The Valencia City Council reported this Wednesday on the balance of security and mobility during the Fallas, which leaves a decrease in the number of police interventions (23% less: from 27,753 last year, to 21,350 this year). Secondly, the City Council highlights the 32% decrease in the number of road accidents (from 759 in 2023 it has dropped to 514 this year) and attributes this situation to a greater police presence with an “immediate deterrent and preventive effect.”
However, what has not decreased has been the number of calls to 092, the Local Police telephone number, since the calls answered have increased by 10% (from 17,769 to 19,619). Calls to 112 have also increased, the Valencian Community Emergency Service, which has managed these past Fallas almost a thousand more notices than in the 2023 holidays, 57.86% of them of a health nature and 18.41% related with citizen security.
In the press conference held this morning, the Councilor for Security and Mobility, Jesús Carbonell, also highlighted the decrease in interventions in bottles, which they attribute to the effect of the deterrent presence of agents on the streets. 80 interventions have been carried out, which is 18% less than in 2023 (98 interventions).
The special device of the Local Police has had 600 more agents than in last year’s festivities, which almost doubled the number of events controlled by the police force in the streets (from 358 in 2023 to 622 in 2024).
Also the Government delegate, at the Minister of Culture’s event for the centenary of Estellés, took stock of security and highlighted that “the reported incidents have been reduced by an average of 15% in relation to last year.” The balance has been “positive” in relation to last year with “a notable decrease in the entire scale of crimes, especially the most serious ones – sexual assaults or thefts.” “The only thing that does increase,” Bernabé said, “are the crimes linked to credit card scams and cybercrime.”
The pyrotechnics have also made the agents more upset. The total number of seizures and seizures of pyrotechnic material during the holidays has been 188 (107 in 2023), with more than 9,000 products and 83 kg, an increase of 75%.
In this regard, Bernabé has confirmed that the Civil Guard “is investigating” the origin of those companies that may have “illegally trafficked in pyrotechnic material.” In this sense, the delegate has stated that “investigations will continue to find out where the irregular pyrotechnic material comes from and what the distribution channels have been.”
Regarding seizures of material and products in irregular sales, they have also increased exponentially: in non-perishable products, they have gone from 572 to 2,155; in crafts, from 15 to 1,066; clothing, from 55 to 368; other elements, 505 to 721; and perishable products (fried dough), from 32 to 307. “All these results of greater activity – the Security Councilor has reiterated – respond to the greater police presence that has allowed better control.”
Regarding the balance of participation, there is no doubt that they have been massive parties. This is also understood by the Fallas councilor, Santiago Ballester, who has pointed out that there has been a historical record of participation in the Offering to the Virgin of the Desamparados with the parade of more than 110,000 falleros, falleras and musicians.
Likewise, he pointed out that “there have been later and fewer festivals in the historic center of the city, such as in areas of the Plaza del Doctor Collado or del Carme, with which we have achieved greater protection of the heritage of that area.” ”, stated Santiago Ballester.
However, this reality is not enough for the merchants in the area, because as Europa Press reports, the Association of Merchants of the Historic Center of València has proposed, in view of the celebration of the next Fallas in 2025, the creation of a “verbenodrome ” with all the necessary facilities in order to “guarantee the health and safety” of the attendees and “take out the bottle” that this type of event generates in the city center. “Las Fallas cannot end up being a claim for the bottle, leaving a city in unhealthy conditions,” the entity has warned.
From the opposition, formed by Compromís and PSPV, they have argued that the mayor of València “has been light years away” from her commitments to improve the management of the festivals, while they have defended the establishment of a tax to obtain resources that mitigate the consequences of the arrival of tourists. Compromís has demanded the implementation of the tourist tax and the PSPV has proposed a “fallera tax” from March 1 until the day of the ‘Cremà’.