The National Police station in Ibiza recorded 5,108 detentions during 2025, the highest number reported among local police stations in Spain, according to figures presented by the station's chief, Alfonso Ares.

The figure was highlighted during the National Police Day event held in Ibiza on October 2, where Ares also called for a dedicated facility to accommodate people arriving irregularly by sea.

His request comes as Ibiza and Formentera continue to receive irregular migrant arrivals during 2026, placing additional demands on police and temporary reception facilities.

Police call for dedicated accommodation

During his speech, Ares said the continued arrival of boats carrying migrants was no longer an occasional phenomenon.

He called for an infrastructure dependent on the Ibiza police station with enough capacity to accommodate people arriving in these circumstances while ensuring their dignity and safety, as well as the safety of the police officers responsible for their custody.

The proposal concerns the practical management of people who arrive irregularly and require police processing and supervision. It does not represent a new immigration policy or a change to the legal status of those arriving.

IB3 independently reported the same request, describing the police chief's concern that the continued arrivals have placed existing resources under pressure.

5,108 detentions recorded in 2025

Ares said the Ibiza station recorded 5,108 detentions during 2025.

According to his presentation, this made the Ibiza station the local National Police station with the highest number of detainee records in Spain.

He presented the figure primarily as an indicator of the workload handled by the station and the work carried out by its officers throughout the year.

The station's activities include responding to emergency calls, patrol work, criminal investigations, drug-trafficking operations and arrests, as well as coordination with other agencies.

Periódico de Ibiza reported that Ares specifically described the figure as an indicator of the significant workload assumed by the station and the continued work of its personnel.

Botafoc space could provide a solution

Raquel Guasch, the island's director of the State Administration for Ibiza and Formentera, addressed the issue during the same event.

Guasch said her administration was continuously requesting additional resources and facilities and expressed confidence that a space at Botafoc could soon be adapted for this purpose.

She committed to promoting that solution.

At this stage, the Botafoc facility should therefore be described as a proposed or anticipated solution rather than as an already operational new migrant accommodation centre. IB3 also reported that Guasch said she hoped the Botafoc space could soon be conditioned.

Police also highlight staffing and housing pressures

The National Police event also highlighted wider difficulties affecting policing on the island.

Ares referred to the demands placed on officers during the year, while Ibiza Mayor Rafa Triguero called for stronger staffing levels and measures that would help officers remain on the island.

Triguero also referred to a planned housing project for police officers near the Ibiza station and said the municipality had made municipal housing available to National Police personnel.

Guasch likewise identified housing and the additional costs associated with insularity as challenges for maintaining police staffing levels.

She pointed to the increase in the island allowance for public employees from July, while acknowledging that this measure does not by itself resolve the difficulties of living and working in the islands.

A wider response to arrivals

The police chief's request comes against a backdrop of continued irregular maritime arrivals in the Balearic Islands during 2026.

The Ministry of the Interior's latest accumulated migration report covers arrivals through September 30. The ministry publishes the figures as part of its regular national monitoring of irregular migration.

The response to arrivals in the Pitiusas involves several organisations, including the National Police, Guardia Civil, Salvamento Marítimo, Cruz Roja, the Port Authority and the island and regional administrations.

Guasch highlighted this coordination during her speech, alongside the need to maintain adequate resources during periods when the island's population increases substantially because of tourism.

Police workload extends beyond migration

Migration was one of the issues discussed at the National Police Day event, but it was not the only area highlighted.

Ares also referred to the station's work against drug trafficking, criminal investigations, emergency interventions and other policing duties.

The event recognised officers and members of the wider community for their contributions, while also remembering police officers who had died during the previous year.

Eight National Police officers received the White Cross of the Police Merit Order during the ceremony, while several members of the public and organisations were also recognised.

What happens next

The request for a dedicated facility now moves into the practical question of whether and when the Botafoc space can be adapted.

For the moment, the important distinction is between the police request for a permanent or dedicated solution and the response from the State's island representative that the Botafoc site could potentially be conditioned for this purpose.

The 5,108 detention figure meanwhile provides a measure of the workload reported by Ibiza's National Police station during 2025, while the island continues to deal with the operational challenges associated with both tourism and irregular maritime arrivals.