Ordino Bolsters Security for Roser Festivals After Encamp Assaults

Ordino parish council has finalised its security plan for the Roser festivals, set for 3 to 6 July, deploying 12 private security guards alongside intensified traffic service patrols and ongoing coordination with the festivities commission.

Among the measures, food trucks and mobile sales points will stop serving food and drinks 30 minutes before the end of nightly events. Two nights will wrap up at 4:00am, with the others ending at 4:30am, and specific oversight will ensure compliance. Council sources noted these steps build on arrangements by the Interior Ministry and police for summer festivals, with some already tested during this week's Sant Joan vigil.

The parish will also ramp up traffic agents' rounds in event areas and hold pre-festival meetings between the commission and neighbours. This comes amid heightened concerns over festival safety following recent incidents, including assaults at Encamp's Festa Major—such as the beating of General Councillor Pere Marsenyach and a youth with a broken jaw, where police cleared a security guard after reviewing footage.

Security sector sources have criticised under-resourced plans across parishes, including Encamp's 14 guards plus a coordinator, which they say should have tripled to account for alcohol-related risks and worst-case scenarios like full evacuations. They advocate mediators over martial arts experts and note firms like Nova Seguretat have withdrawn from some events due to insufficient staffing, citing past Ordino festivals with just two guards and Encamp's four years ago.

The firm highlighted repeat issues with Encamp's El Bloque group, known for disruptions at events like Carnival and barred from some nightspots. Interior Minister Ester Molné defended Encamp's police deployment but said a review is underway to boost numbers for upcoming celebrations. Sant Joan passed without incident, coinciding with arrests of two alleged Encamp assailants.