Starting today, Formentera Local Police will rely on a drone to help enforce rules of confinement. Supplementing patrols already being carried out by law enforcement, the aircraft will be used to ensure islanders follow orders and stay in their homes, save for outings for activities specifically permitted under the state of alarm.

“Flights will focus on wide open spaces where ground surveillance is poses particular problems”, said interior conseller Josep Marí, “and if someone is found breaking the rules, officers will proceed to the scene to issue a ticket.”

It is hoped that the measure, which is the latest among a battery of controls already being deployed on island highways and roads, will deter islanders from disobeying confinement guidelines. The drone has a runtime of two hours and a camera with zoom capability. Random drone flights will continue until the state of alarm is lifted.

3 April 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

According to the Formentera Department of Interior, local law enforcement have issued 30 citations to individuals who violated confinement orders laid out by the state of alarm proclamation. The local bureau of the central government is responsible for processing the infractions and determining corresponding fines. All the cases involved individuals who had left their house without a valid motive.

In the words of department chief Josep Marí, “we wish we hadn’t had to issue a single one of the thirty”. He added that Monday marked the rollout of increasingly restrictive state of alarm-related measures aimed at preventing as many transmissions as possible: “The only trips out of the house must be absolutely essential. And when we do go out, every single time we need to be following safety measures dutifully; not just for our own protection, but for other’s as well”.

1 April 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

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