Safety warning for Ourense’s San Martiño race

Safety arrangements for Ourense’s San Martiño race, scheduled for 8 November at 11:00, are at the centre of a dispute between the SPPME police union and the city council. The union has warned that staffing is insufficient for the race, which has around 11,000 registered runners, while the councillor responsible for sport, Aníbal Pereira, defends the arrangements.

The 49th edition of San Martiño in Ourense features a new ten-kilometre course. Local police officers agreed not to volunteer to work overtime during the race, amid discontent over unpaid sums owed by the council.

Different assessments of police staffing

The Spanish Professional Union of Municipal Police Officers (SPPME) warned of possible shortcomings in traffic monitoring and public safety. In a letter to the Government Subdelegation, it described holding the race in those conditions as an «extreme risk».

The union said 16 to 18 officers would be on duty across the city that day and warned that, in the words of its spokespeople, «they cannot all be assigned to a mass-participation race».

Pereira, the deputy mayor and head of the Municipal Sports Council, told a council meeting on 6 November that 29 local police officers had been confirmed, along with around 40 authorised volunteers. He also said the operation would be larger than in previous years and asserted that «San Martiño will take place without any safety problems».

Overtime and documentation

Local police officers made their decision on overtime at a meeting in response to the reported non-payment of sums including allowances and social benefits. The mayor, Gonzalo Pérez Jácome, sent a letter to local police staff asking them not to boycott the race. Javier Nóvoa, chair of the staff committee, expressed his support for the officers.

The SPPME requested the safety plan, particularly the annex setting out the minimum number of officers needed for road closures and evacuation routes, as well as the public liability insurance policy. By 2 November, it had still not been given those documents, and the union warned that it would go to the public prosecutor’s office if it did not receive them.

Eladio Santos, the state administration’s most senior representative in the province, said it was up to Ourense City Council to resolve the situation. This edition has also increased its prizes and sought to strengthen the involvement of schools.