The Region of Murcia, like the rest of the country, has been on anti-terrorist alert level 4 (high) since 2015. This level did not change when the jihadist attacks of 17 August 2017 were perpetrated in Barcelona and Cambrils, nor when Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022. However, despite the fact that the alert level has not changed, the Ministry of the Interior has now ordered its State Security Forces and Corps – National Police and Civil Guard – to increase surveillance and security at sensitive points in view of the conflict in Gaza. This also includes the local police. In this context, officers from San Javier, stationed in La Manga, claim that, under an order given by the temporary head of the force, «we are totally unprotected and visible from the outside» of their facilities.
As the Comisiones Obreras trade union has pointed out in a letter registered at the San Javier Town Hall, the temporary chief gave an order that «when the night patrol arrives at La Manga, the blinds of the windows will be raised and the interior lighting of the office will be left on all night», an order that «is totally contradictory in terms of guaranteeing the security and privacy of the agents who are in the office for different reasons such as instruction of proceedings, established rest, preparation of reports or use of the bathroom».
The union is clear that «raising the blinds on the windows, as the temporary head states in the order, is a real showcase for people passing through the office door, as it exposes the people inside to show all their movements, depriving them of their security and privacy when carrying out the functions or tasks they are performing».
No space for rest
In addition, «it is worth remembering that next to the police office in Castillo de Mar there is a café-ice-cream parlour where its customers, from the terrace, can see and even hear everything that goes on inside the police office».
In this respect, Comisiones Obreras stresses that «the office does not have a separate space for the established break, so when the officers are about to have dinner they are the scene of the spectators on the terrace of the cafeteria-ice-cream parlour next to the police office, not to mention when someone suddenly enters to make a complaint, suggestion, appearance, who can practically see, smell and almost taste the food of the officers».
Lights all night long
As for keeping the interior lighting on all night, Comisiones Obreras questioned «what is the meaning and purpose of this order, as we believe that this measure could be causing economic damage to the public purse by this senseless consumption of electricity».
«For all the above reasons and in order to ensure the safety and privacy of the Local Police officers serving in La Manga, as well as to try to contribute to a better management of economic resources», they request that «the temporary chief withdraw the aforementioned order of service orders or, if not, explain it».
