The delegate of the Government in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, has today presided over the signing of a collaboration protocol signed between the Civil Guard of Cantabria and the Official College of Psychology to guarantee immediate psychological attention to victims of accidents or serious crimes, as well as their families.
It is a pioneering initiative by which agents can request the support of professionals specialized in situations that require emotional accompaniment or psychological advice. The attention, which will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, will focus on assisting both victims and their relatives at critical times, facilitating understanding and coping with the facts, as well as advising agents on the most appropriate treatment in these cases.
"The protocol is designed to intervene in critical moments that leave a deep emotional imprint on people. I’m talking about cases like a family that loses a loved one in a traffic accident or victims of serious or violent crime. In these scenarios, immediate psychological attention can make the difference between absolute disorientation and a guide that allows them to begin to deal with what happened. For example, in a serious traffic accident, a psychologist can help relatives understand what is happening, manage the impact of the news and offer tools to manage anxiety," said the government delegate, who thanked the Official College of Psychology for its interest and completely selfless collaboration.
Gómez de Diego highlighted that with this agreement between the Civil Guard and the Official College of Psychology of Cantabria "we reinforce the commitment to place people at the center of our policies, being an example of how institutions can and should work together to improve the lives of citizens and respond to their needs."
"This protocol allows us to take another step in the humane treatment that the Security Forces and Corps offer in situations of special vulnerability, reinforcing its human dimension, and places Cantabria at the forefront in the integral care of victims and their families. With this, we not only seek to guarantee their physical safety, but also provide them with immediate emotional and psychological support," said Gómez de Diego.
In this line, he explained that this protocol is not only limited to direct attention to victims and their relatives, but also includes advice to agents, to guide them in the attitudes, behaviors and language to follow.
For his part, the Dean of the College of Psychologists, Francisco Javier Lastra, has expressed his satisfaction with the agreement signed and has claimed the importance of having accredited and experienced professionals at times when specialized communication is required, such as in those situations in which a duel must be faced or in emergency situations such as DANA.
Integral response
The chief colonel of the Civil Guard in Cantabria, Antonio Orantos, and the dean of the College of Psychology, Francisco Javier Lastra, have been in charge of initializing this operating procedure, which does not imply additional economic cost for any of the parties, since it will be financed with the regular budgets of both institutions.
Among the novelties of the protocol is the creation of a joint coordination group, which will monitor the development of the actions and prepare annual monitoring reports. Likewise, the joint disclosure of the activities carried out under this agreement will be promoted, always with the authorization of both entities.
The protocol, which has an initial validity of two years extendable, seeks the collaboration between the Civil Guard and the College of Psychologists to offer a comprehensive response to the victims, guaranteeing their dignity and support in the most difficult moments.