Internal Administrative Inspectorate warns of shortage of vehicles and police in PSP and GNR

The General Inspectorate of Internal Administration warns of a shortage of vehicles at the disposal of the PSP and the State Police, duty lists that “do not guarantee 24-hour patrols,” and police officers “in insufficient numbers to ensure the functioning” of police facilities.

These are some of the violations identified by the General Inspectorate of Internal Administration (IGAI) during surprise inspections carried out in 2023 at 63 police installations, 42 of which were territorial posts of the Republican National Guard and 21 of the Public Security Police.

A report on unannounced security force inspections conducted in 2023, now available to IGAI, reports of GNR territorial posts operating “merely from 09:00 to 17:00 and without their own personnel,” and of a number of military personnel “not being in sufficient numbers to ensure the functioning of territorial posts.”

IGAI also found police installations without “human and material resources to guarantee the safety of their populations,” duty rosters that “do not guarantee 24-hour patrols,” after-hours service provided by personnel assigned to patrol “depriving the public of adequate patrol,” and “ services performed by personnel assigned to conduct investigations that are performed only during working hours.”

The body, which oversees policing, also found at PSP and GNR police stations “a reduced percentage of staff trained in domestic violence and victim support status”, “a lack of self-care resources available to staff, reducing opportunities for intervention”, buildings and structures that are “in poor condition or functionally unsuitable for serving people with limited mobility,” “large-sized facilities without a surveillance system,” empty houses and office premises without privacy.

The report also found that there were “buildings with asbestos tiles”, premises without dedicated public toilets and “functionally unsuitable” for female staff or for the care of people with limited mobility, and no facilities to provide assistance to victims. and “clear identification or inventory of weapons on hand” at the police station or post.

“Detention cells without hygiene and safety conditions, lack of emergency plans and fire extinguishers with outdated service life, buildings without an alternative electrical system in a power outage situation” and “old furniture, in poor condition and outdated, premises small waiting rooms with low level of comfort and service area without privacy,” are other conclusions of the surprise inspections carried out by IGAI.

In the report, IGAI recommends that the PSP and GNR “strengthen and train” staff, vehicles, equipment and uniforms, adapt facilities for female staff to perform functions, provide public access to exclusive bathrooms adapted for people with disabilities. creation and installation of facilities to provide assistance to victims, repair of damaged premises and equipment and replacement of asbestos tiles.

In addition to the 63 unannounced inspections at PSP police stations and GNR territorial posts, IGAI also conducted six visits to temporary accommodation centers or equivalent premises for foreign nationals, which were run by the Aliens and Border Guard Service and fell with its disappearance. under the jurisdiction of the PSP.

The scope of intervention by the IGAI, which carries out these annual inspections, included conditions of service to the public, the work of police units, the detention area, interventions under the Educational Trust Act, the Protection of Children and Young People at Risk Act and the Mental Health Act. health, citizen complaints, victim status and weapons storage, security protocols, and packaging and sealing of confiscated goods.