The Lanzarote parliamentarian of the Canarian Nationalist Group and president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, asked this Tuesday in the plenary session of the Parliament of the Canary Islands the Minister of the Presidency, Public Administrations, Justice and Security, Nieves Lady Barreto, about the steps taken so that Lanzarote has a permanent headquarters of the Canarian Police in Arrecife.
Betancort stressed that "security in Lanzarote and La Graciosa is a fundamental priority to guarantee the quality of life of citizens and has denounced the deficit of National Police and Civil Guard personnel on the island, despite the population increase and the growing influx of tourists." "The plenary session of the Cabildo of Lanzarote already urged the Government of Spain in October 2024 to remedy this deficiency, which mainly affects the airport, the capital, the tourist areas and the celebration of mass events," he recalled.
In his speech, the deputy pointed out that "the Spanish Association of Civil Guards has also denounced this lack of resources, highlighting that the replacement rate of personnel in Lanzarote is insufficient to cover the security needs of the resident and floating population." In addition, he stressed that "the island has been severely hit by the phenomenon of irregular immigration, which poses an added challenge in terms of security."
"We want to feel safe when we go out on the street, to have the human and material resources necessary to be a Safe society," Betancort emphasized. In this sense, he insisted on "the need to reinforce the presence of the security forces on the island to respond to citizen demand and guarantee order in public events such as festivals and popular festivities."
Likewise, Betancort has demanded that the Canarian Police have an effective presence on the island. "From the Cabildo we have worked in coordination with the Arrecife City Council to solve the urban problems of the infrastructure destined to house the headquarters of the Canarian Police. We already have the necessary installation and the financial file; now it is necessary to move forward with the provision of human and material resources," he said.
Oswaldo Betancort recalled that, in his first meeting with the Minister as president of the island corporation, it was agreed to "look for a location for the headquarters of the Canarian Police in Teguise or Arrecife, finally opting for the latter." "Thanks to the close collaboration with my colleague, the Councilor for Urban Planning of the Arrecife City Council, Maciot Cabrera, we managed to solve an urban problem that affected the chosen building, and we already have the decree that segregates said infrastructure," he detailed.
Therefore, he has requested the Minister of Security the urgent realization of a study to determine the number of personnel that should be part of the staff that will provide service on the island. "The creation of an Island Police Station and a permanent base of the Canarian Police in Arrecife will strengthen the security and protection capabilities of the citizens of Lanzarote, taking into account that the crime indicators on the Island increased last year by 4.1 percent, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior itself," Betancort concluded.
For her part, the Minister of the Presidency, Public Administrations, Justice and Security, Nieves Lady Barreto, assured that "one of the objectives of the Government of the Canary Islands is that all the police stations of the Canarian Police on the islands are open in this legislature" and stressed that "the number of agents has been increased", however, she clarified that "this police force does not replace the agents of the Civil Guard or the National Police who are still insufficient in the Canary Islands".
