The mayor of Algorfa, Manuel Ros (PSOE), has on five occasions, refused to purchase a breathalyser for the use of his local police.
The matter might seem quite trivial apart from the fact that in January Snr Ros was stopped whilst driving through Benijófar where he tested positive, being three times over the limit of alcohol allowed. He subsequently lost his license for a year, was fined 720 euro and, in order to keep his job, was made to apologise in a plenary attended by the socialist district secretary, Manuel Pineda
But despite his show of contrition, according to union bosses, Ros is now failing to meet the demand of his agents who wish to be able to fight drivers who operate in the municipality whilst under the influence of alcohol.
Having recently declared an annual surplus of 800,000 euros following the closure of its 2017 accounts, the Council should not have too much difficulty in acquiring the breathalyser if the mayor ever changes his mind!
However the breathalyser is not the only request made by the CSIF union, who for some time have been asking for bullet and stab proof vests for their officers and an Animal Restraining Pole to catch and restrain potentially dangerous dogs.
But their main complaint is the appalling condition of their patrol cars, two of which are more than 9 years old and with more than 400,000 kilometres on the clock.
Agents say that they are fed up of seeing their patrol cars always in the workshop, in addition to the continuous breakdowns that they suffer. One officer said “We never know if we will be able to get to incidents because of the state of our cars,” remembering Christmas 2016 when the force was left without a patrol car having to borrow one from a nearby force.
