Two Civil Guard officers on duty at the Torrevieja courthouse prevented a detainee from leaping from the third floor on September 19, according to the Unified Association of Civil Guards, AUGC.
AUGC praised the officers for their flawless conduct and professionalism, and reminded the Guardia Civil’s new director general that these interventions are the kind of actions that deserve proper recognition and should not be celebrated only during the upcoming Virgen del Pilar festivities, the patron saint of the corps.
According to AUGC, the two agents were entrusted with detainee custody and were ordered to bring a young woman of about twenty to testify before Investigating Court No. 1 of Torrevieja on the building’s third floor to report on the events for which she remained detained.
Upon reaching the third-floor landing, in a sudden and swift movement, despite being securely chained, the young woman sprinted toward a large window that lights the stairs and was open, with clear and determined intent to throw herself into the void, the association notes.
The detainee managed to expose a large portion of her upper body outside, but the two agents blocked her and pulled her back inside, triggering a violent struggle. The young woman attempted a second time to throw herself from the window. The officers immobilized her, and with help from other officials and her lawyer, they managed to calm her as she remained tense and agitated.
The two guards sustained various injuries in the struggle and required hospital treatment, though the injuries were not serious.
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High-Risk Profession
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AUGC reiterates its demand that Guardia Civil personnel be treated as part of a high-risk profession, on par with autonomous police forces, because incidents like this during duty or in other daily, more dangerous tasks put their physical integrity at risk in fractions of a second.
The Unified Association of Guardia Civiles issued a statement congratulating the officers involved, noting that despite sustaining minor injuries they did not hesitate to put their lives on the line to prevent more serious outcomes, not merely a failed escape but the detainee suffering fatal consequences or serious injuries from a violent fall from a three-story height.
AUGC also directed a message to the newly appointed director general Mercedes González and the chain of command, urging that these demanding operations be rewarded properly rather than overlooked during the Virgen del Pilar festivities, when attention often shifts to ceremonial rewards rather than the daily dangers faced by those who stand guard on the streets.