The Jupol police union assures that the agents deployed in the main disembarkation ports for immigrants in the Canary Islands are "overwhelmed" and work "without sufficient resources" and warns that there are "intelligence reports" that predict that in the remainder of the year, "another 10,000 people" may arrive to the islands in boats and canoes.
In a statement, Jupol demands that "material and human resources be urgently provided" to the police teams in the Canary Islands, as well as "the implementation of an action protocol in the face of the massive arrival of irregular immigration" to this autonomous community.
The spokesperson for this organization, which has a majority in the National Police Force, Ibón Domínguez, assures that they are "very concerned" about this migratory rebound in the Canary Islands, especially because "there is still a lack of personnel, equipment and a protocol that guarantees agents can work in optimal conditions and with minimum safety conditions.""We ask all administrations to get involved to move the situation forward and to try by all means to stop the arrival of canoes," adds Domínguez, in statements released by the union.
Jupol recalls that the latest data published by the Ministry of the Interior puts "almost 15,000 immigrants" who arrived to the Canary Islands in boats and canoes as of September 30, 20% more than a year ago (the most up-to-date official figures are already close to 19,600).
"According to intelligence reports, the forecast for the arrival of irregular immigrants to the Canary Islands is more than 10,000 from now until the end of the year, despite which neither the Government of Spain nor the General Directorate of the Police have implemented any measure to help alleviate the shortage of personnel and the saturation of police services, which carry out the work in inhuman conditions, with marathon working days and with a significant shortage of material resources," warns the union.
"They have not implemented any measure to help alleviate the shortage of personnel and the saturation of police services"
Jupol maintains that the work that the Police assumes in the Canary Islands in terms of immigration "without reinforcing its staff causes personnel to be diverted from other functions" and, therefore, "less attention to citizens, a circumstance that has also ceased to be something specific or unforeseen, becoming something habitual."
In his opinion, the situation in El Hierro in particular is "dramatic" and the police officers who have been transferred to that island from Tenerife work in "inhuman conditions."
"Canoes with more than 200 immigrants are arriving daily to the island of El Hierro and there are only seven National Police officers deployed to attend to these arrivals. In addition, this situation is compounded by the state of saturation experienced in the CATEs (temporary care centers for foreigners) operating in the Canary Islands, which are already completely overwhelmed and will hardly be able to withstand the massive arrival of more immigrants," he points out.
Jupol also asks that the agents who work at the reception or care points for those who disembark from the canoes be provided with "individual protection equipment" with "urgency", because it maintains that their current "working conditions" "put their health and that of their families at risk."
"We have been repeatedly requesting that all responsibilities of any kind be purged, denouncing, if necessary, any infraction of the occupational risk prevention regulations of those who, being legally obliged, do not provide the necessary means for the police to carry out their activity with adequate safety and hygiene measures," he adds.
