Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 25 Feb. (Europa Press) –
The Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) has expressed its “outrage and frustration” regarding the “unexpected and arbitrary decision made by certain high-ranking officials” to instruct the removal of the Civil Guard from the security arrangements established at the port area of Santa Cruz de Tenerife during the Carnival Fair, prompting a request for clarification from the Government Delegation in the Islands.
The Association states in a communiqué that the Civil Guard commenced its community safety duties in Dársena ‘Los Llanos’ of the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife on February 20, as agreed during several meetings, including the Security Board held on February 4 at the City of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
In this gathering, they note, participants included the subdelegate of the Government, the mayor of Santa Cruz, the president of the Port Authority, the provincial chief commissioner of the National Police, the chief colonel of the Civil Guard Command, alongside local police, Canarian police, and port police, among others.
However, at approximately 8:00 p.m. on the same day, around 15 National Police officers entered the port area, and when questioned by the head of the Civil Guard’s security unit, “they asserted that they had come to take over the security of the event on orders from their superiors, claiming that the port area fell within their territorial jurisdiction.”
In light of these developments, the head of the Civil Guard’s unit in the region immediately reported this “anomaly” up the chain of command and was awaiting a response, resulting in the officers of the Benemérita being instructed, “within a few minutes,” to vacate the port area and hand over community safety duties to the National Police.
In response to this situation, the AUGC questions “who issued the order for the Civil Guard to relinquish community safety duties at the site? What criteria were used to instruct the National Police to undertake the responsibilities of the Civil Guard for the majority of the year? Were the gates opened for the visit of the Juan Sebastián Elcano school ship?”
The AUGC views this decision as “contravening the agreements made in the Local Security Board, dismantling unilaterally and without justification” a previously planned security structure, which they describe as “serious disorganisation” in the safeguarding of the event and its attendees.
Furthermore, they believe that the exclusive jurisdiction of the port area belongs to the Civil Guard, which operates there regularly under current legislation, suggesting that this action represents an “interference” in the duties of the police force regarding the Custody and Community Safety of the Carnival Fair, “a role which has been carried out successfully and without incident at all events in this space.”
Ultimately, they perceive this as an “alarming precedent” that could be linked to the “gradual removal” of the Civil Guard’s responsibilities in ports and airports, as noted “has occurred in the Basque Country and Catalonia, thereby undermining the security and effectiveness” of public services.
For these reasons, the AUGC demands “immediate clarification” from the Government Delegation in the Canary Islands, as well as a “reversal of this unjustifiable measure that jeopardises police coordination and public safety.”
“We cannot accept unilateral actions that undermine the efforts of the Civil Guard and adversely affect citizens, who deserve an effective and well-organised security framework. The AUGC will continue to oppose any attempt to undermine the work of the Civil Guard and advocate for the rights of officers and the safety of all citizens,” they conclude.
