The Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police force, are preparing for a change at the top in August as chief commissioner Miquel Esquius is expected to retire, according to reporting by El Confidencial and an earlier report by the same outlet in March. Two contenders are now at the centre of the decision: Intendant Toni Rodríguez, a former head of investigation, and Commissioner Montserrat Estruch, who currently leads the Barcelona police region.

For residents, commuters and businesses, the appointment matters because the chief oversees the force's operational priorities across Catalonia, including the policing of street crime, weapons offences and repeat offending. In an interview published on 17 July 2025, Esquius said the force was seizing an average of 1,000 bladed weapons each month, while a plan targeting repeat offenders had led to 400 arrests and 13,000 identifications.

El Confidencial reported on 12 July that Rodríguez is the preferred candidate of Director General of Police Josep Lluís Trapero, while Interior Minister Núria Parlón is backing Estruch. The same report said the minister wants a woman to lead the force, which would make Estruch the first female chief in the Mossos' more than 300-year history.

Who the two candidates are

Rodríguez is an intendant and previously headed the Mossos investigation area. Several published court reports in September 2025 said a judge ordered his reinstatement after overturning his removal from that post. El País reported on 30 September 2025 that a court had ordered Rodríguez to be restored as head of investigation.

That matters to the succession process because El Confidencial reported that Rodríguez is not currently a commissioner. The outlet said he would first need to be appointed commissioner before being named chief, although it added that a same-day promotion and appointment would not be unprecedented inside the force. The claim that he would need that promotion comes from El Confidencial's reporting and is not set out in the other supplied source texts.

Estruch is the current head of the Barcelona police region. El Confidencial reported that she had previously served as an intendant in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia's second-largest city, and had made a strong impression on both senior officers and rank-and-file staff.

"The minister wants it to be a woman," internal sources from the Interior Ministry told El Confidencial, according to the report published on 12 July.

Retirement triggers wider reshuffle

The expected retirement of Esquius is set against a broader restructuring at the top of the force. El Confidencial reported in March that Esquius was expected to retire in August, which would lead to the appointment of a new chief and a reorganisation of the command structure.

The timing is linked to long-standing retirement rules for the force. An agreement reached in 2020 between the Department of Interior and a broad union majority allowed Mossos officers to retire early at 59 or 60 from 2021, according to ABC and Metropoli Abierta. Under that agreement, officers with 37 years of contributions could retire six years before the ordinary age of 65.

  • Esquius is expected to retire in August, according to El Confidencial's March report.
  • Early retirement for Mossos officers at 59 or 60 has applied since 2021, following a 2020 agreement.
  • Esquius told El Periódico the force is seizing about 1,000 bladed weapons a month.

Those figures help explain why the leadership change has practical consequences beyond police headquarters. The incoming chief will inherit current security priorities that already affect daily life in Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia, including enforcement against knife carrying, drug trafficking and repeat theft.

Political tension over the final decision

According to El Confidencial, the final decision sits with Parlón, although the report says she is trying to reach a consensus with Trapero to avoid deepening tensions inside the force. The same article described a strained relationship between the minister and the director general over political and organisational decisions.

El Confidencial also reported that Tomás Carrión, the secretary general for interior, worked with Parlón at Santa Coloma de Gramenet City Council before both moved into their current roles. No official appointment date for Esquius's successor is given in the supplied source material, beyond the expectation that the change will come after his retirement in August.

Reported by Source Text Link, Antonio Fernández, ABC, Germán González, metropoliabierta.elespanol.com, cronicaglobal.elespanol.com, vilaweb.cat, Laura Fàbregas, Óscar Benítez, Jesús García Bueno, Camilo S. Baquero, Marc Rovira, ACN, Judith Calderón, Marc Guasch Ferreiro, EP, Cesc Maideu, Andrea Villoria,Martí Oliver, Yolanda Bernal, El Confidencial.