No 934 Monday 29th August - Sunday 4 September 2022
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Keeping people safe and informed for over 18 years - The Costa Blanca’s oldest ‘FREE’ English language newspaper
IS THE EMERGENCY CENTRE BECOMING A 2 MILLION EURO ‘WHITE ELEPHANT’?
M
ore than three months after the opening of the 2 million euro Orihuela Costa Emergency centre, much lauded during a visit at the end of May by the mayor, Carolina Gracia, the deputy mayor, José Aix, and several Orihuela councillors, the building is already being called a ‘white elephant’ as, during the height of the summer season, when it’s promised services were most in demand, the facilities continue to operate at half throttle, in what community groups are already calling ‘a sham’. A 4,700-square-metre building, currently with more offices than staff, only houses the Immigration Office of the National Police, to process NIE’s (Foreigner Identity Documents), and the Local Police, who keep it operational 24 hours a day, both of which were previously accommodated in the Playa Flamenca Town Hall. Three months ago the public were told that only a few small details remained, signage, minor furnishings and so forth, as it’s doors were thrown open during a visit by the mayor, Carolina Gracia, and her entourage. Even at that stage, she said that it was "an opportunity" to formally ask the Consell to expand it’s services, incorporating new procedures that "due to lack of space, or for other reasons, could not previously be provided" but that could now be transferred into to these new facilities. It had already been confirmed that the Civil Guard would move in, reintroducing a service that had been suspended in the Town Hall during the pandemic and yet to be replaced, thereby avoiding the 10 kilometre trips to the Torre de la Horadada barracks in order to report crime or file complaints. Antonio Sánchez, Councillor Security, said they are being prevented from making the move because of a computer problem; that is to say, the necessary logistics do not exist in the Emergency centre for the office to operate securely, something that the Civil Guard itself must solve with the installation of its private network. Other sources, however, point to a lack of officers. At the moment, there is no date for the start of activities by the Benemérita in the brand new centre, a concrete giant that operates as a near-empty shell.
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