On Friday, Vicente Gutiérrez Sola, the Chief Commissioner of the Torrevieja Local Police, retrieved his possessions from the police station office and departed. He adhered to a ruling that was legally draughted by the Director General of Personnel, Rosana Narejos, resolved by the Councillor for Personnel, María José Ruiz, proposed by the Director General of the Police, Alejandro Morer, and signed by the Councillor Delegate for Police, Federico Alarcón. The resolution stated that he was 65 years old and that the law does not permit security force officers to serve beyond that age.

Superintendent Óscar Cartón has provisionally assumed the role of Local Police Chief. The City Council’s anticipation of an appeal from the affected party and its reluctance to make a definitive decision until it has legal certainty to do so is indicated by the fact that this is a provisional appointment, despite its intention to be permanent.

Yesterday, Gutiérrez Sola, who has a wealth of experience as a local police commander in the province, refrained from commenting on this agreement. He only observed that he was required to examine both the report prepared by the Department of Personnel and the one proposed by the Director General of Police.

Sources say that the former commissioner had sought to extend his duties for a few months beyond April 11th in 2024 in order to fulfil his 38-year and three-month contribution period and receive full pension benefits. This request was made in an internal communication.

The resolution was proposed by Morer, who was one of the two superintendents of the Local Police and second in command of the force until January 31st. He occupied a position below him on the organisational chart. As the director general, he now occupies a position that surpasses that of the former commissioner, serving as a conduit between the political and professional leadership of the Local Police. Gutiérrez, in reality, filed an appeal against Morer’s appointment as a senior official.

Compulsory retirements in Orihuela and Alicante

This change in the Torrevieja local police command structure is in line with comparable developments in larger cities, including Alicante and Orihuela, which are also under the control of the Popular Party. Recently, both Luis Barcala and Pepe Vegara, both from Orihuela, have adopted comparable resolutions and have provided administrative notice to those affected several months in advance. However, the latter will remain in office until after the summer, when they reach retirement age.

Nevertheless, the decree in Torrevieja has only provided Gutiérrez with four days to respond before his 65th birthday, which was on Friday, April 11th.

In 2010, the former chief of the Local Police assumed responsibility for the Torrevieja Local Police, which was then under the supervision of the Popular Party mayor, Pedro Hernández Mateo, and the general director of the area, Javier Mínguez. At that time, the arrivals of Mínguez and Gutiérrez were intended to achieve two objectives: first, to normalise the intricate internal situation within the Torrevieja local police force, which had been impacted by a plethora of workplace harassment cases and legal complaints against commanders for alleged irregularities in the performance of their duties; and second, to re-establish coordination with the civil guard, which had been tarnished by these cases for years. Gutiérrez succeeded in enhancing his relationship with the Guardia Civil, but his efforts did not have a significant impact on the internal dynamics of the force.

The governing team of the Popular Party and the police councillor, who appeared on Friday to provide a detailed account of the governing board’s agreements, have not disclosed any public information regarding the resolution that will retire the current Commissioner Gutiérrez Sola. This is a common occurrence in municipal administrations that are characterised by conflict. Unofficially, this follows the recent retirements of two high-ranking officials, in which Eduardo Dolón’s government denied the extension of their terms.

A general administration technician and a secretary general of the plenary session, both of whom had served for decades at Torrevieja City Council, expressly requested a delay in their retirement age. However, civil service legislation denied their request. The legality of certain resolutions adopted by Mayor Dolón was questioned or warned about by these two officials, whose reports were substantiated by legislation.

At present, the Torrevieja Local Police has 140 officers. In July, an additional 40 officers will be added, bringing the total number of officers to 180. This figure is in line with the anticipated number of officers in a city with a population exceeding 100,000.