“He has deceived the people of Lanzarote again by announcing a reinforcement of security forces that does not exist,” stated the insular president of the PP, expressing solidarity with the Guardia Civil’s frustration over the repeated failures of Sánchez’s government.
Political Commitment Questioned
Astrid Pérez, President of the Popular Party in Lanzarote, has condemned the lack of commitment from Pedro Sánchez’s government towards the Canary Islands, particularly Lanzarote. This follows years of unsuccessful demands for an increase in the number of State Security Forces.
Pérez describes the PSOE’s actions as “political shamelessness,” accusing them of playing with Lanzarote’s needs by “making promises that they repeatedly fail to fulfil.” She emphasised, “Citizens are tired of the Canary minister Torres looking the other way when it comes to ensuring security and alleviating the heavy workload faced by both the National Police and the Guardia Civil.”
Frustration from Law Enforcement
In this regard, the PP leader shared the discontent voiced by the Spanish Civil Guards Association (AEGC), which has accused the former president of the Canary Islands Government and current Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, of misleading and cheating the people of the Canary Islands. This follows his announcement of new personnel joining the force, when in reality, they are simply the same guards who began training two months ago, failing to provide any real increase in numbers.
It is noteworthy that the socialist minister claimed there would be 169 new personnel for the Canary Islands, of which 20 would be allocated to Lanzarote.
Trust Eroded
Pérez remarked, “This behaviour reinforces what we have been saying for some time: that the people of the Canary Islands can no longer trust this government or Torres when it comes to defending our interests in Madrid.” She asserted, “We are dealing with a minister who, during his time leading the Canary Islands Executive, clearly demonstrated his alignment with Pedro Sánchez’s partisan interests.”
She further pointed out that “neither then nor now do we see them concerned about the overwhelming workload affecting both the Guardia Civil and the National Police, due to the shortage of personnel needed to address the demands of an island with over 160,000 residents, which attracts around three million tourists annually and must also respond to services arising from the migrant crisis and the arrival of boats on our shores.”
