Scandal in Spanish Police: Sexual Harassment Allegations

Spain's internal security structures are facing their most serious image crisis in years. The tipping point was the dismissal and charges against José Ángel González, the former Deputy Operational Director (DAO) of the National Police, accused of sexual aggression against a subordinate. Revealed audio recordings in cases involving other officers, including Commissioner Emilio de la Calle stationed in India, document an atmosphere of terror, physical threats, and vulgar sexual comments. The scale of the phenomenon forced Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska to announce an "extraordinary review" of abuse reporting procedures, as the current system has proven ineffective in protecting women within such a strongly hierarchical institution. The problems are not limited to the capital. In Alcalá de Henares, Commissioner Luis Antonio Moreno Pascual resigned, accused of raping a policewoman and a city hall employee. Victims describe a recurring pattern of action: gaining trust with professional promises and then taking them to isolated locations. Simultaneously, the public was outraged by the case of Antonio José Royo Subías, who was appointed head of police in Lleida despite a prior conviction for harassing a subordinate. Although the ministry tried to dismiss him, a court ordered his reinstatement, exposing legal loopholes in removing perpetrators from high positions. The Spanish National Police has been undergoing a modernization process since the 1980s, but its structure remains strongly hierarchical, which, according to experts, fosters bullying and abuse of power in master-apprentice relationships. Statistical data for 2023–2025 shows a worrying downward trend in the number of complaints being upheld. Out of 51 reported cases of *acoso sexual* (harassment), only 26 resulted in disciplinary proceedings being initiated. In 2025 alone, only two out of 13 reports were deemed justified. Critics note that the lower number of complaints in recent months does not indicate an improvement in the situation but rather a decline in trust among female officers towards internal investigative bodies, which are often staffed by colleagues of the accused officers. „Sin respetar mi negativa, me violó.” (Without respecting my refusal, he raped me.) — Name unknown (victim) Minister Grande-Marlaska admitted in Parliament that the seriousness of the situation requires radical steps to determine why the current protocols have failed. Investigations conducted by the Audiencia Nacional and local courts in Madrid and Alicante are to clarify not only the guilt of specific individuals but also the possible concealment of evidence by superiors. This situation casts a shadow over the entire force at a time when Spanish society shows zero tolerance for gender-based violence.