Police unions warn of a "hot summer" due to migratory pressure from Algeria and lack of means

The SUP denounces that in Cartagena six police officers disembarked 500 migrants and questions the state of temporary care centers

MADRID, 13 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Police unions have warned of a "hot summer" due to the possibility of increasing migratory pressure from Algeria in retaliation for the support of the Government of Pedro Sánchez for the Moroccan plan on Western Sahara. They denounce problems in the temporary care centers for migrants and also for the Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE), which is reactivated after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The SUP appreciates that the Ministry of the Interior has announced a reinforcement of 3,629 agents within Operation Summer 2022 in the nine autonomous communities with the highest influx of tourists - which joins other plans such as the one that will deploy 500 police officers at airports -, but they point out that the current means are "insufficient", "especially in some points of the east coast of Andalusia, Murcia, Alicante and the Balearic Islands, which are revealing themselves as new routes of entry for small boats to Europe".

"While all the indicators warn of the arrival of a hot summer in terms of illegal immigration, the reinforcements of the Summer Operation of the Ministry of the Interior are insufficient," they have pointed out from this union. "We once again denounce the lack of protocols, personnel, material resources and facilities to deal with the new wave of illegal immigration that, like every summer, reaches our shores," they added.

The SUP puts as an example of this situation that in Cartagena (Murcia) six policemen have taken care of disembarking 500 immigrants who arrived at the coast in several days for a couple of weeks or that in Lanzarote, "as in many other places", the patrols are forced to abandon their citizen security tasks to deal with the arrival of small boats, "to the detriment of the citizen."

"Something as irregular as two policemen taking charge of guarding 150 immigrants for hours is becoming a custom," he denounces in a statement.

The union focuses on the situation of the Temporary Attention Center for Foreigners (CATE), the facilities designed for a maximum stay of 72 hours in the event of peak arrivals. The one in the Balearic Islands, in the old Son Tous barracks, has been under construction since last winter and, according to the SUP, "improvises the relocation of immigrants in harsh conditions for them and for the police officers who work with these people."

From the CATE of Cartagena they add that it is finished, "but it remains closed due to disputes between administrations", while other centers work "at the limit of their possibilities due to the lack of personnel".

"It is not possible to continue detracting police and citizen security patrols who stop attending their localities to resolve immigration problems," continues the SUP, which calls for a service manager in each place, a minimum number of police officers to guarantee the custody of immigrants, a protocol to deal with landings and clean and adequate facilities for police and immigrants. "And all this remunerated as extraordinary services", they conclude.

JUPOL has also denounced in the last hours that the resumption of the maritime lines of passengers and vehicles with Morocco does not have enough policemen, for which it urgently demands that the Ministry of the Interior create a sufficient service commission for the Maritime Border. from Algeciras.

According to this union, more than 100 police officers will leave the Algeciras Police Station due to "lack of incentives" --the organizations, in fact, have spent months demanding the declaration of special areas to release economic bonuses--, which increases the deficit of template in 300 policemen.

"A massive influx of passengers is expected and it would be necessary to at least double the staff to face it with guarantees, as it is one of the main Shengen borders in Europe and must be treated as such," they added from JUPOL.