A group of National Police agents, the Civil Guard and local police have met with the Ministry of Interior to ask him to increase, who do not always know how to act in situations of abuse, rescue or protection of pets in emergencies. Among the demands is to modify the opposition for the first two bodies, dependent on the State, to include an animal -related issue. An interior spokesman confirms that the Ministry has transferred the proposal to the General Directorates of Police and the Civil Guard, which will study their viability.
“We have made a proposal to start working on the perception of animals from the base. It is of no use to create rules if those who have to apply do not know them well, ”explains Eduardo Justa, president of the Police Association for the Defense of Animals (), an entity that brings together around a hundred agents both of the National and local and local bodies. “Our idea is to start from the base, that is, since a person intends to be a police or civil guard, access a agenda in which animals of animal protection appear,” he continues.
In this sense, the Association recalls that the agendas are changing as society evolves: a few years after equal marriage was approved, a topic in oppositions on LGTBI rights was included. The same happened with sexist violence or other issues. Therefore, it would be convenient for him to appear in the agendas. In fact, in La Rioja it is already contemplated as a requirement to choose to enter the Local Police of the Community. “It would be very symbolic that opponents have assimilated from the beginning that are important subjects and your competition,” says fair.
Therefore, fair considers that agents know, at least, the Animal Welfare Law, and the legal regime. “They are matters that should know all the patrols of the Civil Guard – not only the Seprona – as well as the agents of the National Police and the local police. Everyone should know the rights and obligations of animal owners to know how to act quickly, it makes no sense that you receive a different treatment depending on the sensitivity and empathy of the person who attends you. As long as they do not, there are complaints on social networks because they do not act, ”says the president of APDA.
This Wednesday, three members of the association-among them, fair-went to the department directed Minister’s advisors. According to the association, and other situations of vulnerability.
In his opinion, we should also deepen the management of animals in emergency situations or establish clear protocol to certain types of infractions. For agents, there is a generalized ignorance of national administrative regulations related to the protection of animals and responsible tenure. As they consider, this ignorance generates difficulties when applying the law correctly and managing situations that directly affect animals, which causes the impunity of those responsible and the repetition of infractions.
Interior sources point out that the Ministry has transferred the proposal to the general directorates of both the National Police and the Civil Guard, which will study its viability. According to the association, the minister’s cabinet representatives were receptive to the proposal, although aware of the broad regulations already required to opponents. In addition, they agreed on the importance of continuing to advance in specialized training to address situations that involve animals.
The APDA was founded in 2015. Its work is to raise awareness among agents to have greater sensitivity to animals and biodiversity. In his opinion, this proposal represents an important step towards a more comprehensive and specialized training for the more than 150,000 troops between members of the National Police Corps and the Civil Guard, who would add their performance to the almost 70,000 local police throughout Spain, improving The answer to situations that involve animals.
