The Santa Cruz City Council held yesterday the Local Security Meeting to address the police device which will be in charge of guaranteeing security in Carnival 2023. For this, as announced by the mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, at the end of the meeting, there will be some 1,500 troops, including Local Police, National Police, Autonomous Police and Civil Guard , in addition to firefighters and civil protection. “We put everything we have and add some units that come from abroad, all so that we continue to have the safest Carnival in the world,” said the mayor.
A party, as Bermúdez advanced, in which special attention will be paid to the Daytime Carnival on February 25, which will be combined with the night dances, a day in which it is expected that the influx can be as high as the of the Juan Luis Guerra concert, in 2019, when the figure of 400,000 people was reached.
Among the measures advanced by the councilor, he highlighted the suspension of the rental scooter service in the city, removing all vehicles from the streets between February 17, the day of the announcing Parade, and the 26th of the same month, the last day of Party. “We have ordered that all scooters be removed from the street on those days and no one can use them,” said Bermúdez, who added that, “with regard to private ones, we cannot avoid it, but we do recommend that they not be used on those days . What is totally prohibited is that they circulate through the carnival ring, since the movement of vehicles is also prohibited, in addition to the fact that they cannot do so through pedestrian areas, as established by law.
effective
Regarding the police force, the sub-delegate of the Government, Jesús Javier Plata, explained that “we have a solid police device to face some parties that are expected to have a large influx.” “We call for people to have fun, but comply with the rules,” he added.
There will be 600 National Police agents that will form part of the device, which will be reinforced from the Police Intervention Unit (UIP) with a group from Madrid, in addition to the Prevention and Reaction Unit (UPR), the Immigration Brigade and the Mobile Transport Brigade.
As in previous editions, there will be the support of National Police helicopters during the Daytime Carnival celebrations, in addition to the Canine and Underground units.
For its part, the Civil Guard will continue to carry out breathalyzer and traffic controls, both at the entrances and exits of the city and at the port of the capital.
Another of the measures that will be implemented is the activation of security cameras at the usual points, which are the crossroads between Clavel and Cruz Verde streets, in Alameda del Duque Santa Elena, and in the Candelaria squares, Spain and Prince. “They are transit points where, both day and night, we can control the influx of people.”
The Local Police will have up to 110 troops on days like the Parade, to which would be added those of the ordinary groups, which are made up of about 40 agents.
Regarding transportation, “there will be reinforcements both on the lines that connect the neighborhoods with the center, as well as from the north and south to Santa Cruz, and also from La Laguna,” the councilor explained. In addition, “private security will be increased at points such as the Santa Cruz and La Laguna interchanges, and bus stops such as the El Trompo Shopping Center, in La Orotava, or San Isidro, in the south.”
Bermúdez also called on the company and workers of Titsa to reach an agreement before the party takes to the streets of Santa Cruz on the indefinite strike that has been called in urban transport starting on February 17.
