The deputy delegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas, presided this morning together with the mayor of Ortigueira, Valentín Calvín, the meeting of the Local Xunta of Security in which in addition to reviewing the device of Security face the International Festival of the Celtic World of Ortigueira that will be held from July 11 to 14, an assessment of the security data of the city council was also made, highlighting the collaboration and coordination between the State Security Forces and Bodies and the Local Police.
In this regard, a subdelegate wanted to highlight that taking into account the data of the year 2023, the city of Ortigueira has one of the lowest crime rates in the province. Specifically, the crime rate in Ortigueira is 15 points below the provincial average, standing at 22 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants compared to 37 per 1,000 for the province as a whole. This rate is also below the Galician average (35) and well below the state average of 51 crimes per thousand inhabitants.
María Rivas expressed the importance of collaboration and coordination between administrations to work together for neighborhood security, a collaboration that is key in the reduction of 14 points in serious and less serious crimes.
VioGen
The meeting also provided an analysis of data relating to gender-based violence. The subdelegate reported that today, in the province of A Coruña there are 2,253 victims within the VioGen system.
The deputy delegate spoke with the emphasis that “each of the 2,253 victims directly challenge our action, and they are a reminder that we must work together and on a daily basis to protect women and their families. The fight against gender violence is a primary objective for this subdelegation of the Government, which is why we are working to ensure that all municipalities that have local police incorporate this system of protection of victims.
Thus, he recalled that in the province there are already 22 municipalities that formalized their incorporation to VioGen, and that another 9 municipalities are currently in the process of accession. In this regard, he recalled that the city of Ortigueira already has the procedures begun, and urged to sign the accession protocol as soon as possible. He also stressed the importance of working through the Interinstitutional Coordination Tables, of which 39 are currently in operation, one of them in the city of Ortigueira.
For this reason, María Rivas again pointed out the collaboration and coordination of administrations as an essential tool to improve the protection of victims of gender violence. “It is the local police who are most attached to the territory, know the environment and the neighborhood better, and their contribution is very important.”
Finally, the subdelegate cited the activities carried out under the State Pact against Gender Violence as another example of the collaboration between the different institutions in this matter, and for which the city of Ortigueira received from 2018 a total of 25,752.34 euros within the framework of the State Pact. “These are training, awareness and prevention actions that are carried out at the local level and that are very necessary to advance social awareness.”
Young Cultural Bonus
Finally, the Government’s deputy delegate took advantage of the Ortigueira International Festival to remind the boys and girls of the province that one of the benefits of the Young Cultural Bonus is attending concerts and music festivals. María Rivas highlighted that in the province of A Coruña there were 6,474 young people and girls of 18 years who applied for the Cultural Bonus and who therefore have one year to consume the 400 euros with which it is endowed. In total, the Cultural Voucher has an impact of 2,589,600 euros in the province. There are 400 euros of which 200 can be consumed in tickets that young people can take advantage of to enjoy live music such as the Ortigueira festival, such as the Lo Son del Camino that is celebrated this weekend in Santiago or any of the festivals that will take place this summer throughout the province.
In this regard, María Rivas stressed the importance of the bond in Galicia and in the province and specifically of the double impact it has, both on youth and on cultural industries. This justifies that in the last edition its scope multiplied both in the number of beneficiaries and in the number of entities and businesses adhered.