Torrevieja mayor creates group to ease conflict within police force

A WORKING group is to be created in Torrevieja to help solve the problems experienced within the police force. Mayor Jose Manuel Dolon said the “situation has been unnecessarily prolonged” and he hoped the working group would help resolve the issues to allow the “return to normal operation of an essential service in town.”
The board shall consist of the director general of police, an inspector and a member of each of the five unions that currently have representation in the body. In addition, the councillor for police will also be present to keep abreast of developments in the negotiations and the agreements reached.
Dolon has said that this round table discussion will serve to “deflate the conflict and to pave the way for fair solutions for managers and police officers.” He added: “We have to dignify their role, they have the right to work comfortably and without tension.
“I will put every means in my power to reach an agreement and I’ll ask for understanding on both sides. We do not want anyone to win the battle, we want the people of Torrevieja to win. Citizens need to see that there is a solution because in the current situation, we all lose.”
The round table discussions are set to start imminently with the mayor saying they should not last longer than three to six months before feasible measures are put in place. As part of the first steps to reaching agreements, Dolon has addressed a letter to the chief of police saying that “provided there is no legal reason to prevent it, all shift changes shall be permitted between the police who request it for personal reasons, considering that the measure does not affect normal operation.”
Dolon also said the municipality should have around 210 agents when currently there are 160 with between 30 and 40 on regular medical leave.