Mossos d'Esquadra officers will be assigned to secondary schools in the Urgell region of Lleida province and Val d'Aran as part of a new pilot programme launching next week, according to the Department of Education.
Four public secondary centres in Tàrrega, Bellpuig, and Agramunt, specifically IES Ribera del Sió, IES Lo Pla d’Urgell, IES Manuel de Pedrolo, and IES Alfons Costafreda, will share one plain-clothed officer. This agent will provide support to the educational community, addressing issues such as school absenteeism and other incidents, and will be able to act immediately for mediation needs, officials stated.
In Val d'Aran, the IES Val d'Aran in Vielha and Escola Ostaleria in Les will also participate in the initiative. The Department of Education emphasised that this measure "does not respond to any security problem, but rather to the desire to add capabilities" to the schools.
Pilot Programme Details
This pilot programme is set to run for one and a half years and will also be implemented in other educational zones across Catalonia, including L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Vic, and two centres in El Prat de Llobregat and Sabadell. The Catalan government's department noted that nine other autonomous communities in Spain already have similar measures in place.
The year-and-a-half pilot will allow authorities to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating police support within school communities. Its success could lead to a broader rollout of the programme across Catalonia, enhancing support mechanisms for students and staff.
