The Government, through the Public Safety Institute of the Balearic Islands, today awarded 23 White Crosses for Police Merit to 21 local police officers from Eivissa and 2 from Sant Josep de sa Talaia with a career equal to or greater than 30 years of conspicuous and professional service.
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The awards were presented by the councillor of the Presidency, Public Function and Equality, Mercedes Garrido, the director-general of Emergencies and the Interior, Jaume Barceló, the managing director of the Balearic School of Public Administration, Mamen Iglesias, and the mayor of Sant Josep de Sa Talaia, Ángel Luis Guerrero.
The councillor thanked the award winners for them “always essential work, and now that we are beginning a summer of recovery, normality and success, it is more necessary than ever”.
Garrido said that “being a local police officer is not just a profession, but a vocation, a way of life of helping fellow citizens, of values of discipline, exemplarity, help, public service, of being there where the citizens need you, and what we are doing today is to recognise these values”.
She also explained that the government, within the framework of its powers, is working to strengthen this police force, training 300 new local police officers in the Balearic Islands in the last two years, and 59 on the island of Eivissa this year alone.
Along these lines, the councillor recalled that just a few days ago the modification of the Local Police Coordination Law was approved to speed up the training and selection of new officers, thanks to which the Govern will be able to organise the competitive examinations for those town councils that delegate this responsibility to the executive.
“In this way, every year we will have more local police officers on the streets, in less time. Because we know that your role is essential and because the citizens are waiting for you on the streets,” said the councillor.
Finally, Garrido recalled that “for the first time we have launched a decentralised training course on the island, also open to candidates from Formentera, and in a few days we will be able to graduate the first 30 candidates trained directly from Eivissa, which is a very important milestone.
“We continue to move forward, together, towards a society with more coexistence, more democracy and more security,” concluded the councillor.
For his part, the Director-General of Emergencies and the Interior, Jaume Barceló, highlighted the generosity, public service vocation and dedication of the local police in overcoming the pandemic, as well as the support of the Government to the force through the Public Safety Fund.
The mayor of Sant Josep de Sa Talaia, Ángel Luis Guerrero, pointed out the importance of rewarding the dedication and public service of the officers who have dedicated 30 years of their lives to the force and the public.