Orihuela demands a Guardia barracks and more troops on the coast

The Orihuela City Council will notify the Ministry of the Interior of the “urgent need” to build a permanent Guardia Civil post along the coast, as well as an increase in personnel to strengthen security in this vital sector of the town.

Specifically, he will send an official letter offering all required help, including the transfer of property and the probable construction of the building that will house the new barracks, with the goal of easing its execution to the greatest extent feasible. In this regard, Mayor Pepe Vegara announced on Wednesday that “Orihuela Costa urgently needs more Guardia Civil resources, and the City Council will do everything in its power to ensure this request is met.”

Councillors for Citizen Security (Mónica Pastor) and Civil Protection and Emergencies (Vector Valverde) attended the Local Security Board meeting, which he chaired. The meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Government Subdelegation, José Antonio Cuadros,Guardia Civil Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Poyato, commanders of the barracks in Torrevieja, Pilar de la Horadada, Callosa de Segura, Almoradí, San Miguel de Salinas, and Jacarilla, Chief Inspector of the National Police Station in Orihuela, Antonio Samper, Deputy Inspector of the Regional Police, Ubaldo Almendros, and Acting Chief Superintendent of the Orihuela

A thorough examination of the citizen security situation along the coast led to this conclusion. “Although the data show that there is no serious crime rate, it has revealed the heavy workload currently faced by Local Police officers, especially during peak tourist season,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.

Gender Based Violence

Another aspect brought up was the rise in incidences of gender-based violence along the coastline. Because of this situation, and after following the Secretary of State and Security’s instruction 1/2025, the Local Security Board chose to enhance protection for victims by suggesting changes to the current protocol to meet new needs. To ensure that these reforms take effect as soon as possible, the City Council’s specialised gender-based violence unit will hold immediate discussions with the FCSE (Federal Police Forces), allowing the new protocol to be implemented beginning in September.

In addition, a new authority split between the Guardia Civil and the Local Police was developed to improve case management. To that end, with the signing of the new coordination agreement, the Civil Guard will manage and monitor all cases of gender-based violence with high, extreme, and medium risk levels, while the Local Police will handle 50% of low-risk cases, with and without precautionary measures, in Orihuela Costa, and 50% of cases in the remaining districts, in collaboration with the Guardia Civil.

“We cannot ignore the increase in gender-based violence,” declared the Councillor for Citizen Security. We will strengthen protocols and ensure maximum victim protection by coordinating with all security personnel.”