never been able to be used because they are broken or do not display them. Recording for the sake of recording, that's what Netflix is for," he says.
Along these lines, the Regional Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Madrid (FRAVM), which had also requested an increase in personnel, believes that it is necessary to face a reality that cannot be covered: drug consumption. "We have to serve these people, which will help our neighbors suffer less," emphasizes its president, Jorge Nacarino, a resident of the neighborhood. He hopes that a proximity service linked to Madrid Salud will soon become a reality to serve the homeless and those with mental health problems. "We will change the environment with more social investment," he remarks.
The City Council details that the Community Mediation Program and the Isthmus Program of the Madrid Health Addiction Institute are activated, with the Madrid Street Teams, to coordinate harm reduction actions among people with addictions. In this way, monitoring, support and coordination is carried out with the Addiction Care Center (CAD) of Vallecas. In addition, after the police reinforcement in Peña Gorbea, the Municipal District Board has launched special cleaning devices to remove belongings abandoned on public roads, as well as to sanitize their surroundings.
