The deputy delegate of the Government, María Rivas, presided, today at the inauguration of the exhibition of 50 years of the Air Service of the Civil Guard that will remain until next Sunday on the esplanade of the Paseo Maritimo del Burgo. He was accompanied by the Chief General of the 15th Zone of the Civil Guard, Miguel Ángel González Arias, and the mayor of Culleredo, José Ramón Rioboo Castro.
In her speech, the subdelegate thanked the effective and effective twenty-five years that the Air Service has been operating in Galicia, a service to the citizens that she considers basic “not only in terms of security and surveillance but also of help and assistance to all and all Galicians”.
María Rivas highlighted the technical and media progress that the air force experienced in its 50 years of service to citizens, from the incorporation of helicopters and aircraft into its equipment, to the recent acquisition of drones to improve the quality of the service provided.
Currently, the air service of the Civil Guard now has 400 human personnel, 40 aircraft between helicopters and the three maritime surveillance aircraft and about 350 drones.
Regarding the technical level, the subdelegate wanted to highlight the commitment of the Government that, with an agreement recently signed, makes possible the renewal of the Civil Guard aircraft replacing them with the new Airbus H-135, which allow greater operational capacity and better security for their operations.
The Government’s deputy delegate also highlighted the renovation of the Civil Guard mobile park, with which they will obtain more efficient and modern vehicles that facilitate their work. “All with the intention of improving the technical and human conditions of the Civil Guard so that it continues to function as a fundamental security body in the vertebration of the wide area of our country,” said Rivas.
In this same vein, María Rivas stressed the recovery of existing staffing levels before the crisis of 2018 and points out that, in this year, the replacement rate already stands at 125 percent. He recalled that this year the Government offers more than 2,500 places for the Civil Guard and that the call to request them remains open.
At the end of the event, the subdelegate gave a medal to the family of Captain Bernardo Pérez Navas, who died in the first air service accident, as a show of respect and tribute to all those who died in the act of service.
The event was also attended by the Chief of the Maneuver Support Command, Juan Francisco Arrazola, the Colonel Air Military Commander and Chief of the Military Airfield of Santiago, Miguel Ángel Paredes, the Superior Chief of Police of Galicia, Ramón Gómez Nieto, the Provincial Commissioner of the Police of A Coruña, Fernando Martínez, the Colonel Military Commander of A Coruña, Emilio Juan Páez and the Captain of Fragata, Juan Carlos Prada Pardal.