Toledo.- The delegate of the Government of Spain in Castilla-La Mancha, Francisco Tierraseca, has exposed the recognition of the Civil Guard "as one of the institutions that generates the most confidence among the citizens", thanks to its proximity and its specific work "ensuring citizen security", fundamentally - the delegate recalled - in the rural area. “Not only in the day-to-day, but in the relief of the population in extraordinary emergency situations”, such as the recent DANA that mainly affected numerous municipalities in the provinces of Toledo and Cuenca. An action, insisted, coordinated and diligent, has also achieved the prompt resolution of investigations into such tragic events as those that occurred in the last two weeks in Val de Santo Domingo and Pelahustan, both in the province of Toledo.
In his speech at the institutional event to celebrate the Day of the patron saint of the Civil Guard, which he presided over in front of the Command in Toledo, accompanied by the Chief General of the Second Zone of the Civil Guard of Castilla-La Mancha, Francisco Javier Cortés Méndez, the delegate has conveyed his congratulations to the decorated and the whole of the Benemérita, for the work they carry out every day.
“You are a reference institution in the rural world but you are also an institution that has been able to adapt to all the changes that the current time implies,” said Tierraseca. Thus, he mentioned the involvement of the Civil Guard in dealing with cybercrime, with specialized training and increasingly appropriate means, with growing crimes such as network scams, sexual extortion or identity theft.
Another area in which the Civil Guard is increasingly specialized is in gender violence, both in prevention, as well as in attention to women victims or in action, in case of aggression. “Coordination with other Security Forces and bodies and with institutions that manage specific resources is essential,” insisted the delegate.
Castilla-La Mancha, with its 79,000 square kilometers of extension spread between its five provinces and its 919 municipalities, is one of the territories where the presence of the Civil Guard makes the most sense, the delegate has defended. Its more than 5,000 troops are a reference in terms of citizen security “in all corners”. Not only with the personnel of the posts and barracks, but with the specialized units, such as the Roca Team, which monitors to avoid robberies in the field, or as the Seprona, which works to ensure the care of the environment and ensures the preservation and environmental respect, as well as with its presence in the Local Security Boards or in taking charge, or collaborating, in the good development of multitudinous activities such as sports events or music festivals.
All this effort has tangible results. “Castile-La Mancha remains one of the safest regions.” A statement that Tierraseca has accompanied with data, such as the crime rate, which stands at 39.8 criminal offenses per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to 50.3 of the national rate, which is almost 11 points below the country average.
In this objective, we must continue to advance with more resources, both equipment and human resources, said Tierraseca, who recalled that the workforce has grown in recent years, with almost 300 more personnel than when the Legislature began, but also recalling that the commitment of the Government of Spain, through the Ministry of the Interior, is to “progressively incorporate” effective personnel through Public Employment Offers.
Along with this challenge of improving staffing levels, there is another fundamental challenge: to promote the incorporation of women in all areas of the Civil Guard. Today there are 324 women who are part of this institution in Castilla-La Mancha, but this region “is a national reference because we have two of the three women heads of Command of the country, in Guadalajara and in Cuenca”, the delegate recalled.
The government delegate concluded his speech by once again congratulating the Civil Guard, highlighting their status as “guarantors of citizen security, which is worth generating the trust of all Castilian-Manchegos and all Castilian-Manchegas.”
For his part, the chief general of the Civil Guard Zone in Castilla-La Mancha, Francisco Javier Cortés, has defended that the Civil Guard works with the main objective of serving the citizens and has demonstrated the Corps’s ability to adapt to new times and new challenges. She has also referred to the 35th anniversary of the incorporation of women into the Civil Guard, with an increasing presence in the Corps and at all levels.
Likewise, in his speech, General Cortés said that the past year has shown the good work and effort of the Civil Guard in helping citizens in various emergencies and also participating in important operations at the national level. More than 30,000 aids in this Autonomous Community in the last year attest to this, he said.
Finally, he thanked the municipalities and the deputations for their collaboration with the Civil Guard and for their contribution in the maintenance of the facilities. Before concluding, he also congratulated the honorees, and the whole of the Civil Guard for their festivity, as well as for their commitment in the task of ensuring public safety.
Along with the government delegate and the general head of the 2nd Zone of the Civil Guard in Castilla-La Mancha, the mayor of Toledo, Carlos Velázquez, the Minister of Finance and Public Service, Juan Alfonso Ruiz Molina, the superior head of the National Police Force, Javier Pérez, and other civil and military authorities have attended.