The Spanish Association of Civil Guards (AEGC) has demanded more personnel for the SIVE of Lanzarote, given the new rebound in the arrival of boats. In addition, it also demands that the works on the radar planned for the north of the island begin, "which is seven years behind schedule."
In a statement, the AEGC emphasizes that last month saw the largest arrival of boats to the island, with a total of 27 and "exceeding the number of September, which with its 25 boats had already been high." So far this year, it highlights that there have been 137 boats with 5,896 immigrants.
"To monitor the entire coast of Lanzarote, there is currently a staff of 11 agents (a sergeant, 2 corporals and 8 guards) who are also responsible for monitoring the traffic of travelers and goods in the 7 ports of Lanzarote," specifies the association, which considers that the troops are "clearly insufficient to carry out their work with the required efficiency."
"It is impossible for them to attend to the mobile SIVES while carrying out the surveillance of the 213 kilometers of coastline," warns the AEGC, which recalls that it has been "demanding that the number of troops be tripled" for years. "We do not agree with the solution given by the Civil Guard of detracting agents from other units, because it means harming the service, in this case citizen security. This solution leaves the posts with less personnel and therefore with fewer patrols," he questions.
Regarding the SIVE for the north of the island, he denounces that it was announced "with great fanfare", but "it is aging obsolete in a box since its purchase." And it is that although its acquisition was approved in 2015, seven years later it is still not operational.
"In AEGC we defend any technological improvement in our work to guarantee the greatest possible security to our citizens, but without the human factor, which is tremendously scarce, we continue to be towed by the human trafficking and drug trafficking mafias. Thus, seven years after our political representatives announced the installation of the SIVE, we are still in the same starting box: the works to make the room where to place it are still not carried out, while this expensive device becomes obsolete inside a box, so, the day they deign to carry out the works of the facilities, the political gentlemen will have to buy another one since the one bought in 2015 is already missing pieces", he warns.
