The Minister of the Presidency, Public Administration and Interior of the Andalusian Regional Government, Elías Bendodo, presided over the award ceremony of the Order of Merit of the Local Police of Andalusia this Monday in Almería, where he highlighted «the work of the almost 10,000 local police officers and the more than 500 Local Police forces that are spread throughout Andalusia» and emphasised «the example they have set to society during the hardest moments of the pandemic».
«There are groups, such as the Local Police, who have given and continue to give an example of public service vocation. You put your vocation, your commitment and your sense of duty before anything else, which is why you deserve this recognition», he said.
Thus, with the aim of rewarding and recognising people for exceptional services, actions or merits related to the different bodies of the Local Police of Andalusia, a total of 124 decorations have been awarded, 8 with the Silver Medal, 55 with the Cross with Green badge and 61 with the Cross with White badge.
The officers Miguel Jaime Antolín Fernández and Emilio Sáez Álvarez were decorated with the Green Cross for saving the life of a neighbour in February 2017.
On the aforementioned date, a call from a woman received at 1:30 am, coming from Camino la Cuerda in the municipality of Albox, told the police officers that her life was in danger and that an individual wanted to kill her.
The officers went to the scene and found that the woman had been held by the assailant – from whom she had managed to escape – which gave her time to call the police. One of the officers then had to struggle with the assailant, who was holding a knife and insisting on approaching the assailant, ignoring the officers. The officers fired several shots to prevent him from reaching the woman, fearing that the situation would escalate.
The aggressor, a British national who had been wanted for two years, was arrested and charged with the crimes of illegal detention, attempted murder and injury.
The officers’ actions enabled the woman to save her life, while the assailant is currently in prison.