Felipe VI chaired this Friday in Madrid the ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the Aerial Unit of the National Police. The commemoration was held at the Cuatro Vientos Airport and was attended by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the Government delegate in the Community of Madrid, Pilar Trinidad, and the Director General of the Police, Francisco Pardo Piqueras.
At the start of the event, those present observed a "minute of silence" in memory of the sub-inspector Juan José Rodríguez Rodríguez, who died this week in Oviedo while on duty after the explosion of a bomb backpack.
Subsequently, the head of the Aerial Unit of the National Police, Francisco Javier Antoral López, took the floor, who began his speech by recalling the deceased inspector. Addressing the monarch, he said: "Majesty, in these difficult moments we especially appreciate your visit today here to the Unit; it is a sign of the affection that the Crown feels for the National Police," he said.
Antoral highlighted the Unit’s five decades of track record, detailing the evolution it has undergone during this time. "We have grown in resources, we have grown in personnel and capabilities, but our mission remains the same. Our vocation and dedication have not changed," he said.
After his intervention, the Aerial Unit’s distinctions were presented. First, posthumously, the members of the Aerial Unit of the National Police who died while on duty were honored: Chief Inspector José Villegas Martín, whose distinction was collected by the head of the Territorial Base of the Aerial Unit at the Superior Police Headquarters of Western Andalusia; Chief Inspector Jaime Muñoz Mulas; Inspector Miguel Ángel Cuéllar Caballero, represented by his brother, Chief Inspector Francisco Javier Cuéllar Caballero; and Sub-inspector José Martín Caro, whose recognition was received by his son, Antonio Martín.
Similarly, homage has been paid to various professionals for their dedication and career in the Air Unit of the National Police: Antonio Olivo Conde, retired member and pilot of the first promotion, whose distinction has been received by his daughter Laura Olivo Guerrero; the retired inspector Rafael Matías Valdés, technician of the first promotion of aircraft maintenance; the retired police officer Emiliano Serrano Galán, technician of the first promotion of maintenance and the first operator of technical systems; Inspector Pilar Gutiérrez Fuentes, the first female pilot of the Unit; Chief Commissioner Carlos Corrochano Alonso, pilot with the highest number of flight hours; and Chief Inspector Patricia Basurto Ruiz, a female pilot with the most flight hours in the Air Unit.
Condolences and balance of Marlaska
The Minister of the Interior has begun his remarks by expressing his regret at the death of Juan José Rodríguez Rodríguez: "In a loss that we deeply regret." He has also conveyed his wish for a prompt recovery for the agent who was injured in the same service.
"In the face of a tragedy of that magnitude, words are always insufficient and recognition is required for the agents who went there where they were needed, faithful to the mission entrusted to them until the last moment," he emphasized.
Marlaska has likewise highlighted the half century of the Air Unit’s history: "It has been present in major security deployments, in complex rescues, in operations against organized crime, in emergencies and catastrophes, and in international missions that have projected the image of a modern and effective National Police."
Along these lines, he has stressed that in the last ten years the Unit has undergone a profound transformation, both in its internal organization and in its material resources. The Interior minister recalled how the original service has evolved into a unit equipped with a fleet of 28 helicopters, more than 250 drones, anti-drone systems, and aircraft, in addition to gyro-stabilized cameras and a flight simulator.
To conclude, he conveyed his "most sincere" gratitude to all the protagonists of this half century of aerial history, from active personnel to those already retired and the fallen agents: "It is a merit that entirely corresponds to you and that the distinctions you have just been given recognize," he concluded.
The day has concluded with Felipe VI’s tour of the aircraft exhibition and his visit to the helicopter flight simulator, before several helicopters flew over overhead, which has closed the commemorative event.