Issue 781 23 November - 29 November 2012 - FREE
GUARDIA WARNED: Fine more drivers, or you’ll lose your monthly bonuses
TRAFFIC cops in Tenerife and the other Canary Islands are under pressure to fine more motorists. If they don’t, they will lose their monthly 240-euro roadsafety bonus, which is why there has been an all-out purge on drivers in recent weeks. The traffic police have been out in force all over Tenerife stopping cars at random and checking on the safety aspects - lights, tyres etc - and paperwork. The Guardia Civil has sent out letters to officers, warning them that “their productivity is below average and has not reached the appropriate level
of performance”. It also reminds them that Unit Leaders, since 2006, have had the power to strip them of their bonuses. The letter goes on to say: “This is just a warning, but if productivity is not increased immediately, and if you continue with this low performance, the pertinent action will be taken.” But the operation has brought a sharp response from the AUGC, the police association to which the majority of the Guardia Civil officers belong. “Threats like this turn traffic police officers into mere debt collectors,” complains the group. And that’s exactly what
it seems to be: a game of cops and robbers, but with serious intent and cash consequences. Never has the phrase “Drive carefully” been more apt as the police coffers fill up and drivers’ pockets are emptied. One motorist was fined 100 euros for crossing a single white line, even though he was attempting to manoeuvre his way slowly around what he believed was an accident. He saw a queue of cars and police officers ahead, and assumed there had been a collision. But it was, in fact, a police checkpoint, and no excuses were accepted. Last year saw a sharp drop in fines throughout the Canaries and the
AUGC believes this is down to a significant reduction in traffic on the roads, and more cautious drivers - all because of the economic crisis and high unemployment rates. It certainly looks as though the heads of each unit have been turning a blind eye to their colleagues’ output, or lack of it, and have failed to withdraw bonuses, as per instruction. Now, however, they are cracking the whip to reach agreed targets in “performance, interest and initiative”. A monthly Individual Activity Summary (RAI in Spanish) assesses the work of each traffic cop: the number of fines handed out,
statements taken, vehicles recovered, arrests made, road assists and even the number of kilometres travelled on two or four wheels. For example, going to the aid of a driver with a punctured tyre is worth 0.25 points, while fining a truck driver is worth four points, and so on. The Guardia Civil letter, sent in October, says the “performance of officers is producing a negative result, suggesting evidence of a lack of interest, activity, initiative and performance”. In July, Guardia Civil units in Tenerife, Las Palmas, León, Seville, the Balearic Islands and Alicante, had the least number of traffic fines. In Las Palmas, just 4,800
fines were handed out, 26% fewer than in July 2011; and in Tenerife 3,036 fines, which were 52% fewer. And in the whole of 2011, 194,000 traffic fines were handed out in the Canaries, which was 9,000 more than in 2010. But official data shows an increase in the number of fines, and the AUGC believes the Guardia Civil chiefs are not evaluating the work of officers in the Canary Islands fairly. It is one of the regions with the lowest roadtraffic fatalities - just 47 last year - and the highest unemployment (33%). But motorists beware: the cops are after your money, so they can have theirs!