· Francisco Martín, to the National Police: “You must be at the forefront of society to be able to continue to be useful for at least another two hundred years”
· The government delegate paid tribute to the former Minister of the Interior, Pérez Rubalcaba, as a reference for freedom and democracy.
· “Committed to you”, motto commemorating the bicentenary of the creation of the National Police Corps
This morning, the event commemorating the bicentenary of the creation of the National Police Force was held in the Madrid town of Alcorcón with the inaugurations of the Glorieta National Police and the new denomination of the Unified Security Center, which will be called “Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba”, in tribute to the former Minister of the Interior.
In addition to being a government delegate, the event was attended by the mayor of Alcorcón, Candelaria Testa Romero, the general director of the Police, Francisco Pardo Piqueras and the chief commissioner of the National Police Station of Alcorcón, Antonio Álvarez Zapata.
After the inauguration of the Glorieta of the National Police, those present accompanied the widow of Pérez Rubalcaba, Pilar Goya, to the inauguration of the Unified Security Center under the name of “Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba”.
In his speech, Francisco Martín, paid tribute to the political figure of Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba as a reference for freedom and democracy, highlighted the work carried out by the National Police in our society and praised the values that unite them as public servants: “Love and loyalty to your country and a deep sense of duty.”
Pérez Rubalcaba, “an integral person in his struggle for peace and freedom”
“I am grateful on behalf of the Government, but also in a personal capacity, that a person with the human and political quality of Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is recognized with a public space,” said Francisco Martín, who recalled the figure of the former Minister of the Interior as an integral person in his struggle for peace and freedom “in very hard times, with genuine dedication and passion.”
Commitment to the values of freedom and democracy
The government delegate has highlighted the important work of the Police in its commitment to defend the values of freedom and democracy, “as Alfredo always liked to emphasize”: “Integrity, loyalty, the vocation of service, companionship and discipline are the foundations on which you support your work and are, without doubt, the main asset of this institution and explain why the National Police is one of the institutions most valued, respected and loved by the citizens.”
Francisco Martín has made reference to the success of the motto of this celebration ‘Committed with you’, “because it perfectly reflects your vocation of public service and help towards the other” and “the commitment you have had in these 200 years with Spanish society”.
Close to the celebration of International Women’s Day, the delegate wanted to highlight “the important qualitative change that the incorporation of women into the Police has meant for the Corps”.
Public safety, common heritage
Finally, Francisco Martín has guaranteed that the Government will continue to invest in public security as one of the great assets of our country and our Community. He highlighted the improvements in infrastructure and police equipment carried out by the Government, managing to “reverse the process of reduction of personnel suffered in previous years, after cuts in an essential public service that had led to unsustainable minimums”. “Today we have the highest historical number of National Police personnel.”
After completing the event, the commemorative plaque was discovered with the new name of the Unified Security Center, “Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba”.
Speech by the government delegate - Audio 1
Speech by the government delegate - Audio 2