Seville uses the figure of the watchman to ensure coexistence in the streets of the city. The new civic agents, a total of 20 people grouped in mixed pairs (men and women), will be deployed along the main roads of the old town of Seville starting on December 18 in a pilot project that will last for nine months. With this, the mayor of the Andalusian capital, the popular José Luis Sanz, wants to ensure that nightlife in the Andalusian capital runs peacefully, that people who need help, especially those who are part of vulnerable groups, are attended to. and that possible altercations are avoided, with special attention to leisure areas.
Those in charge of ensuring citizen safety and rescuing this 18th century image from the collective imagination will be unemployed between the ages of 40 and 55, and will work from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Monday to Sunday. The incorporation of the guardians to the municipal staff will be almost immediate, since the Government team plans to have them before the end of the year, as confirmed by municipal sources to La Vanguardia.
An idea that has been worked on for several months following the request of residents and merchants in the center of Seville and that is about to become a reality. “There is a feeling of insecurity in the streets on the part of these citizens” after a few months in which several robberies have been committed in small businesses that leave considerable damage, as indicated by the council.
The night watchmen have a great challenge before them: to ensure that the crime and vandalism data that dot Seville is reduced. Although they are called to report to the Police when they detect a conflictive situation instead of interceding in it, the premise is that their mere presence can avoid some conflicts, that is, they can have a deterrent effect.
According to the latest crime report published by the Ministry of the Interior and consulted by this newspaper, crimes in Seville have increased by 11.4% in the first half of the year compared to the data for the same period in 2022, an upward trend. that is repeated for each typology. Intentional homicides increased by 80% (going from 5 to 9 victims), while serious and less serious crimes of injuries and tumultuous brawls increased by 21%; acts against sexual freedom also rise 32.1%; vehicle theft increases to 34.8% and drug trafficking crimes increase by 15.3%.
These guardians will not have to help night owls enter the portals of their homes, nor will they give information about the time or time, as was the case in the past. What will be part of your job will be to be vigilant against any possible conflict that arises in public spaces and to attend to people who may seem to need help, such as a lost tourist, a disoriented person, or trying to mediate in some attempt at confrontation. Although they will not be hired to protect citizens, they will have to notify the Local Police about any conflict they detect, so they can become a key help so that the security force can act more diligently in those areas where it is necessary. .
In addition, they will have direct communication channels to other municipal services, such as Lipasam, where they will report points where it is necessary for the cleaning services to act, as well as report to the appropriate party if they detect any infraction committed on street furniture.
It will be on the Andalusian Employment Service portal where this new job offer will be published. Sevillians between the ages of 40 and 55 who are unemployed and who meet a series of minimum requirements (Compulsory Secondary Education or similar, or schooling certificate, not having been expelled from any group) may apply for it. of civil protection, not suffering from any illness that makes it impossible to carry out the service...) and other complementary items (training in first aid, having languages, experience in caring for people...)
From the council, before the work shifts start, training will be given in which the tasks they must perform will be explained, as well as the existing protocols to carry out the work.
The salary still remains to be specified, work is currently being done to define within which figure the work of night watchman can be located and what salary according to the agreement would correspond to each guard, as well as to finish defining what type of clothing/uniform the guards will wear. new employees.
“This figure is working very well in other places in Spain and we hope that this will also happen in Seville,” say sources from the city council, from where it is confirmed that this first test will last nine months and that an exhaustive subsequent analysis will be carried out to determine if it is being productive, if it should be expanded to other parts of the city or if, on the contrary, it is not effective and the feeling of insecurity has not ceased.
