A raid by around seventy National Police officers on the Bierkönig beer hall in Arenal on Thursday evening was in response to at least 120 reports of stolen items by tourists in the past month.
During the operation which started at eight in the evening, police prevented people entering or leaving the complex. They were looking for a gang of pickpockets responsible for a wave of thefts. Tourists, mainly German, had reported the loss of wallets, phones and other items. The rise in thefts would appear to have coincided with the taking-on of new security personnel. The police believe that some security guards have been aiding the pickpockets and that there will have been more thefts than the 120 that have been reported.
There was a second aspect to the raid. This involved employment ministry inspectors. They checked the status of some 150 employees at Bierkönig. Documentation provided is now being assessed for potential irregularities.
The official police statement about the operation said that it was to check on possible criminal infractions of the rights of employees, to inspect private security and to control "the quantity of thefts which have occurred at this complex".
After the operation was concluded, officers conducted another - twenty "prostitutes" were intercepted. Arenal has the same issues as Magalluf in this regard.