At just 43 years old, Julio Romero Nieto has been leading the Post Command of the Alange Civil Guard barracks for two years.
– First of all, why are you a civil guard? Do you have a family history?
No, I have no family history. I joined the Corps at the age of 17 by vocation, I felt attracted by the values that the institution transmitted.
– What towns does your district cover?
In addition to the town where the barracks is located, Alange, the Unit is assigned the towns of La Zarza and Oliva de Mérida, with their respective municipal boundaries.
– Currently, how many troops make up the Alange Command?
The Alange Command is made up of nine troops: seven Civil Guards, a 1st corporal and a Sergeant.
– Can you detail the main functions of a post commander?
The Post Commander is one of the most emblematic pieces of the Civil Guard. It is responsible for the appointment, supervision and promotion of services, the monitoring of the external forms and behavior of the personnel under its command, the exhaustive knowledge of the protected population and its demarcation, the continuous training of its subordinates and their abilities to the instruction of proceedings, and finally, the collaboration with the municipal authorities and the maximum coordination with the Commanders of neighboring Posts.
– In which places have you been previously assigned?
Since joining the Corps in 1992, I have been posted in Almoharín, Plasenzuela, Torremocha, Valdefuentes, Aldea del Cano, Valencia de las Torres, Siruela, Herrera de Alcántara, again in Valdefuentes, Villafranca de los Barros and Santa Amalia.
– What is the daily working day of a civil guard like?
A Civil Guard does not have a fixed working day, but he does have morning, afternoon and night shifts, in days that are normally 8 hours long. Services are carried out every day of the year, reinforcing them at events and festivals in the towns of the district.
– Focusing on our town, what are the main problems that exist in La Zarza related to security?
La Zarza is a quiet town in terms of crime statistics, despite which the Civil Guard insists a lot on preventive and educational work.
– What type of interventions are the most common in our municipality??
The most common interventions are usually for some type of criminal infraction, either to carry out visual inspections or to identify the alleged perpetrators of the infractions.
– And the most frequent crimes or misdemeanors?
The most frequent are actions against property (theft and robberies) and crimes against people.
– Drugs are an issue that greatly worries the population. Could you do an analysis of the situation?
Drugs are a widespread problem in our society, which must be addressed, in the first instance, with the education and information of our young people. One of the main factors could be downplaying the importance of some types of drugs, such as the so-called white drugs (tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and hashish), which causes consumption to begin at increasingly younger ages. Hence, the Civil Guard, within the School Coexistence and Safety Plans, gives talks through the educational centers.
– A current topic is computer crimes. What are the most common or in what situations should we be more attentive?
This is a topic that could be talked about at length, since there are many crimes that can be committed through this medium. Although the most common are scams, close attention must also be paid to cyberbullying, sexting and grooming.
Above all, we must keep in mind that once we upload data to social networks, photographs or share files, we can no longer delete them, thus offering facilities for any type of criminal offense.
As precautions, we recommend always visiting secure pages, not trusting bargains, being very cautious when making payments online or making them through virtual cards or secure means.
– How is the relationship with the City Council and the Local Police?
I have to say that the relationship is excellent, maintaining regular contact with the Mayor and close collaboration with the Local Police, whose members we have to thank for their collaboration. They know the neighbors perfectly and always provide us with very valuable information for the performance of our work, in addition to the mutual collaboration between both Corps.
– Finally, what message would you convey to the residents of La Zarza?
Firstly, the La Zarza area is a quiet town in terms of crime, which is one of the problems that matters most to the population.
Secondly, in addition to thanking the neighbors for their kindness to the members of the Institution, I would like to call for citizen collaboration, in such a way that without it we cannot carry out our work, always guaranteeing anonymity. This collaboration can be essential to carry out both the preventive service and to be able to investigate and reach the alleged perpetrators of any criminal offense.