The mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, has forced the retirement of Vicente Gutiérrez Sola, the Chief Commissioner of the Local Police, just days before his 65th birthday, despite the officer’s request to stay on for a few more months to complete his full pension contribution period.
Gutiérrez Sola packed up his office and left the police station on Friday, complying with a resolution initiated by Mayor Dolón and processed through multiple layers of the local administration.
The resolution—drafted by the Director General of Personnel, Rosana Narejos; resolved by the Councilor for Personnel, María José Ruiz; proposed by the new Director General of Police, Alejandro Morer; and signed by Councilor for Police, Federico Alarcón—cited Spanish law, which does not permit security force officials to remain in office beyond the age of 65.
Temporary Leadership and Legal Tensions
Superintendent Óscar Cartón has been appointed as acting police chief, a move described as provisional but likely to become permanent. The City Council appears to be anticipating a legal challenge from Gutiérrez Sola and is treading carefully before making the appointment final.
The outgoing commissioner, a veteran in local policing across the province, has made no public statements. However, it’s known that in an internal memo earlier this year, he requested a brief extension past April 11 to meet the 38 years and three months required for full pension benefits.
Complicating matters, Alejandro Morer—who authored the proposal for Gutiérrez’s removal—was, until recently, a subordinate as one of the two local police superintendents. His recent promotion places him in a position of authority over the now-retired commissioner. Gutiérrez had previously appealed Morer’s elevation to a senior role.
Broader Pattern in Popular Party-Led Cities
The forced retirement in Torrevieja mirrors similar actions in other Popular Party-led cities like Alicante and Orihuela, where mayors have also accelerated the retirements of high-ranking police officials. In contrast, those officials were given several months’ notice. Gutiérrez, however, was given just four days before reaching the legal age limit on April 11.
A Long Tenure Marked by Turbulence
Gutiérrez took charge of the Torrevieja Local Police in 2010 under the administration of then-mayor Pedro Hernández Mateo. His appointment, alongside that of then-Director General Javier Mínguez, aimed to restore internal order in a police force plagued by cases of harassment and misconduct and to improve coordination with the Civil Guard—a goal he partially achieved.
Lack of Transparency from Town Hall
Town Hall officials have offered no public explanation for Gutiérrez’s sudden removal, despite holding a press conference on Friday to discuss unrelated council matters.
This pattern follows other recent retirements in which senior officials with decades of service—who had raised legal concerns about the mayor’s decisions—were denied retirement extensions despite protections under civil service law..
