A manual for local managers
José Martínez Espasa, chief commissioner of the Local Police in Gandia and former head of the Local Police in Dénia, together with criminology and psychology professor at the Catholic University of Valencia Adrián Jiménez Ribera, presented their joint work at the Dénia library. It is a technical text of 700 pages designed for municipal officials and those responsible for public safety.
The book proposes addressing urban security from prevention and anticipation, incorporating citizen collaboration as the axis of management that spans different areas of local administration, beyond police action.
Call to involve all of society
Martínez Espasa described the work as "a call to action", and reasoned his approach by noting that "it is very difficult for security and the solution to problems to be led solely by the police".
Dénia's council member for Public Safety, Javier Scotto, author of the book's foreword, spoke at the event and defined the proposal as "a transformation of the conservative security model". Scotto added that "security cannot be understood only from a punitive perspective".
Criminologist Vicente Garrido also participated in the subsequent discussion, defending that preventive policies should be built "from the bottom up", starting from work in neighbourhoods.
Gentrification, betting shops and new threats
Both the authors and other participants expressed concern about how gentrification, the closure of local commerce and the departure of elderly people from certain neighbourhoods affect security. Martínez Espasa also pointed to the increase in tourist flats and betting shops as elements that have an impact on this matter, although this point was not independently confirmed.
During the debate, municipal resources aimed at combating cyberbullying, violence against women among young people and sexual offences in nightlife venues were also mentioned.
