Manilva Town Hall held a formal ceremony today to mark the retirement of the outgoing chief of the Local Police, Juan Montero, and the appointment of Mateo Collado as the new head of the police force. The event was attended by municipal representatives, colleagues and family members, and served to recognise Montero’s professional career after more than 36 years of service.
During the ceremony, the mayor of Manilva, Mario Jiménez, who also holds responsibility for Public Safety, praised the work carried out by the outgoing chief and reiterated the governing team’s commitment to renewing and strengthening the Local Police. In this regard, he again mentioned the plan to expand the workforce with 15 new officers, a measure which, he said, would improve the force’s operational capacity and strengthen security in the municipality.
Criticism from the opposition
This announcement has drawn criticism from the municipal opposition, with the Partido Popular de Manilva questioning whether such an expansion is realistically achievable within the current term of office. In a press release published on its social media accounts yesterday, the group recalls that, although in September 2025 the mayor publicly stated that those 15 posts would be filled before the end of the term, to date the administrative steps needed to make it possible have not been completed.
According to the opposition, the Town Hall still has no approved Municipal Budget for 2026, no Public Employment Offer (OEP) that includes new Local Police posts, and no formal expansion of the workforce. They also point out that only three posts were advertised during the previous Partido Popular term, and warn that, without a budget or an OEP, no process to recruit new officers can legally begin.
In this context, they stress that even in an optimistic scenario, the usual administrative timescales (budget approval, OEP, call for applications, selection process, training and work placements) would take between 14 and 21 months, which would delay the actual arrival of the new officers until 2027 at the earliest.
Added to this is the concern expressed by the opposition over a possible leadership crisis in the Local Police, arising from the chief’s retirement and from legal limitations on other officers taking over the post through the regular procedure. According to the opposition, this situation could force a provisional appointment by direct decision of the mayor’s office, a method used in the past and one that is again generating controversy.
While the governing team defends its roadmap and its commitment to strengthening public safety, the opposition considers that the promises made do not match the current administrative situation and calls for greater planning and transparency to guarantee the stability and proper functioning of the Local Police.
