The Local Police in Ronda are to act as ‘custodians of the keys’ in cases of dependency as part of improvements to the telecare system in the town.
Ronda is the second town to introduce such a service, the first being Torremolinos, and it is provided free of charge under the Municipal Social Services programme.
Around 60 people will initially benefit from the system, these being mostly elderly people who have no family or trusted friends with whom to leave a set of keys.
The keys are kept at the police station in numbered bags but with no personal data included. In the event of an emergency, the Local Police will be able to enter a house without having to wait for a court order and without the need to cause damage by forcing an entry.
Although the service is being provided free of charge by the Council, the service does actually cost €80,000 a year to run. The Council is bearing €28,000 of the cost, the rest is being provided by Institute for the Elderly and Social Services (Imserso), the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and the Málaga Provincial Council.