The government of Pedro Sanchez set a date for the end of rubber balls as riot control equipment National Police and the Civil Guard. He did so following the demand of EH Bilduwhich was demanded since the last legislature as part of the reform of the Citizen Security Act. Without this equipment, the safety of agents will be compromised, as recognized by report the Ministry of the Interior of Fernando Grande-Marlaska during the last purchase of rubber bullets (2022). He describes the now canceled media as “adapted against risks to your safety and that of third parties.
In 2022, the National Police faced one of the greatest logistical challenges in recent decades with the organization of the international summit of the NATO. An event which paralyzed Madrid by bringing together all the leaders of the Alliance, but also dozens of antimilitarist groups who threatened the progress of the summit. It is for this reason that the Interior urgently launched a call for tenders for the purchase of 39,000 rubber balls – “rubber” – as a reserve in anticipation of riots.
The contract, signed by Police weapons and equipment service of the General Directorate of the National Police, was accompanied by a report justifying the purchase in which it was explained that the rubber bullets were going to be necessary for the restoration of order, because they were essential for the “dissolution and fragmentation of the violent groups.”
In the “Adequacy” section, the report describes verbatim that “the purpose of this contract is to protect the police officers of the aforementioned units (UIP and UPR) against risks to their safety and that of third parties which could arise during the development. of its functions, by constituting a means of progressive deterrence adapted to the protection and restoration of public order.
Professional risks
Furthermore, he emphasized that the protection of the agents themselves with this type of violent material was a legal requirement: “This contract complies with the provisions of article 3.2 of AR 2/2006, of January 16, of Prevention of occupational risks in the activity of officials of the National Police Corps, which literally reads: “The State Administration will adopt the necessary measures aimed at guaranteeing the safety and health of CNP agents in all aspects related to the development of activities professional, within the limits of particularities. what the police function entails.
All these arguments, however, were put aside after the agreement reached between the PSOE and EH Bildu to remove rubber bullets and their launchers from the IPU police armories.
Gift to Bildu
THE Citizen Security Actone of the norms most persecuted by the left, will be reformed. The executive led by Pedro Sanchez reached an agreement this Thursday with Bildu to modify this regulation, which groups that support the government are calling Gag law. The training spokesperson abertzale in Congress, Mertxe Aizpuruaadvanced the agreement with the government to draft a “new law which replaces the “gag law”. This rule will eliminate the so-called “harmful aspects” with which agents of state security forces and bodies are protected.
Aizpurua communicated in the Congressional press room that they had “agreed to reform the four outstanding issues” of the Citizen Security Law, which he described as “detrimental aspects.” Among them, he mentioned the “lack of respectTHE disobedienceTHE rubber balls And returns to the border »known as hot returns.
The spokesperson abertzale clarified that the new rule will put an end to the “discretionary power of sanctions for lack of respect”, which must be “objectifiable and justified”. “Protect the right to freedom of expression,” Aizpurua justified. MP Bildu stressed that sanctions for lack of respect will be canceled in the event that “the sanctioned person retracts.” “Penalties for disobedience will range from serious to minor offenses,” he added.
“The use of rubber bullets is over,” he announced. Now, as Aizpurua detailed, “less harmful means” will be used. Bildu’s spokesperson stressed that it was a “demand of Basque citizens”.
Police criticism
Despite criticism from the left, the agent protection measure convinced the state security forces and organs. From the majority union of the National Police, Jupolthe majority union of the National Police, accused the Sánchez government of legislating “for seditionists and criminals” in the face of its continued attempts to repeal the citizen security law.
Jupol recalled that, jointly with the Amnesty lawthe “new attempt to repeal the Citizen Security Law” shows that “this government is legislating for seditionists and criminals and abandoning citizens and the police.” “The police and the Civil Guard will find it more difficult, and sometimes almost impossible, to carry out their work, and those who will suffer the consequences will be the citizens, who will be harmed, because the will of a few will be enough to restrict their rights and freedoms,” explained the association.
“This reform only benefits violent demonstrators and criminals and binds the agents of the security forces and bodies,” added the Jupol spokesperson. Ibon Dominguez.
An agent plays Marlaska
Last Wednesday, Grande-Marlaska heard a police officer – rewarded on the occasion of National Police Day – severely criticize the abandonment from which they say they suffer every day in their work.
The officer, named Iván, recalled during his speech for the National Police Foundation award that “they try to take away their vocation when a heartless person overtakes the boat of six civil guards. When drug traffickers callously attack the zeta of other comrades who prevent them from escaping. When a man or woman tries to cut open the head of a police officer with an ax or with a knife or a stick, or attack him, or spit on him and nothing happens, nothing changes. Rather, we are looking for a way to get rid of even more authority to give to the criminal, lest they also become angry.
“It is difficult to forgive when the lives of our husbands or children have been taken, but I promise our consciences will finally find rest. Let’s raise our voices in the streets, let’s defend ourselves in the media and fight tooth and nail to Congress, please, minister”, he said. In addition, he anticipated the PSOE movement with Bildu within 24 hours asking for “a strong law that protects the good and restrains the evil through neck and not the other way around. Support us by all means. Let’s work and be proud.
