The Civil Guard has commemorated the 179th anniversary of its foundation, in an emotional ceremony that took place this Friday in the parade ground of the Commandery of Almeria and which was chaired by the Subdelegate of the Government in Almeria Mr. José María Martín Fernández.
With this commemoration, the Guardia Civil, as well as celebrating its Foundation, has recognised the work of the Civil Guards who have passed to the status of Retired, in gratitude for their years of service to society. An appeal has been made to all retired personnel to attend what is still their home, with 65 colleagues taking part. They are some of the Civil Guards currently residing in the province.
The ceremony was held with special recognition for a Lieutenant, a Brigade and 6 Civil Guards, who are the last to have retired, after years of dedication and service to society, in many cases exceeding 40 years of service. On their behalf, Retired Lieutenant Salvador Fco. Triviño Hernandez addressed some heartfelt words to the rest of his colleagues who, like him, have recently retired from their professional duties in the Guardia Civil.
In the same way, coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the incorporation of women into the Corps, an express mention was made, as well as a call to continue bringing female talent into the ranks of the Guardia Civil.
On the other hand, a Lieutenant, a Second Lieutenant, a 1st Sergeant and 18 Civil Guards were decorated with the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard with white badge, in recognition of their services.
During the ceremony, the Chief Colonel of the Guardia Civil Command in Almeria, Mr. Jorge Montero Llácer, and the Government Subdelegate in Almeria, Mr. José María Martín Fernández, gave speeches, in which they highlighted the work and activity of the Guardia Civil members, both active and those who have retired.
The Chief Colonel of the Almeria Command highlighted the commitment of the Almeria Command to those who formed part of the Corps and in this way highlighted the legacy they have left us, as our Founder told us: “You should generally try to get together with your colleagues, to promote the close friendship and union that should exist between the individuals of the weapon”.
He also mentioned that this year marks the 35th anniversary of the incorporation of women into the Guardia Civil. In the last ten years we have gone from 70 to 100 women civil guards in the province of Almeria, where we have several post commanders, unit chiefs and different specialities, a figure that will increase from July onwards.
He also pointed out that the new form of direct access to the Officers’ Scale with a previous university degree, which for the first time this year has been announced in the branches of Engineering and Architecture; Social and Legal Sciences; Sciences; and Health Sciences, will favour the attraction of female talent to the Guardia Civil.
The Colonel-in-Chief ended his speech by remembering the two active comrades who have passed away since the last Act for the Fallen, which took place in this courtyard on 12 October: Pedro and Juan Marcos.
The ceremony of the 179th Foundation of the Guardia Civil in Almería concluded with the singing of the Guardia Civil Anthem and a parade by the Honours Company.
The Civil Guard was created on 28 March 1844, by royal decree, as a special armed force of infantry and cavalry under the name of Guardia Civil. The responsibility for organising this corps was entrusted to Field Marshal Francisco Javier Girón y Ezpeleta, second Duke of Ahumada.
In response to this assignment, the Duke of Ahumada presented a report on 20 April on the organisation of the corps which immediately repealed the first royal decree, which did not even come into force, and the publication of a new one on 13 May 1844.
In February 1988, Decree Law 1/1988 regulated the effective access of women to the Civil Guard, guaranteeing equal rights and opportunities for men and women to develop professionally. In 1988, the first call for women was published, in which 2,917 applicants applied for the Guardia Civil. 197 women obtained a place to take their corresponding training course at the Guardia Civil academy. However, the presence of women in the corps dates back to 1950 with the creation of the figure of midwives in the now defunct Carabinieri Corps. These women were mostly widows or orphans of the corps.
Today, the Guardia Civil is present throughout the national territory and has more than 80,000 troops, of which more than 7,000 are female personnel in more than 2,000 units.
In addition to guaranteeing compliance with the law, ensuring the free exercise of rights and freedoms and preserving public safety, the Guardia Civil’s mission is also to provide assistance and aid to citizens through collaboration with the Civil Protection services; rescue and aid in the mountains and territorial sea, and in general any action that leads to the relief, aid and protection of citizens.
Specific missions
The Guardia Civil also has a series of specific missions such as the control of arms and explosives; the fiscal protection of the State; traffic on interurban roads, except in those autonomous communities that have assumed this role; security in ports and airports, and the protection of nature, among others.
To carry out all these missions, the Guardia Civil is structured into 25 specialities, including the Traffic Group and services such as the Seprona, Air, Cinological, Explosives Disposal and Nuclear Defence, Radiological, Biological and Chemical (NRBQ), Maritime and Underwater Activities, Mountain or the Prosecution Service, as well as different Investigation (Information Service and Judicial Police) and Intervention (UEI, UAR and ARS) units.
Currently, the Guardia Civil is also present abroad, deployed in the different international missions in which it participates both as a police and military force, as well as in advisory and collaboration tasks with police forces from other countries.
