Abel Losada stresses that O Grove is an “extraordinarily safe” town hall and values the “great work” of the Civil Guard

O Grove, May 8, 2025.- The subdelegate of the Government in Pontevedra, Abel Losada, co-chaired the Xunta Local de Seguridad together with the mayor, José Cacabelos, to assess the recent wave of robberies with force that have occurred over the last month in homes and hotel establishments in the Mecca town. Abel Losada said that O Grove is an “extraordinarily safe city council, in a very safe province and in one of the safest countries in the world.”
Losada, accompanied by the Lieutenant Colonel of the Civil Guard, Óscar Grañas, said that the Benemérita did a “great job” in the last month, first practicing first the arrest of a person who was pulling on the street and, later, the arrest of the four people who are accused of the recent robberies. Two of these people, who acted as “ringleaders” and alleged perpetrators of the robberies, are already in prison.
The Xunta de Seguridad approved, unanimously, to expressly congratulate the Civil Guard and the Local Police for the rapid and effective detention of the perpetrators. In addition, the proposal of the Mayor’s Office was approved to organize talks and training sessions of the Master Plan of the Civil Guard for the prevention of crime and cybercrime among the groups of students of educational centers and parents. In addition, there will be specific sessions for the #local hospitality and entrepreneurship sector. The sessions will be organized in premises ceded by the City Council and at times compatible with the teaching and commercial activity.
The subdelegate explained that the increase in the number of crimes in the first quarter of the year was 16, a number that coincides with the thefts produced, of which 15 are already resolved after the closure of “Operation Wheelbarrow”. The largest one meant that, sticking only to the month of March, there were 30 crimes in the Grove, just four more than in the same month of the previous year. With an annual perspective, he recalled that last year 384 crimes were reported in the Grove and, at this time of 2025, everything points to the one that will close in a similar scenario.
However, the subdelegate warned that total security, zero risk, does not exist “because we live in the world and the @offenders who enter prison come out at some point.” In addition, he stressed, “this type of robbery usually goes by breaking up.” However, he explained, the most worrying are those perpetrated by itinerant bands, usually foreign, because they have more means and cause significant damage.
No case of O Grove were neighbors of the villa with a drug addiction problem. Losada stressed the importance of improving social and health care for these people, "because what in origin is a public health problem, ends up having an impact on citizen security." This respect, in the Local Board itself, it was commented that the main person responsible for this wave of robberies expressly requested his entry into prison to be able to “disengage”.
On the other hand, he stressed that in the Grove there was no personal damage, which, in the end, is the most important, and that we are talking only about damage and #material loss that, in most cases, are covered by insurance or by the recovery of the effects subtracted. “Robberies worry, but they also worry about “jerks,” since they are more likely to cause injury to people.”
Finally, Abel Losada indicated that it is perfectly understandable that the people who were robbed in his house or in his business are uneasy, “I would be too.” He also said he understood the concern expressed by the Emgroves business association. However, he claimed responsibility for everyone, especially the political forces, because unnecessary alarmism cannot be created. “I don’t think anyone can claim, with a modicum of seriousness, that O Grove is an insecure place.”
Finally, in the Xunta de Seguridad, it was anticipated that the Civil Guard, which during the past month reinforced its presence with funds from the Judicial Police and Citizen Security, will reinforce its presence all necessary during the summer campaign to meet the population increase throughout the area.