Police restructure shelved

Catalan Interior Minister Miquel Buch met with Mossos d’Esquadra commanders yesterday. He promised that no changes would be made to the structure of the police force, despite the ultimatum issued by President Quim Torra in the wake of police charges against anti-fascist groups trying to boycott Vox acts in Girona and Terrassa on December 6. Buch agreed with the commanding officers about the need to get the force out of the political spotlight and said that he could then see that the police deployment and presence had been correct after all.

Buch’s meeting yesterday with Catalan police commanders was held at the Mossos headquarters in Egara (Sabadell). At the meeting, according to several sources, Buch must have taken some responsibility for the political crisis that emerged with Torra’s complaints about the police charges on the day commemorating the Spanish constitution.

At the meeting Buch demonstrated his trust in police work and said that after a more in-depth analysis, he could see that the forces involved in police charges in Girona and Terrassa were, on the whole, in the right, according to police sources. Buch did not bring to the table any changes to the structure of the Mossos d’Esquadra, which means there will be none for now, despite Torra’s ultimatum. The minister merely commented that any future change would be an internal decision and must respond to structural needs based on professional and objective criteria.

Buch also reached an agreement on increasing the force’s efforts to be “consistent in improving and enhancing mediation mechanisms in all conflicts”.