The City Police units for the districts of Ciutat Vella and L’Eixample will be operating their own night shifts as from the first quarter of next year, resulting in a 32% increase in the number of officers on duty at night in the city.
As from the first quarter of next year, the City Police will have two new night units (UNO) in a move to provide better service for the public. UNOs are the units which respond to the need for police services around the different parts of the city.
The units deal with any situations arising at night and requiring action on the part of the City Police, from road safety to crime prevention and any issues or disputes between local people.
The work done by the City Police is organised in a decentralised way, with a territorial unit per district and four UNOs, which group together the districts for night shifts.
- UNO 1: Ciutat Vella and Sant Martí
- UNO 2: L’Eixample and Gràcia
- UNO 3: Sants-Montjuïc, Les Corts and Sarrià – Sant Gervasi
- UNO 4: Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris and Sant Andreu
The new project will mean the districts of Ciutat Vella and L’Eixample have their own night shifts, with combinations of two districts for each shift in the rest of the city:
- Night unit 1: Ciutat Vella
- Night unit 2: L‘Eixample
- Night unit 3: Sants-Montjuïc and Les Corts
- Night unit 4: Sarrià – Sant Gervasi and Gràcia
- Night unit 5: Horta-Guinardó and Nou Barris
- Night unit 6: Sant Andreu and Sant Martí
The goal is to make territorial management more consistent, with more services such as the ones in Ciutat Vella and L’Eixample.
Greater efficiency and proximity
Last year saw the UNOs handle over 97,000 incidents and 977 traffic accidents. They also detained or investigated 6,400 people.
Taking into account the number of incidents per district, the new model should enhance the efficiency of responses and reduce the number of incidents to be managed. For instance, of the current 30,000 incidents handled by the current night operation for Ciutat Vella and Sant Martí, the figure for the Ciutat Vella unit to manage would be 18,000.
The new groups will also allow for better control of the reality around the city and more efficient management of resources. It will also mean police services are provided more locally, adapting to the needs of the local area.
A broader organisational structure will be used to achieve this, with a greater capacity for response and coordination. Operational capacity will also be stepped up from 315 officers to 414.