17 Jan, 2020 @ 14:19
1 min read

Woman to head Spain’s Guardia Civil for FIRST TIME in its 175-year history

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Maria Gamez
BOSS: Maria Gamez

THE Guardia Civil is set to be run by a woman for the first time in its 175-year history. 

Maria Gamez, from Malaga, will take up the role on Friday (today) in a first for the police force since it was founded by el Duque de Ahumada in May 1844.

The daughter of a lighthouse keeper, Gamez will be the force’s 86th leader after impressing Madrid in her previous role as head of the sub-delegate government in Malaga.

Guardia Civil
Guardia Civil

In particular her ‘strong’ handling of the Julen case last year, which saw a toddler perish after becoming trapped down a well, is said to have brought her closer to the Guardia Civil.

It also brought her a great deal of media attention.

The Minister of Defence Margarita Robles was asked to give her approval of Gamez, given that the force is military in nature while also performing police functions.

Having received her full backing, the leadership of Gamez is expected to be made official today at meeting of the Council of Ministers.

Gamez did not want to make a public statement but is said to be ‘happy’ with the new role.

It is not the first time she has made history after she became the first woman to head a sub-delegate government when prime minister Pedro Sanchez put her in charge of Malaga in June 2018.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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