The Association of Irrigation Communities of Huelva, Huelva Riega, has held a meeting with representatives of the irrigation communities of Huelva, the Subdelegation of the Government and senior officials of the Guardia Civil in order to strengthen prevention against thefts and acts of vandalism that affect irrigation infrastructure.
As the organization said in a note, this meeting has served to establish a more direct framework for collaboration between the irrigation communities and the Guardia Civil, especially through the ROCA teams, with the aim of speeding up the exchange of information and staying ahead of possible criminal activity.
During the meeting, the communities conveyed their concern about incidents whose consequences “may greatly exceed the value of the materials stolen or the damage caused to the installations.” A breakdown resulting from a theft or an act of vandalism can leave a key irrigation infrastructure out of service and temporarily cut off the water supply to agricultural operations.
“When action is taken against a pumping station, an electrical installation or any infrastructure of an irrigation community, the problem does not end with the cost of what is stolen,” the manager of Huelva Riega, Jorge Forné, has explained, who has added that “it can affect the water supply of many operations and, depending on the stage of the campaign, jeopardize a harvest,” he explained.
One of the central points analyzed was the need to take advantage of the knowledge that the communities themselves have of their facilities and the surrounding area. Their constant presence in the field makes it easier to detect unusual movements, suspicious vehicles, changes to enclosures, damage or other signs related to the preparation of a theft.
The Guardia Civil told attendees the importance of reporting this type of information even when the crime does not end up being carried out, as it can serve both to guide preventive surveillance and to support subsequent investigations.
“The communities know every path, every access and every installation. This information, shared quickly with the Guardia Civil, can be very useful for detecting abnormal situations before a theft occurs,” Forné said.
Along this line, it will be advanced so that each community has its ROCA reference team “clearly identified” and maintains with it a constant communication relationship. In any situation that requires urgent action, the need to use phone 062 was also recalled.
The meeting also underlined the advisability of reporting all facts and informing the authorities of any suspicious indication, even if ultimately a theft does not materialize.
Especially sensitive points and improvement of coordination
Another of the commitments assumed involves updating the information available about the location of the infrastructures of the irrigation communities, their access points, and the people to contact, with the purpose that patrols can quickly locate the facilities in the event of any incident.
The communities will also identify those points that are especially sensitive based on the impact that an interruption of their operation could have.
During the session, the Guardia Civil detailed the coordination system that exists between the patrols, the ROCA teams, and the Police Judicial, and emphasized the relevance of having information and reports that make it possible to carry out solid investigations against the authors of this type of crime.
Huelva Riega will also promote the preventive exchange of alerts between the communities themselves, using the coordination channels already established with the Guardia Civil.
"We want there to be a direct, stable thread. If we add the presence of the communities in the territory, the information they can provide, and the specialized work of the Guardia Civil, we will have more capacity to prevent and to make it increasingly difficult for those who act against our facilities," the manager of Huelva Riega has said.
Huelva Riega has expressed its gratitude for the willingness shown by the Subdelegation of the Government and the Guardia Civil to maintain this collaboration framework and continue working together with the irrigation communities in the protection of infrastructures “necessary to guarantee the water supply and the normal development of agricultural activity in the province.”