The Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts has activated several actions in the last week to "reinforce" forensic and judicial services in Ceuta, incorporating more personnel and resources in order to address the migration crisis.
These measures have been progressively applied and "according to the needs" and, as Justice pointed out this Wednesday in a statement, they may be maintained or expanded "if the situation requires it."
To carry out the identification tasks and the determination of the causes and circumstances of the deaths, the device has counted on 19 specialists: nine forensic doctors, six autopsy technicians, two members of the technical team, and two administrative and management support professionals.
Thus, the team of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (IMLCF) of Ceuta has increased from seven members at the beginning of the emergency to 19 professionals, "increasing its operational capacity by more than 271 percent."
Professionals deployed to Ceuta
In addition to the staff of the IMLCF of Ceuta, Justice has added personnel from the IMLCFs of Cáceres, Valladolid, and Salamanca, along with support staff from the Ministry. This department has recalled that on July 31, the coordinator of the IMLCF of the Ministry, Marta Grijalba, was deployed to Ceuta.
The reinforcement personnel deployed will be replaced today by two forensic doctors and two autopsy technicians from the IMLCFs of Albacete and Toledo to "ensure the continuity of the service," as specified by the department headed by Minister Félix Bolaños.
Likewise, the Ministry has given the green light to the temporary reinforcement of two procedural processing positions for two months and one forensic doctor position for six months. "These measures may be expanded if the situation requires it," emphasize those from Justice.
Reinforcement in judicial bodies and public defense
In the judicial field, three reinforcements have been added to the Ceuta Area Prosecutor's Office: one manager and two procedural processors. Their task will focus on the procedures for determining the age of minors, protection files, guardianship and custody measures, and other proceedings related to the migration crisis.
Justice has also issued instructions to increase the number of personnel in the guard service "while the exceptional situation is maintained" and has established the system to certify the extraordinary services performed.
In addition, the Ministry has authorized the entry of five additional lawyers in the specialized duty roster, "in light of the increase in the needs for legal assistance." At the same time, the Attorney General's Office has reinforced the Area Prosecutor's Office of Ceuta with three substitute prosecutors, authorized on July 31, to handle the increase in procedures arising from the emergency in Ceuta.
"The Ministry has also conveyed to the General Council of the Judiciary its total willingness to authorize additional judges if requested by them," they conclude.