Eleven more Local Police officers recruited for eastern Costa del Sol town

Mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, welcomed 11 new Local Police officers on Monday 7 July who are doing the final phase of their training in the town until November.

The officers have already completed their theoretical training period, carried out during the last four months at the Academy of the Institute of Emergencies and Public Safety of Andalucía (IESPA), based in Seville.

With these eleven additions, the police force in the Axarquía town has surpassed one hundred officers, although it is still a long way from the 120 it had in 2008. The aim of the town hall is to reach 130 or 140 officers within a maximum period of two years.

Lupiáñez stressed that these additions "reaffirm our continued work to strengthen the security of the municipality, one of our main concerns, and in which we will continue to grow in the short and medium term to make our streets safer every day. I am very proud of the work being done by the Local Police", he said.

The 11 new officers maintain their status as trainees, pending the final period of training in Vélez in order to acquire a greater knowledge of the local area, which can be gained through the service with more experienced colleagues.

"It is a very important day, very happy, because eleven new colleagues are joining us, who after theoretical training at the IESPA will be with us in training until the end of November, when they will take possession as career officers and will be fully incorporated into the staff,’ explained head of the Local Police, Rafael Mora. He said that it was "very positive" that they are in the summer period, providing "essential reinforcement".