The association calls on the Government delegate for a protocol that “prohibits excess passengers on vessels of the Maritime Service”
The Unified Association of the Civil Guard (AUGC) denounced this Tuesday the lack of means in the Corps before the “high level of irregular migration”, in the form of “waves of boats”, which reach the coasts of the Region of Murcia, sources from the organization reported in a statement. According to the AUGC, “the high number of migrants causes a serious situation in the provision of the service of the patrol boats of the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard, specifically in response to the arrival of increasingly numerous boats.”
In this sense, the association pointed out that the work system before the arrival of boats with people in an irregular situation forced 67 immigrants to transport on October 17 in a 20-meter-long patrol boat and four agents on board. «This excess of passengers, in this case irregular migrants, creates a feeling of insecurity in two aspects: the first in the maneuverability of the boat», since it makes it impossible to navigate «with the necessary safety guarantees» and goes «against the regulations on occupational hazards ”, according to the AUGC. This situation “could even endanger the very migrants that we intend to help, taking into account that they are not even equipped with life jackets,” these same sources specified.
Regarding the second aspect, the association refers to a “situation of insecurity” of the crew, “since they can neither control nor monitor and not even protect themselves in the event of any conflict.”
This context motivated the AUGC to send a letter to the Government delegate in the Region of Murcia, José Vélez, to order an action protocol that “prohibits excess passengers on vessels of the Civil Guard Maritime Service.”
Likewise, it considers “necessary” an increase in the staff of agents dedicated to these tasks, which currently “does not exceed thirty”, with the aim of “providing continuous service every day and not like now, there are days when there is not enough crew.
Another of the requests of the Unified Civil Guard Association is that, in emergency situations, the crews of two boats can be enabled, “and even in summer to monitor the Mar Menor”, something that “is impossible with the current staff, that has not increased since the 90s.
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