Callosa de Segura was left completely unpatrolled during the night shift on Saturday, January 17, the Professional Union of Local Police of Vega Baja (SPPLB) has revealed. The union claims the town hall knew in advance that two officers were on sick leave but failed to provide replacements.
According to the union’s complaint to Mayor Amparo Serrano (PSOE), the only “police coverage” that night came from a single officer working from home—handling calls via the official phone rather than patrolling the streets. The union described this arrangement as unprecedented and possibly outside standard regulations.
This wasn’t the first incident. On the previous Saturday, January 10, only one officer was on duty between 2:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., leaving the entire municipality effectively unprotected. Both incidents occurred shortly after Chief Juan Antonio Sánchez Pérez returned on January 1, following a two-and-a-half-year absence due to medical leave and assignments in another town.
SPPLB also criticizes the town’s management of overtime assignments, which relies on a manual log rather than formal service orders—a system the union calls “arbitrary and lacking control.”
Despite 15 officers currently in training at the IVASPE academy—a fact known since September 2025—the union notes that total coverage lapses never occurred before, even during long-term absences.
The union is now demanding a formal investigation into the chief’s management and warns that City Councilor Javier Pérez Trigueros, who is aware of the situation, has failed to act. Trigueros, from the independent UCIN party, is set to take over as mayor soon under a power-sharing agreement with the PSOE.
Callosa de Segura, a town of 20,000, relies on its local police and a nearby Guardia Civil station, which also covers neighboring municipalities including Redován, Cox, Benferri, Rafal, and Granja de Rocamora. The union warns that without proper staffing, residents are left vulnerable during night hours.
