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Police officers without uniforms in classrooms: the measure dividing secondary schools in Catalonia
Catalonia is activating a measure that is already changing daily life in some secondary schools. Plain-clothes Mossos d'Esquadra officers have begun working inside educational centres as part of a pilot plan to prevent conflicts and improve coexistence.
The programme, promoted by the Department of Education, is being implemented in 14 schools in areas such as L’Hospitalet, Sabadell and Val d’Aran. The officers wear neither uniform nor weapon and work with management teams to identify risks, mediate and build trust with pupils.
The reaction has not been uniform. Some teachers have voiced their opposition and staged protests, while certain headteachers defend the initiative as a useful tool for anticipating problems such as bullying or situations of vulnerability.
The debate is already having consequences. At least eight secondary schools have asked to leave the programme in the face of internal pressure, reflecting a clear divide within the educational community over the role of the police in classrooms.
Those schools that support the measure insist that it does not replace educational resources, but adds to prevention. The idea is to make the police figure more approachable and turn it into accessible support outside emergency situations as well.
What is at stake goes beyond this pilot. The decision may redefine how conflicts are managed at school and how far the institutional presence should extend in the educational environment, an issue that already affects the daily lives of pupils and teachers.