The UPR of Alicante: Strength and Precision for Safety at the Mascletàs

The Plaza de los Luceros pulses with the rhythm of gunpowder. Thousands of citizens and tourists gather to experience one of the most thrilling moments of the Hogueras. But while the crowd gazes skyward, a trained, silent, and efficient force ensures that each mascletà remains just that: a celebration. Without any disruptions.

They are the UPR (Prevention and Reaction Unit) of the National Police of Alicante, consisting of two groups: the 'rayos', motorised officers who are agile and capable of reaching places where a car cannot; and the 'chacales', who move in vans in teams of six. A different deployment but with the same purpose: to ensure the city's safety.

The first group is led by Inspector Álvaro, responsible for a mechanism that begins to operate long before the first pyrotechnic shot. According to the inspector, the officers sector the plaza into the four avenues converging at Luceros and the underground passage. This division allows for precise control of the flow of people and, in case of an incident, a quick and orderly evacuation through a tunnel connecting to the Renfe station, he details.

Of the thirty officers comprising the UPR operation during the mascletàs, some act undercover, blending in with the crowd to detect potential threats without raising suspicion, while others, in uniform, patrol on foot and reinforce visible access points to deter and respond swiftly to any incident. Additionally, two elite marksmen are strategically positioned on nearby rooftops, maintaining constant surveillance with optical sights and direct communication with the coordination tent, ready to intervene in case of a serious threat.

And so, before the first firecracker sounds, the officers have already scouted access points, identified suspicious profiles—following the criteria of the Citizen Security Law 4/2015—and reinforced entrances. "An abandoned backpack, a nervous gesture, someone avoiding eye contact. These are small things, but they trigger all our alerts," explains one of the specialised unit's officers. Selective identification is key, executed discreetly yet decisively.

The most critical moment of the mascletà occurs approximately half an hour before the firing, Álvaro asserts, when the Plaza de los Luceros begins to fill with thousands of people and the flow of access intensifies. It is then that operational tension reaches its peak, where every gesture and movement is evaluated with precision to anticipate any threat before the noise conceals everything.

When the mascletà begins, specialists deploy to the sides of the plaza in a state of high alert, attentive to any anomaly among the crowd. Only Inspector Álvaro and his partner remain inside the coordination tent, where all the involved security forces are integrated. "If we were all inside, we couldn't react outside, where the incident would actually occur," the inspector notes.

This approach allows for an immediate and coordinated response: in case of an emergency, each officer is assigned a specific sector and knows exactly the evacuation routes and the level of intervention required according to the severity of the situation.

In their arsenal, the UPR has specific weaponry for high-threat scenarios, being on anti-terrorist alert level 4. The German-origin G-36 assault rifle and the Scorpion submachine gun, compact and urban in design, are fundamental tools. "With the G-36, we have range and precision. With the Scorpion, manoeuvrability in confined spaces. They are complementary," clarifies one of the UPR agents.

From above, two elite marksmen watch over the plaza with a privileged view. Along with drones and aerial surveillance, they form an invisible shield that allows for the detection of any unusual movement. If a threat is detected, the protocol is clear: alert, act, and neutralise. Information flows in real-time with the Information Brigade, which can send photos of suspicious individuals for immediate location, Inspector Álvaro points out.

So far, the most frequent crimes have been small-scale thefts and some health incidents. But unforeseen events do not announce themselves, like the unauthorised protest against Carlos Mazón during Friday's mascletà. Although it was small, the National Police monitored it closely from the air.

But the mascletà does not end with the last shot. The public remains in the area, relaxed but still massive. The UPR officers do not leave their posts until an hour later. According to the head of the 'rayos', the de-escalation is gradual, evaluated minute by minute, until the deployment is reduced to the minimum operational level. Only then is communication made with the Cimacc Room to report updates and close the operation.

In addition to the UPR, the operation for the safety of the mascletàs involves the Air Media Unit, the Canine Guides Unit, the Mobile Brigade, officers from the Central District Police Station, firefighters from the Alicante City Council's Fire Prevention, Extinction, and Rescue Service (Speis), the Local Police, Civil Protection, and the National Police assigned to the Generalitat. Each with their different tasks, but always coordinated to ensure the safety of attendees enjoying the Hogueras of Alicante.