Drugs, Trouble and Harassment
Almost all the problems visitors to Tenerife encounter relate to petty crimes (pickpocketing, bag snatching, confidence tricks, burglary of accommodation or theft from cars) and serious physical confrontations are rare. Exercising caution, by leaving passport, tickets and valuables in the hotel safe, should spare you some of the worst travelling scenarios, and having photocopies of your passport and separate records of travellers' cheques and credit-card numbers is also a good precautionary measure. If you are robbed you need to report it to the police , not least because insurance companies require a report to process claims. Of the three types of police - the Policia Municipal, the Guardia Civil and the Policia Nacional - you should always try to approach the Policia Municipal (blue-and-white uniforms with red trim). In some situations, particularly in rural areas, there may only be the Guardia Civil (in green uniforms) who should also be able to help you. The brown-uniformed Policia Nacional are mainly seen in cities guarding key installations and will not provide help for visitor needs.
In emergencies , contact the Policia Municipal on 092.
To prevent an unintentional entanglement with the law, it's worth being aware of a few offences you might commit unwittingly. Spanish law requires you to carry some kind of identification at all times, and the police can stop you in the streets and demand to see it - though in practice, if they do stop you, and you don't have anything with you, but are clearly a visitor, it is rare that the matter will be taken any further. Activities that may cause you to brush with officialdom include nude bathing or unauthorized camping - though a warning to cover up or move on is the most likely response to being caught committing either activity. Topless tanning is commonplace at the resorts, but may upset local sensibilities elsewhere. Despite being decriminalized in the 1980s, using cannabis is once more forbidden in Spain. Even so, the police are rarely interested in crimes of personal use, though larger quantities (and possession of any other drugs) are a very different matter. Should you be arrested on any charge, contact your embassy or consulate for help and advice .
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