An ECHO reporter was surrounded by armed police and quizzed for almost an hour after taking pictures of a police station in Spain while investigating criminal connections to Merseyside.
Ben Haslam was detained by the Guardia Civil in Fuengirola after he captured general views of police stations in the holiday resort, where two Scottish gangsters were allegedly shot dead by a Merseyside man. He had sat down in a small family-run café, yards from the Guardia Civil station, with an iced tea, when police confronted him, shocking both him and the Spanish locals beside him.
Detained at the station
Just two sips into his drink and on the phone to his dad, Haslam was approached by a man in a blue polo shirt flanked by an armed police officer. The officer flashed his badge, asked him to end the call and demanded he follow him across the street into the fortress-like station. Within ten minutes of taking pictures of the signs outside and the security barrier, he was marched into a small interview room.
Haslam was quizzed by almost half a dozen police officers, most with handguns strapped to their hips, as he tried to convince them he was a journalist. Photocopies of the Liverpool ECHO, along with his official documents and internet proof of his profession, were just about enough for the detective to stand down.
Accused of being a terrorist
But a middle manager who spoke no English scoffed at his reasoning. Haslam was told by an officer that they could not take him on his word. “How do we know you are not a terrorist?,” the officer asked. Haslam showed them his internet footprint, emailed them from his official email address and sent them all the photos he had taken.
In total, 50 minutes were taken up. A report was filed, in which officers continued to question his employer, areas he had stayed and planned to stay in Spain, and when he arrived in the country. Over 10 minutes were spent attempting to send videos to their email, which they could not open, before they scanned his driving licence, kept a photocopy of his passport and marched him on his way.
The officer who could speak marginal English confirmed a report had been filed on their database, although he offered no paperwork, leaving Haslam wondering if he would be stopped at the border when he tried to leave the country. While not the most newsworthy part of his two-week investigation spanning a 500km journey from Marbella to the Costa Blanca, it was the most interesting from a personal point of view, and at least reassured him that Spanish Police are capable of taking Merseyside visitors into custody - as long as they can lay their hands on them.
