First there was a robbery in a warehouse. One neighbor alerted four others and, almost without realizing it, they created a small WhatsApp group to keep an eye out for any strange movements in Santa Gertrudis. A few days later, another neighbor asked to join. Then another. The group continued to grow as the robberies became more frequent.
And, almost in parallel, something similar was happening with other groups from the town, and even from nearby towns.
In December, the situation worsened: two elderly couples were attacked in their homes and violently assaulted. Those initial five neighbors were now dozens, and the scattered groups began to coalesce into an active vigilante network. Now, after a final weekend that saw three robberies in a row, the now unified community has reached 182 members.
“We are all one family here. We take care of each other “, says to La Voz de Ibiza MaríaBufí (50 years old) administrator of the group and resident of the village. “If we see a strange van or car, we share it. If no one recognizes it, we keep an eye on it. We keep an eye out “This doctor tells us how the group Robos Barrio Santa Gertrudis operates.
Citizen surveillance and coordination with the Civil Guard
The group is not a forum for conversation or alarmism. It works with a clear logic: any suspicion or criminal act is communicated without generating unnecessary noise. “We try not to fill it with messages that could make it difficult for important alerts to be seen,” explains Bufí.
When a neighbor spots an unknown vehicle driving in the area, he shares the photo and license plate number. If no one identifies it, the information is sent to the Guardia Civil, which verifies whether the car has been reported stolen or belongs to someone with a criminal record.
But if the robbery has already taken place, the reaction is immediate: the neighbors mobilize to prevent the thieves from escaping. “We go out on the roads and on the highway to prevent them from getting away. We don’t want to take the law into our own hands, but we want to make it easier for the police,” says Bufí. “If we can close off their escape routes, they’ll think twice before coming back here,” he adds.
“It’s over”: the answer to a sense of insecurity
The residents of Santa Gertrudis do not accuse the Guardia Civil of lack of protection, but they do recognize that the dispersion of the population and the mobility of thieves make prevention difficult. “It is not easy to identify criminals when they have had months to study their targets,” comments Bufí.
The violence of the latest assaults marked a turning point. Before, the robberies used to affect summer rentals or second homes. Now, there have been robberies in regular homes, even of the elderly.
“When they broke into two old people’s homes, that was the trigger. We said, ‘It’s over. “, says Bufí. “We can’t allow them to continue attacking defenseless people. We have had enough of them stealing from the elderly, of them entering your plot of land to steal your car, of them stealing from your garden”.
From WhatsApp to action: a thief caught
The group already has victories. Last weekend, a thief stole a car from a house. A neighbor reported it via WhatsApp, the information spread quickly and the Guardia Civil managed to catch him.
This type of coordination has led many residents, who were previously unaware of the magnitude of the problem, to become actively involved in the surveillance network. “We became aware of how much theft there was,” Bufí admits.
Along these lines, he stresses that organized neighbors can be a great help to security forces. “It’s like having many more ears and eyes at the same time. We know each other, we know where our neighbors live, and when one gives notice, there is always someone on the other side.”
A solution that nobody wanted, but that works
What started as a small impromptu group has become the largest neighborhood organization against insecurity in Santa Gertrudis.
Bufí is clear that the existence of this group is a response to a specific need. “Hopefully we can eliminate it because there is no longer a reason to use it. But for the moment, it’s our best defense,” he concludes.
