Political parties rally to defend chief superintendent after VOX criticism

A recent stabbing in broad daylight in Carrer del Calvari de Xàbia has unleashed a series of political and social reactions in the town after a statement by the VOX councillor José Marcos Pons on social media criticizing local security and the work of the Policía Local and in particular chief superintendent José Antonio Monfort generated controversy.

Pons posted on the Vox Jávea Facebook page that “While Javea suffers more and more insecurity, today there has been a stabbing in broad daylight. What does the Chief Superintendent of the Policía Local do? He gives talks to continue persecuting and stigmatizing the male gender.”

In response, the officers and staff of the Policía Local de Xàbia, through a statement issued by EMAD, expressed their unanimous support for the chief superintendent, emphasizing that citizen security is a multidisciplinary task involving many factors and that local police officers work tirelessly to prevent and resolve incidents, collaborating with other law enforcement agencies. They also defended Monfort’s leadership, highlighting his dedication to public service and his management skills. The statement stressed that the criticisms made did not reflect the operational reality of the local police force or the constant efforts of its officers and staff. “The appearance of one or more violent incidents at a given point in the municipality cannot and should not be interpreted as a sign of abandonment or neglect regarding other areas or functions, which are also of great importance.”

Mayor Rosa Cardona (PP) has expressed her support for Monfort in a brief but firm statement, posting a photo on social media with the police chief accompanied by the message “Here are the facts. Nothing more to say. Thank you very much, Jose Antonio” accompanied by a screenshot of a local security meeting held in late March 2025 in which it was reported that “the data is positive, crime has decreased.”

Ciudadanos por Jávea (CpJ) also issued a statement expressing its profound displeasure and rejection of Vox’s statements. “We express our deep dismay and rejection of the recent statements by the VOX councillor regarding a serious incident of violence that occurred in our municipality. We consider it unacceptable that such a worrying incident as the stabbing that occurred in a public street should be used to launch messages that delegitimize the work of the local police force and question the institutional commitment to the fight for equality” adding that “CPJ will request the VOX councillor’s rebuke of his statements at the next municipal plenary session, as well as an immediate rectification and a public apology. We understand that institutional respect and cooperation among members of the governing team are essential to addressing our municipality’s challenges responsibly and with a commitment to the citizens.”

Podem Xàbia also issued a statement on its social media stating that “gender-based violence can only be prevented through education, civic responsibility, and equality training—not through denial. Our chief superintendent, and certainly the rest of the police force, knows this well, and demonstrates it by actively participating in events against gender-based violence” adding that “we already know that he [Pons] and his fascist party deny the existence of gender-based violence—despite more than 180,000 complaints and 48 fatalities in 2024 alone—but for a city councilor, who is paid as such by all the municipality’s citizens, to share this absurd, Western-movie opinion on his Facebook account is unacceptable. And even more so when it criticizes a great professional like José Antonio Monfort. We at Podem Xàbia have our full support for him and his team, who are doing a great job—as was also seen recently with the blackout.”

Finally, the PSOE Xàbia posted a statement that said “we want to give our support to the police chief of Xàbia, José Antonio Monfort. An exemplary worker and a man of integrity, close and always at the service of his neighbors, as he has shown throughout all these years. Discrediting his work is unfair and also a disrespect for the effort of each and every one of the Local Police officers who every day demonstrate their professionalism and their vocation of service to our people. Anyone who has dealt with José Antonio knows perfectly well that he does not deserve this regrettable attack from those who have come to dirty the Institutions.”