An urgent meeting was held today with the mayor and security chief Jose Manuel Fernandez, following a request from a group of local traders who have taken the initiative to collect signatures to submit to the competent authority, and who have already gathered more than 1,000 signatures in the first few hours.
This first meeting was brought about by the business owners themselves, who expressed to Fernandez their deep concern about the increase in criminal acts that their businesses have been suffering in recent weeks.
In a cordial atmosphere of complete cooperation and understanding, Manilva’s mayor first listened attentively to the traders’ demands and took a firm and decisive position in favour of any initiative put forward to improve security. He stressed that these matters must be kept away from party politics, and said he was convinced that the whole Town Council would join this collective campaign, adding the signatures of all the councillors.
José Manuel Fernández, as the person with ultimate responsibility for public safety in the municipality, told those present that he is working to increase the number of Local Police posts as far as the law allows, with proceedings under way to open 3 new posts shortly, although these officers will not be operational until the end of the year at the earliest.
Other options in the shorter term were also discussed, but they require authorisation from the Government Sub-delegate in Málaga, Mr Francisco Javier Salas Ruiz. According to Fernandez, the Town Hall has offered to accompany the traders to the Government Sub-delegation in Málaga to hand over all the signatures collected in person and try to convey the urgent need to strengthen security in Manilva, providing it with enough officers to guarantee maximum protection for both the commercial sector and residents as a whole.
During the meeting, the mayor also provided relevant information, such as the existing police reports showing around 487 interventions by our Local Police so far this year, the repeated requests made to supra-municipal bodies on security matters, and the minutes of the Security Board meetings held.
With this joining of forces, Manilva Town Hall and its traders, who hope that all residents will join them by adding their signatures, intend to work together to find effective solutions that will restore peace of mind to this corner of the Costa del Sol, which has always been known for exactly that.
The signature sheets will be available for a few days at any shop in the town.
