The City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is participating until Friday as an observer in the security operation of San Fermín in Pamplona, with the aim of improving coordination in its own festivals and large events.
A representative from the Department of Citizen Security and Emergencies of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has travelled this week to Pamplona to closely follow the security deployment of San Fermín. The invitation, extended by the Pamplona City Council, will allow the chicharrero City Council to understand the intricacies of one of the most complex operations in Spain.
The Mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, has emphasised the importance of this experience: "For a city like Santa Cruz, which hosts numerous large events throughout the year, it is essential to know firsthand how other administrations with extensive experience in planning large security operations work."
A record operation with multiple bodies
The San Fermín operation mobilises the Municipal Police of Pamplona, the Foral Police of Navarra, Civil Protection, National Police, Civil Guard, Red Cross, DYA, the Navarra Health Service, and 112-SOS Navarra. A coordination machinery that Santa Cruz wants to study to apply to its own celebrations, such as the May festivities or Carnival.
The Councillor for Citizen Security and Emergencies, Gladis de León, explained that "participating as observers in one of the most recognised operations in Spain will allow us to analyse its functioning on the ground and exchange experiences with the various bodies."
Collaboration that goes back a long way
This is not the first time that both cities have collaborated. In 2019, Santa Cruz organised the "I Technical Meeting of Cities in the Organisation of Preventive Devices for Mass Events," which was attended by officials from Barcelona and Pamplona. Now, the invitation reinforces that bond and allows for the continuous training of municipal staff.
The dispatched official will attend the Local Security Board of Pamplona on Wednesday and learn about the structure of Civil Protection in the Navarre city. They will also participate in the preparation and management of the running of the bulls operation, as well as in the CECOOR, the coordination centre where the National Police, Civil Guard, Foral Police, and Municipal Police converge.
For the residents of Santa Cruz, this collaboration will translate into a tangible improvement in security at events like Carnival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people. The City Council plans to incorporate the good practices observed to strengthen prevention and response capacity in the event of any emergency.
The observer's stay will last until Friday, enough time to soak up the logistics of a San Fermín that annually gathers more than a million visitors. The City Council of Santa Cruz hopes that the trip will help continue perfecting its operations and ensuring the safety of citizens and tourists.
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