The Security and Emergency Councilor of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Echedey Eugenio, has blamed the shortage of Civil Guard agents for what happened this weekend with the Costa Teguise triathlon, which collapsed traffic with the closure of several roads in the north of the island. In addition, he has expressed his concern regarding the organization of the next Ironman.
"The president of the Cabildo has been in talks with the Government delegate to see what solutions they give us," the councilor explained. "I don't care if the Government delegate has to transfer 50 civil guards to Lanzarote one weekend a year. They will have to do it," he added in statements to Radio Lanzarote – Onda Cero.
Regarding what happened with the TRI 122 of Costa Teguise, he explained that the problem arises when the security plan establishes that at road crossings there must be someone directing traffic, but then "at the meeting the Civil Guard says that they do not have enough personnel to carry out the test with these security measures." It is then that the decision is made to close the roads, causing "damage to the residents." "It is difficult to avoid these situations no matter how many security meetings are held," the councilor admitted.
"The solution is not simple, but we have to find it"
Eugenio, who has defended the celebration of these events, has recognized that it is necessary to organize them "with all the security measures that have to be put in place and promote them without harming the citizen." "The solution is not simple but we have to find it, because we must neither give up sports events, nor should sports events harm the residents," recognized Echedey Eugenio, who has also defended that Lanzarote is "a sports tourist brand," which "lives off tourism" and to which "that tourist is very interested."
In addition, he has recalled and praised the management of the previous Government delegate, Enrique Hernández Bento, who for an event at the La Santa club "from one week to the next sought solutions for us, sought personnel, sought accommodation for those personnel..." That is why he has remarked that "when you want to, you can," and hopes that "for the Ironman they will fulfill their commitment."
In addition to demanding more agents from the central Government, he has also asked the Canary Islands Executive to help provide solutions. In this regard, he has explained that he himself has requested in the security meetings the liberalization of the traffic law, so that it is not only the civil guards who can regulate traffic.
"If there are companies specialized in sports events, they can regulate traffic and the organizer of the event, who charges their registration fees and receives public money, should pay for the security measures that the test needs; or there should be fees that allow paying for the overtime of the civil guards," the councilor has proposed.
