Catalonia brings the police to the classrooms: plainclothes mossos enter institutes to curb conflictivity

The Generalitat de Catalunya has announced the implementation of a pilot plan that contemplates the presence of plainclothes Mossos d’Esquadra agents in Secondary Education institutes , with the aim of reducing conflict and improving school coexistence. The measure, unprecedented until now in the Catalan educational system, will begin in 13 centers considered especially problematic and responds to a growing institutional concern over the increase in violent incidents.

According to what 'El País' has advanced, the agents will not go armed and will have their own space within the educational centers. Their function will be mainly preventive, acting as mediators in conflict situations, in addition to collaborating with the management teams and participating in specific educational programs. The initiative is jointly promoted by the Departament d’Educació and the autonomous police.

The plan, provisionally named 'Comprehensive Plan for Safety and Well-being in the educational environment' (EDUSEG), will initially start in two institutes located in the regions of Baix Llobregat and Vallès Occidental during the third term of the academic year. Subsequently, it will be extended to the rest of the centers selected for the pilot test, whose evolution will be evaluated in the coming months.

From the autonomous administration they defend that this measure responds to an express demand from the teaching staff and seeks to reinforce security without criminalizing the students. However, they recognize that the initiative could generate debate in the educational community, especially in relation to police presence in school environments.

The data supports the institutional concern. Since 2023, the Departament d’Educació has the Registry of Student Violence (REVA), which collects all incidents registered in the centers. So far in the 2025-2026 academic year, 5.331 possible situations of violence have been reported, of which 1.718 correspond to cases of school bullying.

In addition, the registry includes 573 complaints for aggressions, 377 for sexist violence among students, and 165 situations related to hate and discrimination. These figures not only reflect conflicts within the centers, but also external problems such as child abuse, which can emerge in the educational environment.

On the other hand, a survey conducted by the USTEC union, majority in public education, reveals that 63% of teachers have suffered some type of aggression throughout their career. Of them, a 14% has experienced physical aggressions and a 46% verbal ones, which reinforces the perception of insecurity in classrooms and the need for additional measures.

The Generalitat will evaluate the results of this pilot test before deciding its possible expansion. In case of success, the creation of a specific regulation that integrates the police figure as structural support in the Catalan educational system is not ruled out.