Video Surveillance for Malaga's Monuments: These Are the 21 Statues the City Council Wants to Protect

The usual acts are graffiti. For instance, the Hitler mustache that was added to the sculpture of Blas Infante, but there are also cases of attacks on city icons, such as when the pencil was torn from Picasso's hand at Plaza de la Merced, which shortly after, was moved from its bench to another seat by vandals. The monuments of the capital are a heritage, in addition to bearing witness to the city's history and serving as a popular attraction for visitors. However, they are also exposed to aggression and attacks, which is why the City Council has reviewed its street surveillance camera map to identify the blind spots of these cultural assets to place them under surveillance. They have found 21 significant works that they want to monitor and protect permanently.

According to the analysis carried out by the Local Police, the 'big brother' that already watches over the streets of downtown Malaga and the rest of the city does not cover about twenty monuments or historical statues. The list includes one of the most photographed figures in Malaga by tourists, the bronze of Pablo Picasso in Plaza de la Merced, as well as iconic sculptures such as the Cenachero in Plaza de la Marina, where the statue of the writer Hans Christian Andersen is also off the map; the ensemble presided over by Marqués de Larios at the entrance of his own street from Alameda; the 'Thousand Faces' by Tony Cragg, 'Points of View', at the junction of Larios with Strachan; and the 'Chiromantic Hand' by Rafael Pérez Estrada on Bolsa street. All of these will now have at least one camera pointed directly at them so that they can be monitored from the municipal control center.

These will not be the only ones, as the bust of the writer Arturo Reyes at one of the corners of the Park (opposite the Malaga Palace); the bronze 'Acteon', of Greco-Roman inspiration by José Seguiri (Plaza de Uncibay); the monument to the pioneer of the industrial revolution Manuel Agustín Heredia (located on the road dedicated to the businessman with Alameda de Colón), and the zigzagging figure 'Man moving 2' by Stephen Balkenhol (at the doors of CAC Malaga) will also be guarded by these new fiber optic eyes of the city's security system.

In addition to sculptures, the list also includes fountains of artistic interest and access to popular architectural sites in the capital. The first group of noble water spouts includes Baño de Diana (Granados street with Beatas), Diosa Pomona (Plaza de San Francisco), the fountain in Plaza del Obispo, and a couple of fountains in the Park, Ninfa del Cántaro and Ninfa de la Caracola. Also, outside the reach of the current video surveillance are the Interpretation Center of the Roman Theater, the main entrance of the Alcazaba, and the entrance to the Castillo de Gibralfaro, which will also have security devices installed, in these cases, up to four cameras since the area to protect is larger than that of a statue.

Outside the historic center, the protection network will also reach Plaza del Patrocinio to monitor the Tempus Fugit fountain (in front of the San Miguel cemetery); to El Limonar, with the sculpture-fountain by Miguel Berrocal (Sierra de Grazalema street) which is pending restoration, and to Ciudad Jardín, with the bridge of the Eleven Eyes of the San Telmo Aqueduct on Héctor de Villalobos street, where graffiti also appeared after its restoration a few years ago.

The City Council has tendered this action for a total of 96,251 euros, dividing the contract into two lots since in some cases only the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras is necessary due to their proximity to video surveillance network connection points, while in others the installation of fiber optic or UTP telecommunications cables is also required, as well as linking with the electrical supply from the nearest available panels. The latter corresponds to lot 1, which affects seven of the 21 points and has a budget of 51,750 euros, while the second group involves the installation of cameras at all locations with a total cost of 44,500 euros.

Prospective companies have until June 14 to submit their bids, as specified by the City Council itself. The successful bidder will have to complete the installation of the fiber optic and the new cameras, which will join the 70 units already in operation, within six months, thus the new video surveillance network will reach 91 points, most of them in the center of the capital.