SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Jan. 23 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife will have an operation of 1,500 police officers plus another 300 emergency personnel and a network of drones and five video surveillance cameras, as agreed this Monday at the Local Security Board chaired by the mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, and the subdelegate of the Government, Javier Plata.
The mayor highlighted that this operation “accumulates a lot of experience, technical and human resources” to which they add “technological advances such as the use of drones and resources already essential for security such as surveillance video cameras.”
In total, some 1,500 members of the Santa Cruz Local Police, National Police, Civil Guard and General Corps of the Canary Islands Police (CGPC) will be in charge of ensuring security at the ‘winter festivities’.
“Logically, we must thank all of them for the effort and work they do during the festivities, to which we add greater and better coordination to respond to the challenges and number of mass events that feature in our Carnival,” he explained.
The entire preventive device in health, social and care for other types of non-routine incidents was also analyzed, the City Council reports in a note.
Almost another 300 people are involved in these tasks, adding to the Tenerife Firefighters Consortium, Civil Protection personnel and the Spanish Red Cross.
Within the device, the importance of police and socio-health work with minors was also stressed, under the protection of the Minors’ Prosecutor’s Office, as well as the prevention and care of possible sexual assaults with the operation of the Violet Point at the Carnival Hospital.
For his part, the Government’s subdelegate, Javier Plata, highlighted “the magnitude of this device, whose size and importance has already been worked on for years, with good results in terms of security,” and what is done in each edition is to “continue improving” and adapt to the evolution of the party with new technological resources.
This statement by the subdelegate was completed with the explanation of the work that the drone units, both of the Civil Guard and the National Police, will do this year.
The objective of these devices will be to visualize the situation of the party and enforce the regulations by avoiding irregular or unauthorized drone flights.
DETAILS OF THE POLICE DEVICE
The Local Police will have practically all of its staff, around 300 agents, to cover the multiple functions entrusted to both traffic and citizen security.
It will have a special role in each and every one of the parades and carnival events such as the Parade, the Coso, Burial of the Sardine and a novelty of this edition, the celebration of the ‘Inclusive Sardine’ on Thursday, February 15, which, during Tomorrow and noon it will travel down Avenida Francisco La Roche ending in a specific festival for the enjoyment of people with disabilities.
According to estimates by the Autonomous Organization for Festivals and Recreational Activities (OAFAR), it is estimated that around 2,500 people will participate.
On the big nights of the festival, and distributed in the different booths spread around the ring, between 70 and 80 Local Police officers will serve each dance, also taking into account the necessary reinforcements for the two Day Carnivals.
It will also be contributed by a greater presence of personnel from the Attestations service and support to the Unit Attached to the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office.
At the closing time of the music, both the Local Police and the National Police will collaborate to allow the cleaning teams to begin carrying out their work at the scheduled times to return the city to its proper appearance after each nighttime celebration.
The National Police will have all the available personnel, about 570 troops, to which will be added a reinforcement of the Police Intervention Unit (UIP) from Madrid; drone equipment; the Canine Unit; the Mobile Brigade and the Underground Unit. The UPR will focus on the protection and security of public transportation, also counting on the support of the Canine Guide Unit of the Capital Police.
The Civil Guard will focus on its powers both in the port area and in traffic matters, announcing once again the implementation of macro traffic controls on the two main highways of the island (TF-1) and (TF-5) both at the entrances and exits of the city.
Some 240 members of this body will be in charge of security in the Port and the arrival of passengers from the maritime bridge between Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
The Traffic Group will also have around 250 officers to carry out alcohol and narcotic substance detection controls among drivers.
The CGPC will focus its work during the second day of the ‘Carnival Day’, providing the necessary troops to support the other security forces on one of the longest and most extensive days of the festival. Their presence on other days of the Carnival is also valued to ensure the correct development of specific activities.
EXTRAORDINARY REINFORCEMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Another essential piece for the celebration of Carnival is the commitment to reinforce the entire public transport network made up of the Titsa buses, the tram and the capital’s autotaxis.
With the data provided by Titsa, the carnival week will increase up to 267,000 seats on the buses, generating a total of 4,100 trips in that period, which indicates that this edition will add a new record in the number of passengers transported during the festivities. .
For its part, Tranvía de Tenerife stated that once again this year it will be made available to the entire fleet to generate dual transport devices, which depending on the carnival day, will end their journey in Santa Cruz or in the Plaza de La Paz. or at the stop next to the Guimerá theater.
The forecasts contemplate that demand could increase this year by up to 30 percent compared to 2023 data.
Although, for days now, a good part of the device has already been working on the events held at the Tenerife Fairgrounds. When the party starts, four units from the Tenerife Firefighters Consortium will be available distributed throughout the geography of the carnival ring.
Also with the well-known ‘Carnival Hospital’, the extensive health and psychosocial device that will be in charge of the Spanish Red Cross will be activated, with days in which up to 13 ambulances will be available to work at each of the carnival dances.
This point will house many other services, such as the so-called ‘Violet Point’ or the offices for the care of minors; care tents; medical post and the Advanced Command Post (PMA) which, in addition, will be permanently linked to the security and emergency coordination center of 1-1-2 Canarias.
The municipal Civil Protection service has also prepared an important operation, which is also expected to be reinforced by volunteer groups from up to six Tenerife municipalities united with the Santacrucero collective, bringing a total of 40 people.
