Manilva’s Local Police will have a new chief again just a few weeks after the last change at the top of the force. The Town Hall has announced that Javier González will be the new head of the Local Police once Mateo Collado retires.
Both officers were received by the mayor of Manilva and head of the Public Safety department, Mario Jiménez, at a meeting that also addressed the current challenges facing the police service in the municipality.
During the meeting, the mayor again raised one of the objectives that the governing team has been defending in terms of security: the creation of 15 new Local Police posts, as well as continuing to press the competent bodies on the need to strengthen the Guardia Civil station in the town.
One change after another at the top
The announcement of the new chief comes at a striking moment, as Mateo Collado was appointed chief of the Local Police only two months ago.
On 8 January 2026, the Town Hall held the official retirement ceremony for the force’s previous chief, Juan Montero, after more than 36 years of service. At the same ceremony, Collado’s appointment as the new head of the Local Police was formalised.
Now, with his upcoming retirement, the Town Hall is again announcing a new change at the head of the force, which will fall to Javier González, who will take on responsibility for leading the Local Police in the new phase.
The promise to expand the force
At the January ceremony, the mayor had already set out the governing team’s intention to increase the police force by 15 new officers, a measure which, as he argued at the time, would improve the service’s operational capacity and strengthen security in the municipality.
That same objective has been mentioned again following the announcement of the new change at the top.
Criticism from the opposition
As we reported, the announcement of these posts had already drawn criticism from the opposition on the council. The Partido Popular de Manilva recently questioned the feasibility of bringing in those officers during the current term of office.
According to a public statement issued in January, the Town Hall does not yet have an approved Municipal Budget for 2026, nor a Public Employment Offer including new Local Police posts, nor a formal expansion of the force. As of today, the situation remains the same.
They also pointed out that the administrative procedures needed to bring in new officers, from budget approval to academy training, can take between 14 and 21 months, which would mean new police officers actually arriving, in the best case, from 2027.
Meanwhile, the Town Hall now faces another change at the head of the Local Police, the second in just a few weeks, with many fronts open.
