The new Chief Superintendent of the National Police in the Balearics, José Antonio Puebla, will be ‘particularly sensitive’ to the problems of sectors such as tourism, which he has described as one of the main ‘drivers’ of the region and the country.
This was the message conveyed by the Chief Superintendent during his speech after taking up his post at a ceremony held on Thursday in Palma and presided over by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. Puebla has set among his objectives the improvement of police efficiency levels “by putting the citizen at the centre, both residents and visitors” and optimising the resources available to the Regional Police Headquarters.
Furthermore, he has indicated that he will be “particularly sensitive” to the problems of economic sectors such as tourism, which he has described as one of the main “drivers” of the Balearics and of Spain as a whole. Another area he will focus on, he noted, will be relations with trade union representatives, with whom he has had “very good rapport” in the past, and collaboration with social and neighbourhood movements, business associations and any public or private institution “interested in improving security in their local area”.
The new Chief of Police for the Balearic Islands also mentioned in his speech issues such as the fight against terrorism, irregular immigration, human trafficking, gender-based violence and support for the most vulnerable groups. Puebla also reflected on his early days at the Balearic Islands Police Headquarters. ‘Nothing seemed to foreshadow on 7 January 2018, when I arrived in Palma, that eight years later I would be taking command; I hadn’t even dreamed of it,’ he confessed.
The time he spent at the helm of the Provincial Public Safety Brigade was, for him, ‘a great police academy and a vital learning experience’. ‘I experienced tragic floods, the surge in tourist arrivals, the challenge of migration, a pandemic, and also the emergence of new forms of organised, transnational and, above all, cybercrime, which we are tackling in its entirety and which in other countries is undermining public institutions,’ he emphasised.
Puebla has rejected “personal agendas, poorly managed egos and individual actions”, given that “they are unlikely to end in success”, and has reached out to the Guardia Civil, local police forces, private detectives and security guards. ‘On this basis, I intend to continue the magnificent work of my predecessors in the post. It is a challenge, given their profiles,’ he concluded.