SICUR 2026 finds that emerging technologies significantly expand public security capabilities

The International Security Exhibition, organised by IFEMA MADRID, which is taking place from 24 to 27 February, has found during its third day that emerging technologies significantly expand the capabilities of public security, and improve prevention and response to threats, although their deployment requires robust digital infrastructures and secure supply chains. This was one of the conclusions of the new Technology for Public Security conference organised by SICUR in collaboration with the Círculo de Tecnologías para la Defensa y la Seguridad, which analysed the challenges facing administrations and companies in the face of the appearance of new technologies that represent a great advance in security, but which also pose multiple challenges regarding their use.

Javier Gil-Ruiz, director of the Cybersecurity for Digital Transformation division of the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, said that "emerging technologies significantly expand prevention and response capabilities", but added that "their deployment requires robust digital infrastructures and secure supply chains". Furthermore, he indicated that "the new European legislative framework (NIS2, CRA...) shifts the focus from mere technological adoption to systematic risk management, clarification of responsibility, traceability and accountability".

Manuel Jesús Izquierdo Bernal, Director of the Security Technology Centre and Deputy Director General of Information and Communications Systems for Security at the Ministry of the Interior, stressed "the importance of modernising the information and communications systems used by the security forces and their interoperability in order to carry out data exchanges that guarantee greater and better security for citizens". He also pointed out "the relevance of the cybersecurity of these systems in compliance with the national security scheme and the CCN-STIC guidelines".

Santiago Maroto Domínguez, chief commissioner of the Central Technological Support Unit of the Operations and Digital Transformation Division of the National Police, explained that "access to new technologies, which are connected and feed back into each other, has changed society and the threats it faces". But, he added, "the means and tools at our disposal to do our work more effectively and capably have also changed, as multiple emerging technologies are increasing the capabilities of public security.

The commander of the Guardia Civil's Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity headquarters, Rosalía Machín Prieto, explained how new technologies are being applied in public security and clarified that "it is important to understand the domain of cyberspace and the cognitive domain (of information), and to work on both, because in the digital era we no longer relate only in the physical world but also in cyberspace, and any type of security attack can be carried out through cyberspace".

Event on occupational risk prevention

SICUR today also hosted a meeting on occupational risk prevention, with the collaboration of the Mapfre Foundation and the National Institute for Safety and Health at Work (INSST in Spanish), which analysed the current accident rate and the challenges facing the sector. Aitana Garí, director of the INSST, stated that "in the last 30 years, there has been a profound professionalisation of the occupational prevention system"; although she acknowledged that "one of the great structural problems that persists today is the existence of an excessively bureaucratised prevention system, which is not integrated into the organisational culture of companies, especially in small and medium-sized ones". On the other hand, he cited "mental health and musculoskeletal disorders" among the current challenges of occupational prevention.

Lorenzo del Pozo, secretary general of ANEPA and treasurer of the Confederation SPA ASPA-ANEPA, moderated a debate on the accident rate in accidents at work and occupational diseases, in which he raised "the great weight of typical traditional risks, such as trauma related to falls and blows, compared to the new trends of psychosocial risks, bullying, harassment, etc." He noted that "over70% of accidents have a traumatic cause and represent a major economic cost for companies”; and he advocated for “improving workers’ health and their psychosocial environment".

María Victoria de la Orden, technical adviser of the INSST's Research and Information Department, gave a positive assessment of the more than 30 years that have passed since the publication of the Law on Occupational Risk Prevention. "In this period, both the accident rate and mortality rates due to accidents at work have been reduced, but there is still room for improvement; we have to continue working on traditional risks and new work situations related to digitalisation, climate change, psychosocial risks, etc." Specifically, he pointed out that "over the last three decades, the occupational accident rate in Spain has been reduced by 58%".

For his part, Antonio Cirujano, Director of Prevention at Fremap, spoke on behalf of AMAT, stating that "despite the significant reduction in the accident rate over the last 30 years, we cannot be satisfied with the current levels, which are not representative of the effort that has been made in terms of health and safety during this period". He assured that "there are differences in the accident rate depending on the size of the company: the lowest rates are observed in those with less than 10 workers and the highest in those with between 11 and 49". "There is still a lot of work to be done to correct traditional risk conditions that still account for over 50 per cent of occupational accidents," he said.

Juan Díaz Rokiski, Territorial Director of the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate in Castilla-La Mancha, focused on how climate change is affecting workers' risks and prevention measures. He revealed that "in 2021, in Spain, a specific programme was launched to monitor compliance with prevention-related regulations; that year, around 700 actions were carried out, while in 2025, 18,000 have been carried out, with a result of 500 infractions out of 11,500 requirements addressed to companies demanding that they adopt prevention measures".

For her part, Vanessa Lázaro García, corporate director of Health and Safety at Work at the Eulen Group, explained that "the new psychosocial challenges demand that the current regulatory framework be updated to integrate these occupational risks"; she highlighted the importance "of work as a protective factor for health"; and she advocated that "the company's responsibilities with respect to public health be defined".

SICUR FORUM: emergencies and sustainability

At the SICUR Forum, a session coordinated by APTB and ASELF was held, in which the current framework of civil protection and emergency management was analysed, focusing on adverse weather phenomena and energy supply shortages. Pablo Garriz Galán, president of ASELF, manifested the need for "an effective and active integration of fire services in the development of Civil Protection planning"; and stated that "plans must be realistic and meet the needs of operations as a whole, not just the framework of competence and organisational responsibility".

Today, he also hosted a meeting of Tecnifuego and APICI on the challenges of sustainability and energy transition. On the emerging risks associated with solar installations, electrified transport stations and energy storage systems, Ulises Rojas, a fire protection engineer, said that "photovoltaic systems increase the risk of fire in buildings", adding that "risks need to be assessed and mitigated at the system level because it is crucial to enable robust solutions". While Ignacio Prieto, senior fire safety engineer at ARUP, analysed "the specific risks of transport stations and buses with new technologies, namely gas, electric and hybrid and hydrogen". For his part, Jon Michelena, General Director of CEPREVEN, stressed the importance of taking into account "the challenges of sustainable building",

SICUR CYBER also continued today with a large-scale activity, focused on European funding opportunities in cybersecurity, by Maite Boyero Egido, from CDTI INNOVACIÓN and Spanish delegate and National Contact Point of Cluster 3 "Civil Security for Society" Horizon Europe; and Lucía Haro, National Coordination Centre of Spain in Cybersecurity of INCIBE. And a round table was held on biometrics for security purposes, with the participation of Íñigo Ugalde, president of AES; Alberto Tovar, president of CEUSS; Valentín Yebra, president of FORO EFITEC; and Iván Ballesteros, CPP member ASIS Spain Chapter.