Formentera welcomes island's new police chief

CiF president Jaume Ferrer and Bartomeu Escandell, secretary of the presidential cabinet, welcomed the man who will lead the island's local police force from today.

Félix Ramos fills a position left vacant on December 31 by Joan Mayans, the force's former chief, when he took on an administrative charge. In recent months the position has been covered by second-in-command Pep Yern.

President Ferrer praised Mr Yern's work on the force and wished his replacement the best of luck as commander of the local police. “We want local law enforcement to have the structure they need to be able to provide effective service to islanders and Formentera's summertime visitors”, he said. Ferrer also noted that registration is currently open for individuals interested in applying to fill any of the force's six available spaces.

Mr Ramos joins the Formentera local police after 26 years on the force in Sant Antoni de Portmany, where he occupied a senior post from 2008. One of his tasks will be to implement a new, bilateral command structure, which he described as “a personal challenge”.  After his years in public safety, Ramos says he felt drawn to the prospect of professional growth and the task of developing a better service together with the existing force.

The new headquarters of the local police department is described as a “specialised centre for management and organisation”. Authority within the structure will be split, a setup which is intended to strengthen overall directive functioning. Police chief Ramos will oversee these operations and coordinate the heads of different branches of the force.