Catalonia to hire 3,000 more Mossos d'Esquadra police officers by 2030

The Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's police force, is set to expand to 25,000 agents by 2030.

This commitment was the key agreement reached on Thursday during the Security Board of Catalonia meeting, chaired by president Salvador Illa.

The meeting, held at the Catalan government headquarters, was attended by Catalonia's interior minister Núria Parlon, her Spanish equivalent, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and other high representatives of the departments.

All parties agreed to establish a new working group to facilitate the expansion of the Mossos.

Currently, the Catalan police force comprises 19,000 officers, with a prior agreement in place to increase that number to 22,000 by 2030. The new plan now sets a revised target of 25,000 officers. 

Additionally, Spain's National Police and the Guardia Civil will be integrated into Catalonia's emergency system through CAT-112. 

"This will ensure that any call to the 112 emergency hotline receives a quicker response," said Grande-Marlaska. 

Spain's Interior Minister described these measures as a significant step towards enhancing security and building "one of the safest countries in the world." 

One unresolved issue discussed at the meeting was the proposal to transfer security responsibilities for ports and airports -currently managed by Spanish police forces- to the Mossos, as well as their potential direct integration into Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency. 

While Núria Parlon welcomed the opportunity to take on additional powers, she stressed the need for "efficient implementation."

"I will not remove Mossos agents from the streets to take on extra responsibilities that would result in a poorer response," she stated, highlighting the "good collaboration" with other Spanish police forces.

Socialists accused of 'de-Catalanizing' 112 hotline

Pro-independence parties Junts and Esquerra have criticized the Socialist government for integrating the National Police and Guardia Civil into the 112 emergency hotline.

The move has been viewed by pro-independence parties as an attempt to "de-Catalanize" and "Spanishify" the emergency service.

"They have de-Catalanized the emergency service that has been effectively built over the years by multiple Catalan governments," said Junts leader Carles Puigdemont.

Similarly, Esquerra condemned the government for relinquishing security powers that it claimed were agreed upon during the previous Esquerra-led administration.