Mercedes Garrido presented the police merit crosses with green and white badges, the road safety education diplomas and the police tutor quality seals.
The councillor highlighted the fact that this year the first decentralised training course for local police officers was held, with 32 students who are about to finish.
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The government, through the Public Safety Institute of the Balearic Islands, has awarded 43 decorations to local police officers in Menorca. Specifically, 8 police merit crosses with a white badge have been awarded for 30 years of dedication to the force, and 28 police merit crosses with a green badge, to dignify the prestige of the local police. Officers from the town councils of Alaior, Ciutadella, Ferreries, es Mercadal and Maó received awards.
Four diplomas were also awarded to police officers from Alaior, Ciutadella, Maó and Es Mercadal for ten years of experience and seniority in the road safety education service, and three professional quality seals from the Police Tutor Programme, the school year 2021-2022, were awarded to officers from Alaior, es Castell and Maó.
The councillor thanked the award winners for their work, “which is always essential and which we want to highlight with these awards, which I hope will be a driving force to continue along the path we have travelled so far with the magnificent vocation for public service with which you carry out your work every day”.
Garrido said that “being a local police officer is not just a profession, but a vocation, a lifestyle 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”.
In addition, the councillor stressed that “the local police also have an educational and transforming function, as is the fact that the officers teach students important aspects such as respect, tolerance, coexistence, diversity, equality, road safety education and the rejection of male violence, xenophobia and LGTBI-phobia”.
One of the police merits crosses with a green badge went to the public company Servicio de Informática Local de Menorca (SILME), which is responsible for the XPO programme, a computer tool for coordination between local police forces already implemented in all the island’s municipalities.
Garrido reviewed the improvements being promoted by the government for the local police. In this regard, he highlighted the first decentralised training course on the island, from which the first 32 agents will emerge this year, the unified process of competitive examinations for local police officers, and the fact that there will be 300 new local police officers in the Balearic Islands in two years.
Coordination and joint work between administrations bears fruit and strengthens the local police,” said 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 to overcome the pandemic, as well as the support of the Government to the force through the Public Safety Fund, which this year has been endowed with 16 million euros.
The president of the Consell Insular de Menorca, Susana Mora, highlighted the importance of the work of the force, especially during the pandemic. Finally, the mayor of Alaior, José Luis Benejam, expressed the pride that local police officers are for all citizens and the essential task they carry out.