- The delegate of the Government of Spain in the Community of Madrid has highlighted the "significant security deployment" that these figures imply
- He regretted that the Community of Madrid did not inform “in time and form” of yesterday’s musical event at the Puerta del Sol
One thousand national police on average daily will participate in security devices on the occasion of the end of the year events and the Three Kings parades, as detailed today by the Government delegate in the Community of Madrid, Francisco Martín, after presiding over the security coordination meeting of the ‘Christmas Plan 2024/2025’.
A volume that, in the delegate’s opinion, corresponds to the level of reinforced Alert 4 that has been established, and that entails this “significant security deployment”.
Among the events and celebrations that have been reviewed at the meeting have been contemplated: the general rehearsal of the bells, the bells of New Year’s Eve, the two editions of the San Silvestre Vallecana and the different parades of Reyes.
Held at the headquarters of the Government Delegation, it was attended by the superior head of the National Police in Madrid, Javier María Galván Ruíz, together with representatives of the Civil Guard, Municipal Police of Madrid, SAMUR-Civil Protection, Firefighters, Regional Transport Consortium, Metro, EMT and Renfe.
As happened last year, during the 30th and 31st of December access and evacuation through the Sol station will not be allowed from 18:00 hours, but the circulation inside it, where the traffic of trains and connections will not be suspended.
Francisco Martín wanted to acknowledge the effort made by the transport operators and the FCSE, given that an influx of 15,000 people each of those two days is planned at the Puerta del Sol.
Preúvas and campanadas
During the run-ins and the day of the bells, a device of about 800 agents —formed by National Police and Municipal Police— will be deployed in the area of the Puerta del Sol.
From December 29, the Citizen Participation units of the Superior Police Headquarters and the Central Police Station will carry out information work in the affected shops and restaurants in order to transfer the measures adopted and require their collaboration.
On the afternoon of the 30th they will work on the safety of the trial: UIP and UPR, the Mobile Section, Canine Guides and Subsoil Equipment. On 30 and 31, at approximately 9:00 p.m., the Police Intervention Unit supported by the Prevention and Reaction Unit and members of the Municipal Police will proceed to the total eviction of the Puerta del Sol, using the adjacent streets for the personnel of the SELUR (Special Service of Urgent Cleaning) to carry out the cleaning of the place and the removal of waste. Once evicted and inspected by the police, access to the Plaza will be allowed through Alcalá, Carrera de San Jerónimo, Mayor and Arenal streets, up to a maximum capacity of about 17,500 people.
In these streets prefilters and filters will be established by the National Police and Municipal Police, in which Civil Protection volunteer personnel will count the people who can access the Plaza, in order not to exceed the maximum capacity, which will be established by the Madrid City Council.
Also, at the headquarters of the Presidency of the Community of Madrid, an Operational Coordination Center (CECOR) will be established at 22:00 hours, composed of the operational commands of the National Police and Municipal Police, as well as those responsible for the other agencies involved.
For New Year’s Eve, interventions will be made in the Centro district and in the Moncloa district for the exit of the discotheques. At the moment, no macroparty requests have arrived for that night.
San Silvestre Vallecana
It consists of two races, both on the afternoon of December 31: the San Silvestre Popular and the San Silvestre Internacional, which can bring together more than 43,500 runners. The route is the usual one every year: Concha Espina Street, Serrano, Plaza de la Independencia, Alcalá Street, Plaza de Cibeles, Paseo del Prado, Plaza del Emperador Carlos and Avenida de la Albufera, ending the popular one in Candilejas Street and the international one in the Vallecano Ray Stadium.
Police units specialised in public order shall intervene in the security apparatus: UIP and UPR, the Mobile Section, Canine Guides and Subsoil Equipment.
Horseback riding
About twenty parades will be held in the different districts of Madrid, where around 600 police personnel will be deployed.
The great horseback ride through the center of Madrid will take the usual route: it will depart from New Ministries, continue along the Paseo de la Castellana, continue along the Paseo de Recoletos and end at the Plaza de Cibeles. It will begin at 18:00 h. and will end at 21:00 h. A large influx of people, some 200,000 people, is planned, and there will be gradual traffic cuts from 10:00 a.m. Between 300,000 and 500,000 people are expected to attend. For this reason, the National Police has planned a reinforcement of 170 officers to accompany its development.
From 16:00 h. a security device composed of the following Police Units will be established: UIP, UPR, Cavalry, Subsoil, Canine Guides and Aerial Media.
Event yesterday at the Puerta del Sol
Francisco Martín regretted the fact that the Community of Madrid did not inform “in time and form” of the event that was held yesterday at the Puerta de Sol with the musical performance of the artist David Bisbal, and that brought together some 30,000 people. It considers that this is a “serious and unacceptable” fact, given the powers of coordination in the field of security that the Government Delegation has and that the Community of Madrid avoided for this action.
In this sense, he wondered what would have happened if any incident had occurred, because then “today there would be many responsibilities to demand.” He recalled that “the Puerta del Sol is not an independent republic” and that it has to respect the planning and security systems that are articulated.
For this reason, he again called for “the responsibility and coordination of the emergency services of the different administrations”, and for “institutional loyalty” to avoid risks for the attendees of these multitudinous events and so that something like this "does not happen again".