Josep Lluís Trapero resigns as director general of Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra

Resignation at the Department of Interior

Josep Lluís Trapero resigned as director general of the Mossos d'Esquadra on 9 September 2026, concluding two years as the political head of the Catalan police force. Catalonia's Department of Interior summoned all police commissioners to a 9:00 meeting before scheduling a public briefing at 10:30 to outline a comprehensive leadership reshuffle. As part of the changes, Commissioner Sílvia Catà takes over as operational chief of the force, replacing Commissioner Miquel Esquius ahead of his scheduled October retirement. Catà is the first woman appointed to lead the operational command of the Mossos d'Esquadra. Ferran López, a former interim chief who spent years in Madrid serving as an institutional liaison between the central Ministry of the Interior and Catalan authorities, succeeds Trapero as director general.

Internal tensions and administrative turnover

Trapero's departure developed from growing policy disagreements with Interior Minister Núria Parlon. Friction inside the department had surfaced ahead of Catalonia's Diada holiday, when Trapero cancelled his participation in official protocol events. The resignation coincides with wider managerial changes across the regional security department. Tomàs Carrión recently stepped down as secretary general of interior, leaving Parlon's administration to return to his municipal civil service post in Santa Coloma de Gramenet. Joana Ricardo, previously the director general of security administration, replaced Carrión as the department's top administrator, forcing Parlon to restructure both political and operational leadership tiers at the same time.

Strategic priorities and policy disputes

President Salvador Illa appointed Trapero to the director general post in August 2024, fulfilling a pledge made during his regional election campaign. Trapero, who had previously achieved the rank of Major as the second officer in the force's history after Joan Unió, focused his political mandate on tackling repeat offenders, expanding municipal video surveillance systems, and curbing the possession of knives and bladed weapons. While both the Catalan government and the Spanish central administration endorsed these enforcement measures, progressive judicial organizations warned that the punitive focus lacked proven preventive value. Trapero's administration also faced controversy over two specific initiatives: the assignment of plainclothes officers to monitor teachers' assemblies and a proposal to place police officers inside schools.

A history of judicial and political challenges

Trapero's two-year tenure as director general followed a turbulent operational career at the helm of the regional police. He gained prominence while leading the Mossos d'Esquadra during the August 2017 terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils. In October 2017, the central government in Madrid dismissed him under Article 155 following the unilateral independence referendum. Spain's National Court subsequently prosecuted Trapero for his actions surrounding the vote, ultimately acquitting him of all charges. Although he later returned to operational leadership, an Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya administration removed him again, leading to a period under Chief Eduard Sallent where Trapero was sidelined until Sallent's departure for the private sector in 2024.