The members of the Tutor Agent Unit of the Local Police of Arrecife, integrated in the Minor and Family Unit (UMEF) have presented a positive balance of their activities during the period in which it was deployed, in the past academic year, following the initiative launched by the mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, as the direct head of the Local Police.
Arrecife is the only municipality in the province of Las Palmas that has created this Tutor Agent unit, which was launched last spring. The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, has highlighted that "this creation is part of the continuous commitment to the safety and well-being of minors and their families in our city, where we live together with more than seventy different nationalities." A unit, the mayor specified, that is intended for the protection of minors and their environments.
The Arrecife Tutor Agent Unit, which will continue to reinforce prevention in families and school environments during this new 2024/25 academic year, is specialized in addressing the needs and conflicts in the school environment, and offers a wide range of interventions and preventive programs that have had a significant impact on the city's schools during the months it has been operational.
Between April and June of this year, the Tutor Agent Unit has managed cases of school absenteeism, cases involving toxic substances in the school environment, has intervened and mediated in conflicts between students, and assisted in certain situations to curb the conflictive behavior of some students towards their teachers.
The Arrecife Tutor Agents have initiated reports for alleged crimes within the school environment, and have mediated between 12 families to resolve situations between the schools and the families, in these months of implementation.
Yonathan de León, as mayor and direct head of the Local Police, has remarked that "the specialization of these agents enables their collaboration with the Canary Islands Police Force and different reports that they have submitted to the Canary Islands Prosecutor's Office for Minors."
Reinforcing the protection of minors remains one of the priorities of the mayor, who is deploying the Local Police in sensitive areas of Arrecife to have public spaces free of drugs, and, in addition, preventive controls are carried out on the sale of alcohol in premises, coinciding with mass events.
During this new school year, which started this week, the Tutor Agent Unit will continue its preventive and educational work with more initiatives. The planned activities include workshops and talks on the prevention of bullying and the safe use of social networks, as well as training activities that promote coexistence in these educational centers of infant, primary, and secondary education in the capital of Lanzarote.
These agents have prevented harassment among minors, among more specific cases. To this end, coordination with the Educational Centers and the Minor's Area of the Department of Social Welfare of the City Council has been key, with preventive talks for more than 60 families, and 180 students, in the area of cyberbullying. And direct attention to ensure a comprehensive and effective response to the needs of minors and their families, the mayor has remarked.
For her part, the Councilor for Social Welfare of the capital's City Council, Maite Corujo, emphasizes that the start of this new school year with the Tutor Agent Program "reinforces our firm commitment to the well-being and protection of children and adolescents in Arrecife." "This program is a significant step towards creating safe and healthy environments for our young people, providing them not only with the necessary protection, but also with tools and guidance to face the challenges that may arise both in the school and social spheres," she said.
Corujo recalled that this program is a vital initiative that offers direct support, advice and resources to students, allowing for early intervention in situations of risk or vulnerability. "The Tutor Agents play an essential role as referents for young people and their families, working in close collaboration with educational centers and social services to ensure that every child and adolescent in Arrecife feels safe, supported and with opportunities to grow in a positive environment."
In addition, she highlighted that thanks to this project, social workers have been able to detect important and worrying situations more quickly, which has allowed them to act much more quickly in cases of risk. "This capacity for immediate response is fundamental to protect the most vulnerable and offer timely solutions that can make a difference in their lives," she concluded.
