Barcelona welcomed the 238 new officers from the 95th intake by the City Police yesterday, in a ceremony at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC). The new intake swells the ranks of the corps to 3,360 officers, 16.6% (560) of them women, the highest percentage ever.
Increasing women’s presence in the City Police has become a priority for the City Council in recent years. The city government was actually the first administration to establish a reserve on places for women in recruitment calls for the corps, following an amendment to the Act on local police officers. The goal was not just to introduce a gender quota, but also to safeguard the principles of equality, merit and ability in access to public service jobs as the most efficient way of balancing the presence of men and women on the force.
Out of the 238 officers in the new intake for the City Police, 61% are men (146 officers) and 39% are women (92 officers). In addition, 67.2% of new officers are aged between 26 and 35, while 22.7% are aged between 36 and 45.
Most of the 238 officers (15 of whom are already operative) will start their work experience stage with the city’s different territorial units, in the company of more experienced officers.
Once they have spent a year in service, they will be named professional public servants, as officers with the City Police. The new officers will carry out local policing in the streets, strengthening contact with the general public.
In all, 1,075 new places have been offered with the City Police since 2019: 293 in 2019, 282 in 2020, 259 in 2021 and 241 this year.