The issue of insecurity in urban areas such as Salamanca, where incidents of theft have been reported since May 20, including five involving knives, alongside an uptick in drug users (according to residents), was the focal point of the municipal oversight committee meeting yesterday. The Councillor for Security, Gladis de León, remarked that “the responsibility for public safety lies with the National Police and the Civil Guard, although the local police provide assistance, the primary responsibility rests with the Government Subdelegation, and thus that is where we must advocate for resources.”
This statement was made in response to the socialist member Florentino Guzmán, who had requested her attendance to inquire about the measures to be implemented in this area following complaints from local residents and business owners, as well as the proposal from seven community organisations to establish a local neighbourhood police force.
De León communicated that “collaborative efforts are being made to enhance the perception of insecurity reported, with operations already in motion to address the situation. Consequently, meetings have been held with community organisations and the visibility of officers is being strengthened, supported by the Canine Unit.”
In contrast, Guzmán accused the councillor of “deceiving” the public since “she has yet to meet with those impacted.” Furthermore, he asserted that the local police “are not merely present to issue fines but also to ensure the safety of residents. If she boasts about the increase in municipal agents, why does she not allocate more to patrol the streets, especially considering that crime rates in the municipality have surged by 17% so far this year,” he retorted.
Additional matters concerning the housing crisis were discussed during the committee session. At the behest of VOX, the appointed councillor for the area, Belén Mesa, stated that “the council is actively seeking plots to allocate for social housing and is even contemplating amendments to the General Planning Plan (PGO) to convert land designated for public use into residential areas.”
The subject of holiday rentals was also raised following a motion from the PSOE, directed at the Councillor for Urban Planning, Zaida González, who admitted that she was unaware of the number of properties currently used for this purpose in the municipality, as the oversight lies with the Government of the Canary Islands.
Additionally, the taxi sector was prominently featured, and the mayor of Mobility, Evelyn Alonso, informed the PSOE that there are now 650 taxi drivers operating following the reinstatement of licenses, with 22 of these granted this year for a total of 814,000 euros.
