Badalona brought 24 new officers into its Guardia Urbana, the city’s municipal police force, on Tuesday 8 September after they completed training at the Institut de Seguretat Pública de Catalunya, Catalonia’s public-security training academy.
The officers are already on duty across the city, according to La Vanguardia. Eight of the new recruits are women, and the addition increases the number of officers recruited by the Ajuntament, or city council, during the 2023–2027 term to 90.
For residents, the immediate change is a larger Guardia Urbana workforce available for municipal policing in Badalona’s neighbourhoods.
Public presentation in Plaça de la Vila
The city council presented the recruits at an event in Plaça de la Vila on Tuesday. Mayor Xavier García Albiol, senior police officers, local councillors and representatives of other security bodies attended.
Òscar Parada, Badalona Guardia Urbana’s chief superintendent, told the new officers that representing the local police force required a commitment to public service.
“Be kind and attentive to Badalona’s residents and, at the same time, firm with everyone who breaks the law,” García Albiol told officers.
67 further posts remain in recruitment process
The latest intake forms part of a planned expansion of the municipal police force during the current council term:
- 23 officers joined in 2023.
- 43 officers joined in 2024.
- 24 officers joined this week.
- 67 further Guardia Urbana posts were opened for recruitment in June 2026.
The June recruitment process is under way. If all 67 posts are filled, Badalona will have recruited 157 officers during the 2023–2027 council term.
García Albiol also said the council plans to install 615 CCTV cameras across Badalona.
Primary sources: govern.cat, badalona.cat. Reported by elcatalan.es, La Vanguardia, elperiodico.com, cope.es, metropoliabierta.elespanol.com, badalonadigital.com, ACN, laciutat.cat, lavanguardia.com.
