La Guardia Civil A la Rioja continues with its training for healthcare personnel, through informative workshops on the prevention of aggression in healthcare centers and professionals who support them in case of physical or verbal aggression. The latest workshops took place at the health centers of Haro, Nájera, and Santo Domingo in Calzada and were attended by doctors, nurses, guards, administrative security personnel, and private security.
In 2024, the Guardia Civil opened procedures for seven incidents against healthcare personnel, emphasizing one appeal against an official, four for threats, one for harassment, and another for altering the order in a medical center. These types of situations emphasize the importance of training actions aimed at strengthening security in healthcare centers.
The goal of these sessions is to make participants aware of the details of the «comprehensive plan for the protection of healthcare professionals» implemented by the Guardia Civil, in accordance with the instruction of the State Secretariat for Security 3/2017. This plan establishes police measures to continue facing aggression against healthcare professionals, to ensure the safety of healthcare personnel in their work.
Efforts are made to enhance communication and improve security prevention, as well as the protection of healthcare centers and the professionals working in them, including doctors, nurses, guards, administrative staff, security personnel, and others. Special emphasis is placed on raising awareness among the healthcare community of the «zero tolerance» policy against any type of aggression, whether physical or verbal. The importance of reporting these incidents is underscored to prevent the impunity of aggressors and to prevent recurrence.
Additionally, the existence of the «AlertCops» mobile application is mentioned, which includes an SOS button. By activating it, healthcare personnel can send an urgent alert to the nearest police station, along with their location and a 10-second audio recording capturing what is happening at that moment.
The Armed Institute, responsible for the security of citizens throughout the autonomous community of La Rioja, except Logroño, has a specialized police liaison for healthcare personnel and workers providing services at the Calahorra Hospital and at the 12 health centers and 172 medical offices in the region, within its jurisdiction. This figure aims to provide personalized and exclusive attention to this group, establishing a specific procedure to address and deal with the aggressions they may face in their work.
Healthcare professionals in La Rioja, in the exercise of their duties, are considered an «authority figure,» which offers them greater legal protection. Consequently, physical aggressions against them are punished with prison sentences, according to the seriousness of the injuries, while verbal aggressions that constitute a threat offense can be penalized with fines.
