Villajoyosa Council has launched a recruitment drive for 11 new Local Police positions, a measure that will increase the current workforce by 15 per cent. This expansion will see the force grow from its current 74 personnel to a total of 85 officers. Of these posts, six are open access positions through public examinations, and five are mobility positions filled via a merit-based competition. The call for these roles has already been published in the Official Provincial Gazette.
The Councillor for Public Safety, Jaime Santamaría, explained that the application window for these new positions is now open. He highlighted that these roles are in addition to those created last year, meaning that over a two-year period, the police force has increased by 21 positions. Santamaría stated that while the force will reach 85 personnel with these 11 new additions, the ultimate goal is to fill all 91 positions outlined in the staff list.
Santamaría praised the excellent work carried out by the entire Local Police force and acknowledged the necessity of expanding the team to meet the daily demands of a municipality like Villajoyosa. He pointed out that while the registered population is almost 40,000 residents, the real population reaches 70,000, peaking at 130,000 in the height of summer. This factor, combined with the complex geography of the municipality—spanning 53 square kilometres and 14 kilometres of coastline—means officers handle a substantial volume of work every day.
The councillor provided data to illustrate this workload. In 2025, the Villajoyosa Local Police carried out a total of 23,922 actions, averaging around 2,000 interventions per month. Among these, 6,401 related to traffic issues, 5,706 involved assistance and care, 4,858 were administrative tasks, 3,455 related to public safety, and 1,908 were collaborations with other security forces and bodies. Santamaría noted that these statistics do not even include cultural, festive, or sporting events, which also require police presence on top of daily operations.
The current force of 74 people means the city operates on a ratio that allows for 1.5 police officers per 1,000 registered residents, a figure that is effectively halved given the actual population size. Despite the constraints, Santamaría praised the force’s effectiveness, citing a recent rapid arrest of a suspect following a violent robbery at a café on Colón Street.
He also stressed that the Council continues to request support from other administrations. A Guardia Civil barracks is located in the town, and the council has unanimously approved plenary agreements to ask the Government Sub-delegation to increase the number of officers in that force. Santamaría described the Guardia Civil as great professionals who lack resources, adding that the cooperation between the Local Police and the Guardia Civil remains excellent.
Over the last two years, Villajoyosa Council has invested in technical and material resources for the Local Police. Alongside new vehicles and protective equipment, a budget of more than 100,000 euro has been allocated to tender new video surveillance systems for real-time crime prevention and identification. The councillor emphasized that this investment has been achieved without increasing taxes for citizens. Furthermore, resources are being provided to the newly approved Rapid Intervention Unit so it can begin operating this summer, while work is also underway to reinstate the “Neighbourhood Police” to provide a reassuring, visible presence on the streets.
