Melilla Border Unions Call for More Staff, Resources Ahead of May Reopening

The collective has demanded an increase in staff at the border posts, in particular specialized personnel, and a redesign of the infrastructure in order to avoid violent assaults by migrants. It also requested more technical means (surveillance systems, mobile scanner, sniffer dogs, etc.) to strengthen border control. It is also important to "think about the health of the agents on duty at the border," the collective added.

To read: Spain Enhances Border Security in Melilla with €2.5 Million Surveillance System

The general secretary of the Melilla police union (SUP), Jesús Ruiz Barranco, deplored that the Beni-Ensar border has remained without maintenance for more than two years. However, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, assured that work will be carried out to make it "intelligent". Meanwhile, on the Moroccan side, everything is practically ready for the reopening, the SUP official pointed out.

To read: Melilla Border Tensions Rise as Spain Resists Pressure to Reopen Crossings

Sergio Márquez, the general secretary of the Melilla Civil Guard union (AUGC), for his part, specified that 300 civil guards should join the staff in Melilla in order to avoid occasional reinforcements during each migration crisis, which moreover, are more expensive than the recruitment of security personnel in Melilla.

In addition, Ruiz Barranco denounced the fact that the government delegate has discussed the reopening of the border with representatives of the Confederation of Employers of Melilla (CEME-CEOE), and not with representatives of the police and the Civil Guard.