In Málaga city, a total of 36,000 requests have been received during the past three years for official Local Police reports relating to motoring incidents, mostly for the purpose of insurance claims. A new tax means that such a service will attract a charge as from February 15th 2014.
The system already operates in a number of cities in Spain and also in a few places along the Costa del Sol, but it has taken Málaga Council much longer to adapt their computer systems.
Lawyers and others requesting specific official reports will now have to pay €20.44 for the privilege, the object being to reduce the number of such requests according to the Council.
Filling out such reports apparently takes around two hours of police time, preventing them from carrying out other duties.
The next phase of the municipal ordinance is a tax relating to the holding of private events, processions etc where requests are made for the closure of roads. The organisers will have to pay for the overtime of police officers required to oversee the event.
Official events, fiestas and processions, however, will not be subjected to these charges.