SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 24 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Government Alerted to Issues

The Canary Islands Government alerted the Ministry of Equality, the Government Delegation, the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands, and the Superior Prosecutor’s Office in February last year regarding failures in the ‘anti-violence’ bracelets, specifically on the island of La Palma.

Statements from the Councillor

This revelation was made by Lady Barreto, the Councillor for the Presidency, Justice, Security, and Public Administration, during an interview on the ‘Buenos Días Canarias’ programme on Televisión Canaria, as reported by Europa Press.

Barreto noted that often there were either no devices available or insufficient technical personnel, particularly in the non-capital islands. She described this as a “grave” situation and mentioned that the Ministry of Equality responded by stating it was a “one-off issue with no further implications.”

Wider Implications

She emphasised that this is not an “isolated incident,” with the provinces of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Cuenca particularly affected. In addition to the operational failures, the 373 devices in the archipelago are not as “effective as they should be,” leading to “dismissals of cases and acquittals in instances that should have resulted in convictions.”

Request for Accountability

The Councillor has urged the Ministry to clarify how many cases in the Canary Islands have led to acquittals or dismissals, stating that reports must ascertain whether the aggressor has approached the victim and whether the exclusion orders have been complied with.

Last week, her department sent another letter to the ministry seeking further information, and she confirmed that “there has been no response thus far.”

Concerns for Public Safety

“This issue has greatly angered us,” she added, emphasising that the priority now is to ensure the security of the system. She has received information from a duty solicitor indicating that there have been further failures recently.