Three trade unions representing the Local Police of Santa Cruz de Tenerife—UGT, CC.OO., and CSIF—have raised concerns about the planned implementation of a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in the city centre. They warn that this initiative will have a “direct impact” on police officers, potentially reducing the number of personnel available for public safety, prevention, and routine incident response. The unions claim this new regulation could increase public conflict, operational pressure, and psychosocial risks for the officers.
They also point out that the current framework for the ordinance lacks clarity on which body will handle tasks such as image validation, incident reviews, complaint management, and error corrections related to the automated system. This ambiguity risks shifting administrative and bureaucratic duties onto the Local Police, diverting them from their essential responsibilities in public safety.
The unions expressed their concerns in objections submitted to the municipal LEZ ordinance project, which has received initial approval from the council. They are calling for the suspension of its processing until a collective bargaining process can take place.
Moreover, they criticise the absence of a detailed assessment on how the new obligations will affect staffing, material resources, specialist training, and budget allocations necessary for proper implementation. They argue that it has not been demonstrated that there will be sufficient staffing enhancements to manage these new responsibilities without compromising regular services. Additionally, the new regulations permit officers to conduct access controls and monitoring related to the LEZ, for which they have not received specific training.
