Mijas has emerged as the sole municipality on the Costa del Sol to record a drop in crime and has achieved an impressive 10 per cent reduction in total criminal offences, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of the Interior. The positive data stands in stark contrast to neighbouring towns, where delinquency has, on average, increased by 10 per cent, making Mijas the exception along the coast.

New police strategy delivers results

The council have highlighted that the downward trend is the result of a profound change in the planning and operational methods within the local police. They have attributed the success to operational reorganisation and new working strategies which have allowed the local police to significantly reduce crimes particularly sensitive to the public. These include violent robberies, which are down by 25 per cent; home burglaries, showing a 23 per cent decrease; and computer fraud, which has been reduced by 20 per cent.

The results demonstrate that the new operative model is yielding real fruit. The initiative has been strengthened by the Mijas Local Police’s intensified efforts throughout 2025, with a visible increase in patrols and preventative checks across the area to ensure public safety, as previously reported in the Euro Weekly News in March 2025.

Consolidation and call for more resources

Council members have stressed that the priority is now to consolidate this positive evolution by strengthening internal coordination and adjusting operations across all municipal zones to maintain the downward trend.

However, Mijas council warn that they still require more state resources, reiterating the town’s request for a reinforcement of personnel and a new barracks for the Guardia Civil, as the current staffing levels do not align with the size of the population they serve.

Key preventive operations in Mijas (2025)

The police’s strategy is focused on high-visibility patrols and targeted crime prevention checks across all three major population centres: Mijas Pueblo, Las Lagunas, and La Cala. The mayor had previously mentioned concern for some gangs beginning to spread into the urbanisation of Mijas from other municipalities, such as Marbella.

Intensified Crime Campaigns: In May 2025, the local police launched an intensified campaign against serious crime, resulting in multiple arrests for offences like robbery with force, assaults on officers, reckless driving, and burglaries. This showed a firm and effective response to security threats.

Preventive Controls: Following this, in April 2025, a large-scale surveillance operation involving an increase in identification and surveillance efforts was launched across the entire municipality.

This led to 15 arrests in a short period, mostly linked to outstanding judicial warrants.

Preventive traffic checks also resulted in the detection of 13 drug-related offences and 11 for alcohol consumption while driving.

Routine Weekly Operations: The intensified effort is maintained through frequent, routine operations. In a typical two-week period in November 2025, the force reported:

• A total of 92 actions across the three population centres.
• 29 preventative checks in strategic areas, including industrial areas, access roads to La Cala, and entry/exit points of the municipality. These checks focused on verifying documentation, supervising traffic, and preventing general offences.
• 32 interventions related to civic coexistence ordinances, including fines for noise disturbances, drinking alcohol in public, and improper disposal of waste.

Summer Security Reinforcement

In July 2025, Mijas doubled its police presence for the summer season, which is critical due to the increased population. This operation included:

• Increased patrols during the afternoon and evening, which are peak hours for citizen movement.
• New cycling units were incorporated on the Mijas coast to better cover beach and promenade areas.
• More resources were allocated to major events to ensure constant presence and rapid response.

The earth certainly moved as it registered a quake at a magnitude of 4.9 and rattled the Costa del Sol across large parts of Southern Spain on the morning of Friday, December 5. The tremor, one of the strongest recent seismic events in the region, had its epicentre just off the coast of Fuengirola, Malaga.

The seismic event occurred at 10.38am local time at a depth recorded between 77 and 79 kilometres. While the initial report pegged the magnitude at 4.2, the official confirmation from the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) set it at 4.9. Despite the powerful magnitude, authorities have confirmed there were no immediate reports of personal injuries or serious material damage, just a lot of nervous residents.

Immediate impact and emergency response

The initial earthquake intensity, meaning it was a weak tremor primarily felt by those indoors, causing slight oscillation of hanging objects. The unexpected shaking, however, led to a rapid response from emergency services.

Andalucia’s emergency number, 112, managed over 40 calls related to the quake from various municipalities across three provinces: Malaga, Seville, and Cordoba. In Malaga, the tremors were felt strongly along the coastline, including Benalmadena, Torremolinos, Marbella, and the capital, as well as inland areas like Ronda and Antequera. Eyewitnesses described a “strong rattling” lasting between two and five seconds.

The event shows how typical continuous seismic activity is in the region; just days earlier, the IGN registered a smaller 3.2-magnitude tremor off the coast of Estepona on December 1st.

The Alboran Fault and official tsunami risk

The province of Malaga sits adjacent to the seismically active Alboran Sea, which is defined by the complex Alboran Fault system. This system marks the boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates and is known to be capable of generating both major earthquakes and the occasional tsunami.

The potential for a tsunami on the Malaga coast is officially acknowledged in Spain’s State Civil Protection Plan for Tsunami Risk (the Plan Estatal de Protección Civil ante el Riesgo de Maremotos), approved by the central government in 2021. This document designates Malaga as one of the areas that could face severe consequences following a major offshore earthquake.

The plan estimates that a tsunami generated by the Southern Alboran Fault could potentially cause sea level elevations greater than five metres, reaching the Malaga coast in approximately 20 minutes. This risk profile is supported by studies, including a 2021 finding from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) which concluded that strike-slip faults like the Averroes fault in the Alborán Sea have a greater tsunami-generating potential than previously assumed.

Historical precedents of major Malaga earthquakes

While the 4.9 tremor is the strongest felt in the province since 2022, Malaga has experienced several devastating seismic events throughout its history. Data compiled by the Andalusian University Institute of Geophysics and Seismic Disaster Prevention notes:

• 1494: An estimated magnitude 6.5 earthquake, with its epicentre in Malaga.
• 1680: A calculated magnitude 6.2 quake, also epicentred in the city, which tragically resulted in the deaths of around 100 people and caused widespread infrastructural damage, though the Cathedral remained notably intact.
• 1884: Known as the Granada Earthquake, this tremor was one of the most destructive in Southern Spain’s recorded history, causing major devastation in the eastern part of the Malaga province.

Aftershocks, and repeat quakes

Here are the official earthquake safety recommendations published by Spain’s Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) and the Spanish Civil Protection authorities (Dirección General de Protección Civil y Emergencias), which the IGN always references and promotes:

BEFORE an earthquake

• Identify safe spots in every room (under sturdy tables, next to interior load-bearing walls, away from windows and heavy furniture).
• Secure heavy furniture, appliances, water heaters, and shelves to the wall.
• Know where and how to shut off electricity, gas, and water.
• Prepare an emergency kit (water, food, medicines, radio, flashlight, whistle, etc.).
• Agree on a family meeting point in case you get separated.

DURING an earthquake (the famous “Crouch – Cover – Hold On” triangle)

If you are indoors:

• Drop to the floor.
• Cover: get under a sturdy table or desk (protect your head and neck).
• Hold on until the shaking stops.
• If there is no table nearby → crouch next to an interior wall, protect your head with your arms.

If you are outdoors:

• Move to an open area away from buildings, power lines, trees, and streetlights.
• Drop to the ground and protect your head.
• If you are driving:Slow down and stop in a safe, open place (away from bridges, overpasses, and buildings).
• Stay inside the vehicle until the shaking stops.

AFTER the earthquake

• Check yourself and others for injuries.
• Expect aftershocks (they can be strong).
• Do NOT use elevators.
• If you smell gas or see fallen power lines → evacuate and alert emergency services (dial 112 in Spain).
• Only use the phone for real emergencies.
• Listen to the radio or official sources (IGN, Civil Protection, 112) for updates.

Official IGN/Civil Protection sources (in Spanish and English versions)  www.ign.es