The Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, has called on the Spanish Government, the Government Delegation in the Valencian Community, and the Sub-delegation in Alicante for an immediate, stable, and sufficient reinforcement of state security forces in the municipality. Dolón described the latest crime figures as “absolutely inadmissible” for a city of Torrevieja’s size, population, and characteristics.
His reaction follows the release of the 2025 crime balance, which revealed that Torrevieja registered 10,089 criminal offences in 2025, compared to 9,316 recorded in 2024. This represents an 8.3 per cent increase in a single year. Local authorities highlighted several areas of concern, including 87 crimes against sexual freedom, 26 sexual assaults involving penetration (a 44.4 per cent increase on the previous year), and 1,022 cybercrimes, of which 895 were computer scams. Trends observed so far in 2026 show a similar pattern.
Dolón stressed that these statistics are not an unexpected development, noting that the local council has spent years warning the national government about the municipality’s need for more state agents. Requests have been submitted in writing, during meetings with the Government Sub-delegation, at Local Security Boards, and directly to the Director General of the Guardia Civil, Mercedes González.
The mayor reiterated that Torrevieja requires additional Guardia Civil officers on a permanent basis and expressed regret that responses to date have been insufficient. He noted that the city has undergone radical changes in recent years due to sustained population growth and seasonal demand that far exceeds official registry figures, particularly during summer months. Despite these changes, state security resources have failed to keep pace.
In response to the shortfall, the council highlighted its own efforts to expand local resources. This week, the municipality approved an expansion of the recruitment process for the Local Police, bringing the total to 63 agent positions. The selection process is expected to conclude in the coming months, allowing Torrevieja to enter 2027 with a force of nearly 200 officers, including command staff.
Dolón contrasted the local council’s efforts with the situation of the Guardia Civil, stating that Torrevieja’s extraordinary growth has not been matched by a proportional increase in state officers. He emphasised that his demands are not a criticism of the officers currently deployed in the city, but rather a defence of professionals who require more colleagues and better resources to serve a municipality with over 110,000 registered residents, a figure that multiplies during much of the year.
While coordination between the Local Police and the Guardia Civil remains continuous, Dolón warned that this collaboration must not serve as an excuse for the Ministry of the Interior to avoid increasing officer numbers. He stated that while Local Police can assist and carry out their duties, they cannot replace the Guardia Civil or assume responsibilities that belong directly to the state.
The mayor described the lack of response to repeated local requests as “incomprehensible and inadmissible”, adding that the national government is fully aware of the situation. In 2025, the local council formally requested that the Ministry of the Interior review the staffing catalogue for the Guardia Civil in Torrevieja, recommending the addition of more than 100 officers alongside the necessary equipment and resources.
The municipal petition calls for an immediate review of the Guardia Civil staffing catalogue in Torrevieja, a structural increase in personnel, a larger allocation of specialised units, and a specific plan adapted to the municipality’s demographic and seasonal growth.
Although official staffing figures are rarely clarified by the Government Sub-delegation, general estimates indicate that the main Torrevieja post has an official catalogue of around 200 positions if fully staffed. This post serves as the headquarters for the Torrevieja Territorial Company, under the Alicante Command. The company covers approximately 600 officers stationed across ordinary and auxiliary posts in 26 of the 27 municipalities in the Vega Baja region. The only exception is Orihuela city, which has its own National Police station for its population of roughly 40,000, although that force cannot operate in more than half of its own municipal territory, its villages, or Orihuela Costa.
Torrevieja’s ongoing reliance on the Guardia Civil as its primary security force remains exceptional, ranking alongside Madrid locations such as Las Rozas and Rivas-Vaciamadrid as one of the three main Guardia Civil posts in Spain without a dedicated National Police station, maintaining only a foreign national affairs office.
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