Several police unions have reported that National Police officers are "overwhelmed" by the continuous arrivals of precarious boats in recent days to the Canary Islands, and have requested reinforcement measures from the Ministry of the Interior.
Jupol, the Unified Union of Police Officers (SUP), and the Federal Union of Police (UFP) have warned of the situation faced by officers in dealing with the migratory pressure the archipelago has experienced in recent days, and with greater intensity, the island of El Hierro.
In a statement, Jupol asks the Ministry of the Interior for "immediate reinforcement of personnel in El Hierro," Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura due to the "absolutely unsustainable situation" suffered by officers deployed to the island, which "has reached levels that are difficult to justify," by chaining services.
Some "arrive at their accommodations at midnight and, just a few hours later, at four in the morning, they have to be up again to begin the transfers of hundreds of immigrants," the organization assures.
"We are talking about shifts of up to 20 hours, with insufficient rest," indicates Jupol, adding that the arrivals of migrants are being handled "with a deployment that demonstrates, once again, the lack of foresight, planning, and resources from the Ministry of the Interior in the face of a migration crisis that has been occurring in the Canary Islands for years."
The union proposes that the available resources be adapted to the existing needs, "sizing the deployments according to the real volume of arrivals and transfers," and calls for "the establishment of rational shifts, which guarantee mandatory rest and avoid marathon shifts of up to 16 and 18 hours, as well as the full payment of per diems and economic compensation corresponding to deployments and extraordinary services."
"The migratory pressure is overwhelming us," the SUP has warned on social media, which has reported that officers "are at the limit of their strength" and has recalled that, since 2023, they have been demanding "reinforcements and material and human resources."
"A structural and permanent strategy is needed, with a containment and early detection plan, to stop the human trafficking mafias," they have pointed out.
The Federal Police Union (UFP) has also reported on social media these days that agents are "at their limit" in the Canary archipelago, with "shifts of up to 17 hours" and "without the necessary extraordinary reinforcements". "We demand reinforcements, rest, and dignified conditions," it claims.
Since November 1, nearly 6,000 people have arrived in the Canary Islands in makeshift boats and canoes, with a particular impact on El Hierro. Specifically, more than 1,300 migrants have arrived on the Canary Islands' coasts this weekend aboard precarious vessels.
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