The Policia Local on the Orihuela Costa have criticised the conditions of their small sub-station on the ground floor of the Playa Flamenca Town Hall, likening it to an overcrowded cave which they say is dark, dirty and unhygienic.
They say they have a locker room that is cramped and with little space, broken urinals, dangerous lighting and a garage that is far too full of equipment, most of it belonging to other departments that operate from the town hall. They have no ventilation and the humidity is often unbearable.
They add that the furniture is in even worse condition, most of which is old and broken. The dining area has broken lights, the armchairs are old and dirty and there is no smoke extraction system.
“How can you work in such conditions”? said a representative of the unions, (UGT, CSIF and SPPLB) who have already addressed their complaints to the City and who are still waiting for a solution.
“These are third world conditions with changing lockers in the same room where people take a shower or use the toilet, where the water overflows and where the ground is constantly wet.”
But what most angers the police unions is that most of these deficiencies were denounced years ago and still there has been no action from the local government. In fact, there is a report compiled by the Department of Occupational Risks in 2016, which also highlighted many of the complaints.
The union representative said that there is plenty of available space adjacent to their current accommodation that, with a minor investment, could be used to make these facilities far better.
Last Thursday, however, in the ordinary plenary session held in Orihuela city, the union spokesman spoke of the deficiencies. He said that the officers do not want to enter into a war with the government but they do need to see some progress to their accommodation.
The spokesman said that the response they received was unconvincing. The Security Councillor, who is also responsible for the Local Police, Mariola Rocamora, told them she “does not think it necessary to expand the facilities because the areas that are destined to become storage areas and garages would be reduced, adding that, when the building it is completed in a couple of years’ time, they will be moving to the Emergency Centre In La Zenia.”
So for the time being it seems as though the local police officers will have to continue operating from their cramped, filthy and unhygienic conditions, because the municipal government has no intention of doing a thing about it.
