More than one hundreds dead and dozens missing. Municipalities devastated by the ravages of DANA that has devastated Spain in recent days. Without drinking water, without electricity, without access to food. In the streets, tons of mud, rubble, lumps of iron and cars piled up one on top of the other. A devastating image that does not seem to be enough for the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to mobilize the National Police.
And this is precisely the question asked by the Spanish Police Confederation (CEP): “What is the Interior waiting for to deploy the national police throughout that area?“. Because it is evident that the strong storm and floods have devastated Valencia and other provinces of our country, causing countless human and material losses. In his opinion, this is not the time to “start with the border lines of jurisdiction.” to the national police officers who “they rage with impotence for not being able to fully deploy themselves” and lend a hand in these difficult times.
“In an emergency of this type there can be no brakes on. There cannot be resources available that are not mobilized in case that bothers other bodies or institutions,” they say from the CEP. Thus, they insist that they cannot continue waiting “it is not clear what decision.”
“We can and must do more”
At this point, they point out that on Tuesday the callsign Alzira 100 rescued nine people trapped in their vehicles and brought them to safety. Likewise, they highlight that there are colleagues from Scientific Police and Judicial Police focused on the identification of corpses and in locating missing persons. However, it is not enough.
“We can and must do more. We have sufficient resources and volunteers, both in the UIP and in the UPR throughout Spain. And we know, we know, that some bastards are taking advantage of this catastrophe to commit crimes,” they denounce from this police union. We must remember that in the last few hours there have been dozens of arrests for robbery and looting in areas affected by DANA.
In short, the agents demand that Marlaska give the order to act: “There can be no demarcations when it comes to saving lives and protect people and property. We must fully deploy and we must do so now. “The opposite would be another Interior scandal and playing with something very serious when all help is vital.”
Companions without rest since the 29th
The JUPOL police union has also denounced Marlaska’s attitude and the helplessness of the officers, who have even volunteered to actively participate in the tasks that are necessary in the face of this serious catastrophe. They do not understand the refusal of the Interior or its minister and for this reason, they remind him of other occasions in which the participation of the Police Intervention Units (UIP) and the Prevention and Reaction Units (UPR) was allowed. Namely: in the 11-M attacks in Madrid; the accident in the Valencia metro in 2006; the Lorca earthquake in 2011; the Spanair accident in Madrid in 2008; the Santiago de Compostela train accident in 2013 or the Prestige disaster in Galicia in the year 2002.
“If our profession has something, it is the enormous vocation that we process of public service, a vocation that in these cases increases exponentially,” they point out from JUPOL Valencia. Likewise, they point out that there are many tasks that they can offer, whether “strikes, protection to avoid looting, collaborating in assisting people with reduced mobility” and a host of functions that would help speed up work in the first days after a catastrophe of this magnitude. And most importantly, your participation could facilitate “the rest from those companions who have been working without much rest since the fateful evening of last day the 29th”.
Thus, while the Interior makes a decision, this union is organizing groups of volunteers to travel to these locations and make themselves available to those responsible for whatever is necessary.
Serious lack of organization of the controls
They are not the only complaints. From the Police Union Alternative (ASP) they denounce the unfair refusal suffered by the national police officers of Valencia to participate in the rescue work. They criticize that, however, on other occasions, these same agents are seen obliged to attend formal events for the awarding of medals“intended solely for the display and boasting of their superiors.”
They point out that this rejection is a lack of respect for the agents, since while the commanders prioritize their image, the colleagues in the affected areas They suffer from a lack of personnel in essential rescue tasks. And they go one step further by denouncing how fights over “limits” and “competitions” torpedo rescue efforts in the areas affected by the tragedy: “The UIP has gone down to help Castellón with vans and our commanders have told them to turn around that is the demarcation of the Civil Guard“.
From the Police Union Alternative they denounce “the serious lack of organization that the commanders have demonstrated in the management of this emergency caused by DANA.” They consider that the inaction and lack of coordination are so evident that “it would be said that They completely don’t know how to deal with the situation.. They are not doing anything, they do not know what to do and, what is even more worrying, they do not let those who do know do what they do.” And they conclude: “It is intolerable that, in a crisis of such magnitude, bureaucracy and lack of leadership block the efforts of agents willing to help.