SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, June 1 (EUROPE PRESS) –
The president of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC), Juan Luis Lorenzo, this Wednesday demanded more human and material resources from the Government of the Canary Islands to achieve faster justice and to respond to the rights of citizens while set as an objective that there be “less lawsuits” and less social conflict.
In the Commission of Governance, Autonomous Development, Justice and Security of the Parliament of the Canary Islands in which it has presented the 2021 report, it has indicated as a “sociological reflection” that it is necessary to consider why the Canary Islands continue to be at the forefront of litigation with 171 .10 lawsuits per 1,000 inhabitants, 38.7 more than the State average (132.33).
He has said that they do not want social life to be “judicialized” and that lawsuits must be resolved “faster”, defending mediation, arbitration and conciliation as an alternative route and not so much creating new courts.
According to Lorenzo, this measure is “necessary”, especially for family conflicts.
He has also asked to reduce the temporary staff, which although it is below 30% “and it is an achievement”, must be “reduced even more” since the stability of the templates “is the fundamental basis” of a good service.
He also commented that “more and better judicial infrastructures are needed” in the Canary Islands because although in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria “they are exemplary” in other places such as Santa Cruz de Tenerife “they are far” from what is needed, with a “long battle “in search of decent facilities.
Lorenzo, who has resumed this year the presentation of the report before Parliament, has said that the assignment of four new judicial bodies by the Ministry is “insufficient” and meanwhile they take measures to increase “efficiency” such as “comarcalization” of courts of violence against women, the grouping of the judicial districts of Puerto de la Cruz and La Orotava or the elevation of the district of Puerto del Rosario to the category of magistrate so that the jurisdictions are separated.
He has also demanded before the deputies that there be improvements in the computer system because although the “Atlante” is a “magnificent tool”, its latest version presents “important deficiencies”, and the same occurs with the Institute of Legal Medicine of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as it presents “unacceptable delays”.
“We insist day by day to increase the provision of means, we are going to be firm and demanding”, he indicated.
AGAINST JUDICIAL “LOCALISM”
The president of the TSJC has been “in favor” of justice being as close as possible to citizens but understands that “means are limited and must be allocated efficiently” hence he opposes “localism” in the provision of judicial services. “You have to provide quality care from the concentration of resources,” he stressed.
Lorenzo has given as an example of efficiency the new Court of Violence against Children and Adolescents of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a pioneering initiative in Spain and that other autonomous communities such as Valencia already want to copy.
He has commented that society should be “embarrassed” by the fact that there are minors and adolescents who are victims of crime and sexual violence, that “there are more and more”, with “intolerable abuses”, and to “put a stop to it”, he has indicated that it is essential to a “good instruction”.
In this sense, he has said that this court “is exemplary” because it allows the case to be dealt with from “minute one” preparing the evidence and avoiding re-victimization thanks to a specialized team that is what allows “quality attention” to be given.
He has indicated that this “can be done” in a large city like Las Palmas de Gran Canaria because it has many resources and it is difficult for it to be deployed in all the islands because a guard court is required 24 hours a day and a team made up of judge, lawyer, civil servants and coroners.