Police recommended for prestigious award

AT Villajoyosa’s next full council meeting, councillor for public safety and traffic, Isabel Perona will request that three local police officers be considered for a prestigious regional award – the police cross of merit with blue distinction.

The officers are Tomás José Sellés Linares, Juan Alejandro Jiménez Masiá and Francisco José Ponzoda Martínez, who saved the life of a baby in La Cala at Villajoyosa in a heroic police action.

The events took place on

Sunday, April 3, when the local police headquarters received a notification from the 112 emergency call centre that a six-week-old baby was alone at home after the adult caring for him was accidentally locked out without keys.

Officers A036, A166 and A202 were sent to the scene as quickly as possible.

Once in their patrol car they received new information from 112 that smoke was coming out of the home where the baby was locked in.

On arrival, the police were told that the child was on a sofa near the kitchen cooker where food was cooking.

Being aware of the consequences that smoke inhalation could have on a baby, and as the fire services had not yet arrived, the officers decided to act and kicked the front door in.

Once inside there was smoke everywhere but they were able to locate the baby on a sofa close to its source, explained a council spokesperson.

They quickly picked him up and exited the property.

As the baby had been exposed to smoke he was transferred by ambulance to Villajoyosa’s Marina Baixa hospital to be checked over.

In view of these facts, the council considers it appropriate to recognise and publicly reward the local police officers involved for the positive outcome of the action.

When Sra Perona presents the proposal at the plenary session, if approved it will be sent to the regional government so they can initiate appropriate proceedings for the award, based on the report of the chief of local police.

Strike against drug trafficking

Also recommended for the same award are seven local police officers who carried out an intervention at a shop in Calle Colón which enabled the dismantling of a narcotic sales point in the town.

A tip off from neighbours allowed the local police to raid a store where 12 kilos of marijuana and cash were being kept.

The man arrested was ‘pretending to run a cannabis club in order to deal in the substance’.