> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barna.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Trapero resigns as Catalan police chief amid rift with minister - URL: https://barna.news/trapero-resigns-as-catalan-police-chief/ - Published: 2026-09-09T15:39:59.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-09T15:39:59.000Z - Description: Josep Lluís Trapero steps down as head of Mossos d'Esquadra following reported tensions with Interior Minister Núria Parlon. - Author: Brandon Watea - Tags: politics ## Trapero exits amid leadership tensions Josep Lluís Trapero has resigned as Director General of the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan regional police force, the government confirmed on Wednesday 9 September 2026\. His departure follows a reported breakdown in relations with Interior Minister Núria Parlon, who stated in a press conference that she would have preferred him to remain in post. Trapero, a central figure during the 2017 independence crisis and the 2017 Las Ramblas terrorist attack investigation, had been reinstated by President Salvador Illa in 2024 as part of a high-profile security leadership tandem with Parlon. The resignation comes just days after Tomás Carrión, Secretary General of Interior and Parlon’s closest aide, also stepped down, citing personal reasons and a return to his previous civil service role. Carrión had served as Parlon’s right-hand figure since the start of the current legislature and was previously director of urban security in Santa Coloma de Gramenet during her tenure as mayor. --- ## Clash over authority and political role Sources within the executive cite unilateral decisions by Trapero as a primary cause of the rift, though his inner circle disputes this, pointing instead to ministerial actions such as the appointment of Sílvia Catà as the new head of the Mossos, a move Trapero reportedly opposed. Tensions were also fuelled by perceptions that Parlon sought to position herself in media engagements at Trapero’s expense, despite his direct reporting line to President Illa, which further complicated internal dynamics. Trapero’s relationship with political leadership has long been fraught. ERC, a key government coalition partner, had repeatedly called for his removal, citing the controversial infiltration of plainclothes officers into a teachers’ assembly in May 2026 and disputed accounts of police conduct during King Felipe VI’s visit to Montserrat in February. Oriol Junqueras, president of ERC, publicly demanded Trapero’s dismissal, accusing him of pushing the Mossos to act "in a non-democratic manner". ### Historical tensions and past controversies Trapero’s tenure has been marked by political sensitivities. During the 2017 independence referendum, he was investigated for sedition but ultimately acquitted due to his "political neutrality" and the judge’s finding that the Mossos did not collude with the Catalan government. The presiding judge, Ramon Sáez, highlighted the force’s restrained stance compared to the National Police and Civil Guard on 1 October 2017\. Despite not being an independence supporter, then-president Carles Puigdemont retained Trapero after the suspension of Catalan autonomy, a decision later formalised by Junts minister Miquel Sàmper. ERC, however, viewed Trapero as an obstacle to reforming the force and had long sought his removal. Though not dismissed immediately when ERC took Interior, he was let go seven months after Pere Aragonès became president. > "S'ha esgotat una etapa," said Minister Parlon, signalling a definitive shift in leadership. Trapero’s return under Illa was framed as a move to professionalise police management and restore a figure widely respected for his operational integrity. However, his dual reporting line, to both Parlon and Illa, fostered internal suspicion and ultimately undermined cohesion. --- ## Ferran López to take over as police chief Ferran López will succeed Trapero as Director General of the Police. The government has also appointed Joana Ricardo Hoyos, currently Director General of Security Administration, as the new Secretary General of Interior, replacing Carrión. Ricardo, a career civil servant with 25 years of experience in Santa Coloma’s local government, also served at the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia between 2023 and 2024\. The leadership reshuffle comes as the department prepares for the October retirement of Miquel Esquius, the current chief commissioner of the Mossos. The transition will test the department’s ability to maintain stability amid ongoing reforms. The Interior Department reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening public security, including plans to increase Mossos staffing to 25,000 officers by 2030, a target agreed upon in a joint session of the Catalan Security Board chaired by President Illa and Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in December 2024 ([govern.cat](https://govern.cat/salapremsa/notes-premsa/663802/president-illa-ministre-marlaska-encapcalen-junta-seguretat-catalunya-que-acorda-obrir-espai-treball-arribar-25000-efectius-dels-mossos-2030?ref=barna.news)). --- *Primary sources:* [*govern.cat*](https://govern.cat/salapremsa/notes-premsa/663802/president-illa-ministre-marlaska-encapcalen-junta-seguretat-catalunya-que-acorda-obrir-espai-treball-arribar-25000-efectius-dels-mossos-2030?ref=barna.news)*,* [*igualtat.gencat.cat*](https://igualtat.gencat.cat/web/.content/Ambits/drets-igualtats/informes-DDHH/informe%5Fesp%5Fdigital.pdf?ref=barna.news)*. Reported by en.ara.cat, elperiodico.com, elcorreogallego.es, ultimahora.es, elnacional.cat, europapress.es, publico.es, Redacció SER, cronicaglobal.elespanol.com, elDiario.es, lavanguardia.com, Diari ARA.* --- ### Related on Barna.News - [Trapero resigns as Mossos chief amid leadership rift](https://barna.news/trapero-resigns-as-mossos-chief-amid/) - [Salvador Illa begins 48-hour trip to Ukraine](https://barna.news/salvador-illa-begins-48-hour-trip-to/) - [Illa's Government Faces Reshuffle Amid Crises](https://barna.news/illa-s-government-faces-reshuffle-amid/) - [Catalonia Marks 50 Years Since First Post-Franco Diada](https://barna.news/catalonia-marks-50-years-since-first/)