Miquel Esquius, a senior officer with Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra regional police force, will retire on 30 September 2026 after four decades of service and immediately embark on a personal pilgrimage, walking the Camí de Sant Jaume from his hometown of Súria.
Speaking at the Central Complex of Mossos in Egara, Esquius said he is both content with his career and excited for retirement. "I feel very comfortable in my job," he said, "but I am also very much looking forward to starting the final stage of my life." Until his official departure, he is assisting incoming leadership, including Sílvia Catà, with ongoing projects and formal handover procedures.
Esquius plans to begin the Camino de Santiago route from Súria, a walk he hopes will help him reflect on his next chapter. "I want to disconnect for a couple of months, walking and finding myself a bit," he explained. With his children independent and his garden long maintained since his father’s passing, he looks forward to re-engaging with local cultural groups such as the Súria cycling club, Foment Cultural, and amateur theatre, supported by his brother, a playwright.
Key Role in Traffic Policing and Strategic Reform
Esquius joined the Mossos in the early 1990s, initially serving in Barcelona and at the Palau de la Generalitat. His early work included monitoring alternative religious groups and satanic cults, drawing on his studies in theology. He played a foundational role in developing the force’s traffic division, training officers in Mérida and leading the first traffic promotion course on 4 May 1998.
He later established the Central Police Region in Manresa, overseeing the Bages area, and served seven years as head of the expanded Central Region, which now includes the Anoia comarca. As head of the Territorial Commissariat, he coordinated police regions during a period of structural change, including after the imposition of Article 155 in 2017, when leadership was reshuffled.
I feel traffic very personally. We had to prepare all the course materials, deliver the classes, it was a close-knit team.
He stepped aside for a time at that point, accepting the change as legitimate, and served two years in the Pyrenees before returning to lead the Metropolitan South Region. When recalled by Director Josep Lluís Trapero for a second term in leadership, Esquius set a condition: he would serve only two years before retiring. That commitment ends today.
Legacy of Crime Reduction and Institutional Reform
Under Esquius’s leadership in senior roles, official statistics show a 10% overall reduction in crime across Catalonia, with conventional crime down 9%, according to data published by the Interior Ministry on 18 September 2026. This contrasts with a 0.5% rise in crime nationwide.
Despite these figures, Esquius acknowledged public discomfort, noting that feelings of unease are not always tied to actual insecurity. He stressed the importance of maintaining public trust, especially in access to police services. "A prior appointment is a right, never an obligation in police matters," he said, clarifying that victims must always be received without delay.
By the end of 2026, the Mossos plan to expand online tools for reporting minor crimes such as thefts and scams, aiming to reduce the need for in-person visits. This follows growing awareness of crimes through social media and digital platforms, including events like the Mobile World Congress.
The organisational structure of the Mossos is governed by Decret 57/2023, de 21 de març, de reestructuració de la Direcció General de la Policia, which establishes a framework focused on prevention, rapid response, territorial presence, and victim support. The decree consolidates previous regulations, including Decret 415/2011 and its amendments, and Decret 58/2012.
Primary sources: portaljuridic.gencat.cat. Reported by regio7.cat, lavanguardia.com, Regió7.
