In an effort to limit coronavirus exposure and safeguard the health of not just workers but islanders at large, local law enforcement have taken to construction sites across the island to raise awareness and see to it that safety measures are being respected.

As the Covid-19 health crisis continues, construction is one of the sectors of the economy that remains active, with agreement still elusive regarding the reduction or suspension of services. Even still, staff of construction firms are required to adopt a series of specific preventive measures.

Among the health protocol that businesses and employees must follow are preventive measures as regards travel and construction workers.

Local officers of the law oversee patrols and hand out material to educate people on steps to follow such as physical distancing, thorough cleaning of tools and machinery and proper use of safety materials.

Weekend of stops on highways and country roads
Chief of interior Josep Marí applauded “the fabulous work during the health crisis of local police”. “Officers are already stopping people on highways and backroads and this weekend those patrols will be ramped up across country roads and at the entrances of beaches and the nature reserve”, he said, saying that the idea is to make sure everyone obeys the rules of confinement or else has a valid motive for leaving the house. Members of Civil Protection will be deployed to help as well.

Formentera’s police officers, too, will be following a set of strict measures to avoid transmission of coronavirus amongst themselves. Although partners will remain fixed so one sick officer doesn’t contaminate the whole force, officers will no longer travel two to a car. Officers must also wash their hands and their vehicles, among other measures, indicated Conseller Marí.

27 March 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

The Formentera Department of Interior reports that local law enforcement have used legislation from 9 July 2015 on the national protection system (Ley 17/2015) in issuing 15 citations to islanders for flouting confinement orders in the days since the state of alarm was declared. Fines, which are determined by the local office of the Spanish central government, vary from €1,500 to €30,000. Across the board, infractions involved individuals who had left home without a valid motive.

Conseller of the interior Josep Marí insisted that, infractions aside, islanders are generally heeding the rules following the declaration of state of alarm. Formentera’s inhabitants are called on to limit travel to a handful of specific cases. “All non-essential movement is out”, Marí asserted, “and people need to plan their trips to the grocery store wisely and and get them out of the way”. “The experts are saying this week will be crucial in terms of how the crisis develops, so we need to be extremely careful; now isn’t the time to be letting our guard down”.

Both Formentera Local Police and the Civil Guard will continue making traffic stops to see to it people play by the rules of confinement as laid out in the state of alarm, but according to Conseller Marí, “it’s vital people be responsible: we’ve got a tough two weeks ahead of us, but if everyone does their part, we’ll get through it”.

24 March 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

Formentera law enforcement unveiled a review of the force’s efforts in 2019 today, with interior councillor Josep Marí highlighting efforts to ramp up policing of itinerant vending, traffic violations and safety hasards in urban settings—an area that falls within the jurisdiction of the island’s local government.

For the first time in history, and certainly in 2019, local police pulled over motorists who sped on urban arterials—145 were given infractions. In another first, police administered roadside sobriety tests and 21 drivers tested positive. Also this summer, the force reported 257 cases of illegal vending—that’s 142 more than in 2018, when the total was 115.

Accidents and arrests
Officers intervened in 33 accidents—14 that had occurred on town roads and 19 on intertown roads. In the process, 13 individuals were detained and turned over to the Guárdia Civil.

Infractions of municipal ordinances
Twelve individuals were cited for violating the island’s rule against camping, 8 were written up for aggressive advertising on the public thoroughfare, 4 for allowing pets to go without a lead and 5 for failing to respect restrictions on building. Forty individuals were reported for violating the public safety law (llei de seguretat ciutadana) by carrying drugs, and another two for resisting. As far as itinerant vending is concerned, 23 citations were written for possession of a weapon (knives for cutting fruit) and another 8 went out for infractions of safeguards to protect areas of dune regeneration.

Lost objects and canine unit
Of 295 objects that were found, 133 —nearly half— were returned to their owners. The canine unit took part in 34 anti-drug measures in public areas like squares and parks.

Police liaison
Formentera’s police liaison intervened 82 times in 2019—14 of the cases involved bullying or cyberbullying, 2 involved vandalism, 16 underage consumption of alcohol or drugs near a schol, 16 family conflicts, 11 truancy. Likewise, young people attended 21 school talks about emerging technologies, bullying and drugs, while parents were invited to 3 such talks.

5 February 2020
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Today at noon, the Junta Local de Seguretat (Local Security Junta) gathered under joint chairs Alejandra Ferrer and head of central government affairs on Eivissa and Formentera, Enrique Sánchez Navarrete. Also at the encounter were the provincial under-secretary of transit, Laura Pelaez, local vice-president Ana Juan, and Rafael Ramírez, Josep Marí and Vanessa Parellada, the local chiefs of social welfare, interior and equality and youth, respectively. Additional attendees included representatives of local political parties and spokespeople for the Civil Guard, National and Local Police and Civil Protection.

Among the issues at the centre of discussion was the undocumented arrival on the island this summer of migrants. President Ferrer said officials had agreed "to put protocol in place to define the functions of the various security forces and arms of local government" in an effort to "improve coordination and better respond to an unexpected problem".

Alejandra Ferrer highlighted the efforts and involvement of Formentera's social welfare department, not to mention the local police and other forces of order, some of them volunteers. She also pointed out that the administration has begun the process of hiring new staff to work with minors. She also pleaded with other arms of government to reinforce the staff and material resources they dedicate to the matter.

Mr Sánchez, for his part, highlighted "prodigious coordination between the Consell and forces of order around arriving migrants" and tied the arrivals to the political situation south of the Mediterranean, insisting that "we won't see changes until we see changes happening in Algeria".

Road safety
Meeting attendees also spoke about the surge in deaths on local highways, a total that hit five this summer. President Ferrer spoke of a "winter push to educate islanders, particularly young ones, about the importance of safety on our roads". Projected to run parallel this winter with the educational campaign are increased traffic stops by local law enforcement.

Formentera, the safest island
Mr Sánchez pointed out that "today Formentera is the safest of the Balearic Islands". Speaking ahead of the release of official year-end figures, he hinted that "this year there’s been no significant increase in crime, but increases have been seen in crime resolution".

Participants also sat for a general review of the 2019 season, where prominent features included the efforts and coordination of local law enforcement, firefighters, Protection Civil and other emergency response services.

Local Security Junta meetings take place twice a year and today's gathering marked the first of the legislative term. One held before the start of summer serves to prepare the various security forces, while a post-season wrap-up is aimed at defining efforts over the winter and necessary work ahead of the coming summer.

21 November 2019
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera