The Spanish Association of Civil Guards (AEGC) has denounced the increase in attacks on members of the corps so far this year and regrets that the Government is not taking measures to prevent it, after the attack by an English tourist on three agents at the Lanzarote airport last Thursday.
The AEGC considers that this violence is encouraged by the “derisory” penal consequences faced by the aggressors, and therefore calls for quick trials, especially for those cases involving foreigners.
“Most of the time the fines are not paid due to the insolvency of the aggressor or, if we are talking about those committed by tourists, they do not even appear in court,” explains the Association. “Holding these quick trials would be a temporary solution until the Government carries out the change in legal consideration of the members of the FCSE.”
Without going any further, they point out that the English individual who left the three agents in the hospital in Lanzarote is already in his hotel enjoying his vacations and in a few days he will return to his country “without having answered to justice.”
“This is the reason why we also demand Interior's commitment that all civil guards who suffer attacks during the course of their service receive compensation without having to resort to justice again for the State to be condemned subsidiarily,” they emphasize.
On the other hand, the AEGC also demands that they be considered, once and for all, as an authority, as are judges, doctors, teachers or deputies. “This change would mean a more serious criminal outlook for aggressors than fines of 1,000 or 2,000 euros,” they add.
“This change is only a matter of goodwill, it has just been done with security guards and prison officers who are already considered Agents of the Authority,” explains the AEGC. “Why then can't the same be done with members of the FCSE?”
It is not the first time that they have asked for measures to be taken in this regard, so they insist that being the “punching bag that everyone can hit”. “In the end, we civil guards are the ones who have to go to the courts again to denounce the State and that he subsidiarily compensates us for the damage suffered,” he clarifies.
In addition, they point out that this is not an exclusive problem of the island, since attacks have been increasing in a generalized way at the national level. Specifically, in 2022 there have already been up to 60 attacks on civil guards and 383 in the last semester of last year.
