The mayor of Teguise, Oswaldo Betancort, has acknowledged in the Plenary held this Thursday that he “cannot guarantee” the presence of local police during the weekend in the municipality. “What I can guarantee is the availability of personnel and the established shift work depending on the available personnel and the agreements with the rest of the State security forces”, he stated in response to questions from the PSOE, which had requested his appearance due to the situation of the municipal police.
Betancort has thus referred to the presence of other police forces, such as the Civil Guard, although he has not clarified how the current situation is being addressed from the City Council, after the Local Police officers agreed not to work any more overtime.
“Teguise is a safe municipality”, the mayor has nevertheless defended, who has also admitted that the complaints of the Local Police “are fair”, acknowledging among other things the lack of agents.
“They are not tired of working overtime, but of not being paid for it”, he has stated during his speech, although the police have never accused the City Council presided over by Betancort of non-payment.
Regarding the need to increase the staff, he has reiterated the upcoming incorporation of six agents, although he has admitted that “another six or ten more” will still be needed. Regarding those who are going to join, he has pointed out that “this Saturday the psychotechnical test will be held”, and has blamed the City Council's delay in carrying out the tests on the regional government led by the PSOE. “Being at alert levels 4 and 3, we did not have the possibility of carrying out those exams with sanitary measures, and we had to use pavilions”, the mayor has alleged.
Regarding when they will join, he has not given a specific date. “Hopefully we can count on them at the end of the year or the beginning of 2022”, he has pointed out, although from there they must begin a period of practice. Similarly, he has also linked the opening date of the Costa Teguise Local Police office -which is another of the questions that the PSOE has asked him- to that incorporation of the new police officers.
About 300,000 euros to acquire six vehicles
Referring to the deficiencies of the mobile park, the mayor has limited himself to stating: “It is as you know”. However, in this case he has assured that the intention is to “reinforce” the provision of vehicles of the Local Police, “not only for their safety, but because it is the priority at this time”.
In this regard, as the Councilor for Police had already announced a few days ago, he has announced “the contracting, approximately for 300,000 euros, to acquire six vehicles destined for the security of the municipality, five for the Local Police and one for Civil Protection”. According to what he has stated, the procedure is still in the initial phase, although he has pointed out that this week “the administrative specifications are released”, so he hopes that from the next “the bidding will begin and thus have the cars in the coming months”. “Contracting has been told that it is a priority”, he has assured.
Another of the issues criticized by the PSOE, and for which it has asked the mayor in the Plenary, is the one related to the surveillance cameras that are still not working. Regarding this, Betancort has stated that they have found “several technical inconveniences of channeling in the wiring”, something that he assures that the City Council “is going to solve”.
