Safety planning for the coming summer

jutnalocal2014 webThis morning saw the celebration of a meeting by the local safety junta (Junta Local de Seguretat), where Council president Jaume Ferrer; island director to the Spanish national administration in Eivissa and Formentera Rafael Garcia; the head of Formentera Local Police; the corporal of the Guàrdia Civil of Formentera; a representative from the Civil Protection volunteer corps and members from each of the island political parties were all present.

These gatherings have become a routine part of the strategy to coordinate safety measures on the island during the summer season. Another branch of this coordination was the recent meeting of the local safety council (Consell Local de Seguretat), itself composed of various citizens' groups based on Formentera. The goal of the safety council is to serve as a platform for the concerns of local residents as well as a voice of representation at meetings of the safety junta.

To a large extent resident concerns brought to this year's meeting of the junta towed the line of those expressed in 2013. These included the sale of illicit drugs at specific locations such as Sant Ferran; as well as the unlawful practise of professional activity and continued presence of the Guàrdia Civil at the Port of La Savina, this being the island's only point of entry and exit. Additionally, given this year's scarcity of rain, another matter of discussion was the heightened risk of forest fires. Previous meetings of the JLS (Junta Local de Seguretat) had also raised this issue in the interest of putting preventative actions in place.

In fact, the local administration here will request that air-based security forces be deployed more often between Eivissa and Formentera, chiefly toward the end of combatting the risk of forest fires. Both Council president Jaume Ferrer and director Garcia made pleas to the population of Formentera, asking for increased attention and cooperation on these matters.

Formentera Council president Ferrer informed that a request had been made for six additional local police officers in Formentera during the tourist season, added to the already existing total of eighteen. Such an increase would allow for a regular nightly patrol in Es Pujols and Sant Ferran. As for officers of the Guàrdia Civil, Garcia confirmed that the number maintained in previous years – twenty-three – would not change in summer 2014.

The junta committed to continue strengthening safety on the island with a varied approach that will include a stricter checks at the Port of La Savina and a greater presence of Guàrdia Civil traffic units across the island. The central administration is also working to this end, requesting a reinforcement of numbers for Guàrdia Civil traffic officers, thus enabling more traffic safety controls like those witnessed last year. As of today's date it was not yet clear how many officers would be added to Formentera's civil guard forces nor whether they would remain on Formentera for an extended period. It is nevertheless doubtless that significant action will be taken to guarantee road safety.

Director Garcia also alluded to an increase in national police activity on the island, stating that this would occur in concert with Formentera's local police forces. Additional details about these actions will be available starting in June.

Regarding the subject of illegal practise of professions and unfair competition, we remind readers that a special one-off session of the JLS was held last year to specifically address this issue. This work has translated into concrete measures such as periodic work inspections to ensure a universal equality of conditions on the island.

Both the Formentera Council president and the island director of the Spanish national administration heralded the effective coordination between the Guàrdia Civil and Formentera local police that led to the solution of several different safety issues, and reiterated their commitment to upholding a safe environment year round on Formentera.

Public order is one of the priorities of Formentera's governing team. It is for this reason that they strive to ensure ever more exhaustive checks by local police units and ever increased coordination between the different public safety forces. All of these measures combined serve to improve safety on the island of Formentera.