Retirements within the Alicante Local Police force are severely mounting its operational capacity. On average, the force loses one officer per week to retirement, with no reinforcements arriving to cover the vacancies.
The municipal workforce currently consists of approximately 459 local police officers. This number will continue to fall until the end of the year, as the 35 newly appointed officers will not join the force until 2027. According to the political group Compromís, the number of officers needed to guarantee the safety of Alicante residents has reached a deficit of 200.
Rafa Mas, the spokesperson for Compromís, denounced the situation, stating that this gap in police ranks leaves Alicante increasingly abandoned. He noted that over 5,000 calls go unanswered every year due to a lack of personnel. Mas argued that this puts residents in danger and makes genuine community policing impossible, leading to a reduced presence in neighbourhoods, less crime prevention, and an inability to enforce local ordinances, such as those regulating the proliferation of tourist apartments.
Furthermore, Mas highlighted that these officers must be redeployed to the beaches during the summer season. Consequently, local neighbourhoods will be left completely without coverage, losing their community officers and leaving local cohabitation issues unresolved. He blamed the situation on the poor management of the local government, formed by the Partido Popular and supported by Vox, noting that while they approved the budgets, no funding was allocated to increase the number of police officers. A proposal to increase the workforce by 100 officers was approved in the January plenary session, but no progress has been made by the local government since the beginning of the year.
Police unions, including SITAP and SEP, have also denounced the working conditions, stating they are overwhelmed and have been demanding reinforcements for months to cope with the high volume of services, especially in summer. SITAP data shows that Alicante has 459 local police officers for a population of 358,720 residents. This represents a ratio of 1.28 officers per 1,000 residents, whereas the reference recommended by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) for large cities is 1.8, which would require 646 officers.
This means Alicante operates with nearly 190 fewer officers than advised by the FEMP. Even if all positions in the municipal staffing plan were filled, the city would remain below the recommended standard. The gap widens to more than 250 missing officers if the target ratio is set at two police officers per 1,000 inhabitants, which would require a total of 717 personnel. SITAP noted that state regulations allow municipal forces to expand beyond the number of retirements, as the national budget law sets a replacement rate of 125% for local police.
Roberto Selma, the SEP spokesperson for the Alicante Local Police, stated that they are at their limit, with no overtime being covered and no backup lists being used for special circumstances due to a lack of investment. Selma criticised politicians for historically treating Alicante like a small town rather than the major city it is. He explained that Alicante hosts events daily, including sports events, shows, and demonstrations, which consume massive police resources. He concluded that while the city wants to present an image of an elite force equipped with drones, horses, and dogs, it simply does not have enough actual officers.
