Govt. says no to Mossos

The dispute between the Spanish and Catalan governments over legalities related to finances has now spilled over into the area of the Mossos d’Esquadra, the catalan police force. The PP yesterday used the office of the State’s Prosecutor in Catalonia to enforce a single command over the forces of order operating in the area, the Mossos, Guardia Civil and the Spanish national police force, to “prevent the illegal referendum in Catalonia convened on October 1.” That command will now fall into the hands of a colonel of the Guardia Civil, Diego Pérez de los Cobos, who is also head of the state committee of national security. He was appointed as “”technical coordinator” of the three services, according to the Chief Prosecutor of Catalonia, José Maria Romero de Tejada in a meeting of all service directors in Barcelona using the pretext of a State law for coordinated operations. The coordination will also extend to all of Catalonia’s provinces.

In a statement following the announcement, the head of the Catalan Home Office, Joaquim Forn , announced that the move was not necessary as the Mossos d’Esquadra were capable of carrying out all of their duties without oversight from the Guardia Civil. Forn also added that the legal services of the Home Office “are already studying this instruction to give a legal response.”

It is possible that an appeal could be filed in the Constitutional Court claiming the usurping of powers of the Catalan government, as by Statute, command of the Catalan police force resides with the Generalitat which sees any such measure as unacceptable.