The ceremony was attended by the councillor for the Presidency and Citizen Security, Ángel Lorén, and the chief superintendent of the Local Police, Antonio Blas Soriano Hernández, along with other municipal and police officials. Soriano reminded the candidates that they still face an “intense” process in which they will have to work every day to be ready by May. He also urged them to use these months to develop their vocation for a profession in which, he stressed, discipline, order and hierarchy are essential.
A CLASS WITH A RECORD NUMBER OF WOMEN
Among the 47 future officers are 17 women, a presence the superintendent highlighted particularly during his speech. In addition, eight members come from other police forces. Soriano encouraged the new recruits to find their place in the future within a force that is adding new units and specializations. One of the candidates, Marta, told ARAGÓN DIGITAL that she is facing this stage with “enormous enthusiasm” after the sacrifice involved in the competitive selection process and with the intention of dedicating her career to public service. “If possible in the future, I would like to be in the VioGén unit,” she said of one of her professional ambitions.
The arrival of this class is part of the process of renewing a force that, according to Lorén, is currently fully staffed, although the city council plans to amend its staffing plan to increase the number of officers. The councillor said that more than 107 officers had joined over the past four years and highlighted that the municipal budget includes an investment of more than six million euros in security, the highest amount allocated to the Local Police so far.
“IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE 43RD CLASS”
Soriano also focused on the years in which there were no new classes and said that this should have been the 43rd, not the 26th. The superintendent recalled the staffing shortages caused by the lack of recruitment, although he considered that the Local Police is nearing the situation “it should have”. Lorén, for his part, defended the municipal policy of recent years and insisted that the goal now is to continue increasing staffing levels and modernizing equipment.
The reinforcement of the Local Police will be accompanied by other measures, such as expanding video surveillance cameras and opening new facilities. Lorén announced that the new police headquarters at Bruil Park will be operational before the next Fiestas del Pilar and highlighted the focus on smart cameras. He also reminded the future officers of the responsibility they will assume when they begin patrolling: “You are the image” of Zaragoza, both for its residents and for those who visit the city.
Among those who have begun this stage is Diego, a 26-year-old from Zaragoza, who told ARAGÓN DIGITAL that he secured a place on his first attempt after approximately a year of studying and training from Monday to Sunday. “For a few years now, I have felt that vocation to serve others. And if I can do it for my city, in Zaragoza, even better,” he explained. His experience and Marta’s will be two of the personal stories accompanying a class that, if it completes these months at the Academy successfully, will begin patrolling Zaragoza next spring.
