The General Director of the Civil Guard meets with those responsible for the Civil Guard in La Rioja and the Rural Action Unit
He has also visited the facilities of the Polígono de Experiencias for Special Forces of the Civil Guard (PEFE Project) where he has been able to witness an exhibition of procedures of action of the UAR
Likewise, the General Director of the Civil Guard has held a meeting with the President of the Government of La Rioja, Concha Andreu
The General Director of the Civil Guard, María Gámez, has held a working meeting with those responsible for the Corps Zone in La Rioja and the Rural Action Unit (UAR).
The Commands of the Civil Guard have explained to the Director General the tasks they carry out in the Area, how the current situation is, as well as the prospects and future plans.
The Director General congratulated the Civil Guards of La Rioja for their involvement during the pandemic, especially with regard to ensuring compliance with mobility measures, but above all, for the help they have provided to citizens, to people older people, smaller towns, schools, etc. The Civil Guard has been more worthy than ever. He has also asked them to continue to maintain this effort at a time when new restrictions have been put in place in the community due to the rates of infections that require all our involvement.
Likewise, María Gámez has traveled to the offices of the Rural Action Unit (UAR), where she has been able to learn first-hand about the mission and tasks they carry out.
During the meeting, María Gámez highlighted the excellent work being done by this unit, especially within the Action Plan in Campo de Gibraltar; as well as in the development of the GAR-SI SAHEL Project. They are examples of the great specialization of this unit, which has been able to take on new tasks once, fortunately, ETA terrorism has ended, María Gámez pointed out.
Subsequently, the Director General has visited the facilities of the Civil Guard Special Forces Experiences Park (PEFE Project) where she has been able to witness an exhibition of UAR action procedures.
Also, during the visit, the General Director of the Civil Guard held a meeting with the President of the Government of La Rioja, Concha Andreu.
The Civil Guard in La Rioja
The Civil Guard in the Rioja Community is responsible for the citizen security of 173 municipalities, which comprises 52.29% of the total population of this Community. To carry out this task, it has almost 1,200 members of which 13.55% are women.
The Civil Guard Zone of the Rioja Community is structured in 4 Companies, 1 Main Post, 23 Ordinary Posts and 2 Auxiliary Posts, to serve 98% of the total territorial extension of the province.
It has the specialties of Seprona, Weapons Intervention, Traffic, Information, Judicial Police, Tedax, Cynological Service, Ereim, Geas, as well as a Roca team.
During the past year the commission of 1626 crimes has been known, which represents a decrease of 10.38%, from the same period of the previous year. Likewise, 61.25% of the crimes committed have been clarified. On the other hand, 872 people have been arrested or investigated.
Rural Action Unit of the Civil Guard
The Rural Action Unit (UAR), deployed in the Basque Country and Navarra since 1980, has as a specific mission the fight against terrorist elements and the execution of operations that involve great risk and require a rapid response, as well as the specialization of its personnel and carrying out the courses entrusted to it, nationally and internationally.
To carry out these tasks, the UAR is structured into an operational unit, the Rapid Action Group (GAR), and another to support training and instruction, the Special Training Center (CAE).
The GAR, as a unit integrated in the Civil Guard reserve, is a "special operations" Unit conceived and prepared for the planning and execution of devices and tasks against terrorist elements, as well as missions that involve great risk or require a rapid response. .
The CAE is an internationally recognized teaching center for training in special operations, which has a double dependency: on the one hand, organic and functional, of the Head of Special and Reserve Units (JUER) and, on the other hand, a dependency technician-teacher of the Civil Guard Teaching Headquarters.
Although the origin and main task was the fight against ETA, its “special capacities” have caused the Unit to be redirected towards two new lines of action:
National scope
Within the territorial scope of the Basque Country and Navarra, it works in coordination with the Information Service to cover their procurement needs, as well as any other support they may require.
In the rest of the national territory, after the implementation of alert level 4 of the Antiterrorist Prevention and Protection Plan in May 2015, its deployment began in critical infrastructures (ports / airports) and in public spaces for large events, as well as the main element of interception of possible jihadist cells.
Currently, it is part of the Special Plan to fight drug trafficking in the Strait area. In turn, they also carry out coordinated operations with the Central Operational Unit (UCO), in different areas of the Spanish geography.
At international level
RAG components have participated in a multitude of international operations since 1994, under the umbrella of all international organizations: NATO, EU, UN and OSCE.
The most outstanding international activities in recent years have been the following:
- Participation from the beginning of the GAR-SI Sahel Project, which consists of replicating the GAR unit in the G-5 countries and Senegal.
- Deployment in EUFOR-RCA in the years 2014/2015.
- Deployment in Iraq, Inherent Resolve (May 2017-March 2020), where they deployed a total of 144 men (BPC Besmayah).
- Security Team of the Spanish Ambassador in Lebanon (since 2006) and participation in the UNIFIL mission in this country.
- Flintlock Special Operations Exercise led by SOCAFRICA (USAFRICOM) and executed in Africa (Senegal, Mauritania, Burkina-Faso) since 2016.
The Unit's contribution to international activities in the last three years is as follows:
- Year 2018 they have participated with 122 components in 18 countries.
- Year 2019 they have participated with 207 components in 32 countries.
- Year 2020 they have participated with 59 components in 9 countries.
For more information, you can contact the Press Office of the Civil Guard on the telephone number 915 146 010.