The mayor of Tías, José Juan Cruz, has accused the opposition of "irresponsibility" and of "alarming citizens", thus responding to the accusations of CC about security at the Atlantic Center of Puerto del Carmen, in which he warned of complaints from tourists about “assaults, threats, prostitution and drugs”.
Cruz has assured in Radio Lanzarote – Onda Cero that there is a “perfectly coordinated” work between the Local Police and the Civil Guard, and that they even have the support of the Rapid Intervention Group of the Benemérita.
“We have always worked in coordination, and every time we have specific events or have to do some routine control, and we need reinforcement, we do it in coordination. What happens is that we do it silently, without making much noise, because that is what it is about”, said the mayor.
Likewise, the highest municipal authority has explained that in the Atlantic Center “nothing is happening outside of how it was always working”. “The leisure problems in Puerto del Carmen, we have always had them”, he stated, justifying that it is a town of “20,000 inhabitants” and that at some times up to “up to 35,000” people can stay overnight.
“Of course it has activity, and it has movement, but we always try to control that”, said the mayor, who assures that after two years with practically no nightlife, they are starting, “little by little”, to put the necessary order “so that everything works normally”.
"Practically with the chief of police I meet daily, and with the lieutenant of the Civil Guard in the area also frequently, to coordinate the actions. It has always worked like this, at least that I have always had government responsibility, I have tried to carry it out in the best possible way", he defended.
On the other hand, the mayor has also stated that in March 2021 the Security Board was formally constituted. “Yesterday I conveyed it to the opposition in the plenary session, because they say that the local board has not met since 2014, when they left the Government in 2019 and did not have a local security board”, he added.
Tías, close to incorporating 5 new Local Police officers
The mayor of Tías has also stated that he “is aware” of the lack of police officers in the municipality, and that he would also like “to have more officers”. However, he accuses the opposition of “demagogy”, stating that in the previous term of the Popular Party, “they were not able to fill the positions”.
In this sense, José Juan Cruz has assured that they are finalizing the process of incorporating 5 new Local Police officers to the municipality, only lacking “the practical exam”.
In addition, he explained that they have signed an agreement with the General Directorate of Security and Emergencies of the Government of the Canary Islands, through which they will be in charge of the selection process of new agents.
“They have given us until March 31 to send all the documentation of public employment offer, and we are going to send around 7 more positions”, he said. However, the City Council will be in charge of the positions of 3 officers and a new sub-inspector, a procedure that was stopped after the challenge of the unions.