The former CEFIRE building in San Antón, abandoned and damaged by the 2019 DANA floods, has been recovered and transformed by the Orihuela Local Police into a fully functional training center now open to officers from other municipalities. Once slated for demolition, the building was rehabilitated entirely by police officers in their free time, using no budget or external contractors and repurposing available materials.
During the presentation, Mayor Pepe Vegara praised the initiative, highlighting that it demonstrates the Local Police’s commitment, teamwork, and forward-looking approach. He emphasized that the new center, alongside the police headquarters’ existing training classroom and shooting range, positions Orihuela as a regional benchmark in police preparation and training.
City Councilor Mónica Pastor explained that when officers first accessed the building, it still contained mud, debris, broken furniture, and shattered doors and windows. The police themselves proposed using the building and gradually cleaned and restored it, discarding what was unusable and reusing what could be salvaged.
The facility now includes a tactical training and building intervention area, a classroom for theory, a tatami for self-defense practice, and a daily police presence point to serve the San Antón neighborhood and local sports center users.
The training center has already hosted officers from other municipalities, as well as from Valencia and Elche.
Pastor emphasized the human effort behind the project, describing it as a demonstration of “effort and hope”, showing how dedication and public service can turn an abandoned building into a place for the future.
Police Chief Rubén Selma noted that the center fulfills a need for space to practice building interventions, complementing the existing shooting range and training classroom, and allows officers to train in specialized areas with expert instructors.
