- The Government delegate highlights the role of the Civil Guard as a guarantee of order, justice and humanity
- The Valencian Community has about 7,300 agents of the Civil Guard, which means an increase of 5.4% since 2018
The delegate of the Government in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, has presided together with the General Chief of the Sixth Zone, Arturo Prieto, the commemorative events of the day of the patron saint of the Civil Guard that have been held in Utiel, which has also been attended by the mayor of the town, Ricardo Gabaldón.
In these acts, the delegate has praised the performance of the Benemérita during the dana of October 29, since when it “hit with all its force, the Civil Guard was, once again, the human face of the State.” And it has valued the work of the 5,290 agents who were deployed to attend rescues, evacuations, roadblocks and support to the most affected municipalities of the province of Valencia.
Bernabé recalled “with deep respect and emotion”, Adolfo Torres Lafuente, a civil guard who died in Paiporta during last year’s dana; and Nieves Navas, a partner of another agent who also lost his life. In addition, the delegate has made a special mention to the six people who died in Utiel in the flood on October 29 last year.
On the other hand, the delegate of the Government stressed that the celebration in Utiel of the patron saint’s day “has a special meaning because here, as in so many towns of our Valencian Community, the Civil Guard is part of the landscape, of the memory and of the heart of the people. If there is one trait that defines the Civil Guard, it is its rural roots. The interior Spain is not understood without the Civil Guard. In every village, in every hamlet, there is a barracks that are also a cardinal reference, a meeting point and a refuge.”
The Valencian Community has 7,267 officers of the Civil Guard. Thus, from 2018 to today, the number of civil guards serving in the Valencian Community has grown by 5.4%, which means in total numbers 371 more guards.
“An institution that has been able to adapt to the times without losing its essence. And that today it fights new threats, such as cybercrime, with the same vocation with which, more than a century and a half ago, the dusty roads of Spain were patrolled. The Civil Guard remains a guarantee of order, justice and humanity,” he said.
Women and men who, according to the delegate, with their “vocation and commitment” have contributed to a 3.2% decrease in crime in the province compared to last year. And that homicides have been halved, home thefts have fallen by 20%, and farm subtractions by 37%.
For Barnabas, these data “guarantee the work well done and the effectiveness of those who, day and night, protect the life and tranquility of others”. In this regard, the delegate explained that the rate of clarification of crimes has also improved: 41.4% in the province and 43.4% in the Valencian Community as a whole, “the best data of the last seven years”.
On this day they have awarded a Merit Medal in the Civil Guard with Red badge; 12 Silver Cross of the Order of Merit in the Civil Guard; 21 Merit Medals in the Civil Guard with White badge, six of them to people outside the Civil Guard; and a Medal to the Royal and Military Order of San Hermenegildo. Barnabas congratulated all the winners and thanked them for their work and professionalism.