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Almeida announced a security plan with 1,700 officers for Madrid
The plan announced by José Luis Martínez-Almeida included 1,700 officers for the festive days and municipal police on standby for possible reinforcements. The mayor defended coordination with the Policía Nacional and questioned the Government's response to the rail accident.
Information about a possible cancellation of the vandalism calls did not offer any guarantees, as deputy mayor Inma Sanz warned after the Junta de Gobierno.
In response to these warnings, the City Council was preparing, together with the Delegación del Gobierno, a plan to prevent incidents and looting of shops and to act if they occurred. The plan involved 1,700 officers during the festive days; in addition, municipal police on regular duty would be on standby in case any service needed reinforcement. Coordination also included the Policía Nacional.
Almeida made the announcement in an interview on 'Espejo Público'.
The mayor attributed direct responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of the network to Óscar Puente. He recalled that the minister had described the likelihood of a repeat of an incident like the one in Adamuz as very low and questioned the political management following that accident, which happened in January. He also argued that the leak of the audio recordings between the train drivers and the Atocha control centre was intended to protect the minister and the election campaign.
Almeida considered it unfair to give the impression that a single person was solely responsible for the accident. In his view, this attribution could not be separated from the political responsibility he assigned to the head of Transport. He also acknowledged that the railway incidents had undermined travellers' confidence in high-speed rail. Although he distinguished between objective safety and perception, he said he found it very difficult to get back on a train and linked this unease to stoppages, delays, and two accidents in nine months.
The mayor criticised Pedro Sánchez for not mentioning the Madrid victims or Fátima Báñez during his appearance at the coordination centre in Toledo. Regarding the former Minister of Employment and former president of Fundación CEOE, he said it had been a privilege to know her and remembered her for her vitality and commitment to public service.
He also highlighted the intervention of Madrid's emergency teams, with units from Samur-Protección Civil and the Fire Brigade. Some professionals told him they had never seen an operation of such magnitude; several needed psychological support after leaving the carriages.