The head of the Civil Guard in Catalonia, José Luis Tovar, has spoken out about the "professional and family difficulties" experienced in recent years by members of the Spanish paramilitary force stationed in Catalan territory, stressing that "your efforts and those of your families can never be compensated". Tovar made the statements this Friday during the celebration of the patron saint of the Civil Guard in the force's headquarters at Sant Andreu de la Barca, which was presided over by Spanish secretary of state for security, Rafael Pérez, and the Spanish government delegate in Catalonia, Teresa Cunillera.
Rafael Pérez's last visit to Catalonia was controversial because of the statements he made about the Via Laietana police station. Today the government undersecretary responsible for the Spanish police went unnoticed. There were also several absences: neither the Mossos d'Esquadra director general, Pere Ferrer, nor the chief of the Mossos d'Esquadra, Josep Lluís Trapero, were able to attend due to the funeral of a Mossos agent who died on Tuesday during a training session.
"I have been away for six years. Despite my interest in keeping up with your future in Catalonia, I must confess that I did not have specific information about the professional and family difficulties you have experienced at times. We are aware that we will never be able to compensate your efforts and those of your families," said Tovar, who was appointed head of the Civil Guard in Catalonia just a matter of months ago.
"We know that we enter an institution in which we voluntarily leave behind an important number of rights. However, not among the rights we give up is that of feeling welcome and at home in the land in which we serve," added Tovar, who urged the body to "put on show" its integration in Catalonia. On his first few months as head of the Civil Guard in Catalonia, he said: "I have realized the true dimension of your effort and courage, you have carried it out as always, with selflessness and a spirit of service."
More Civil Guards in Catalonia
For his part, the secretary of state for security emphasized that the Civil Guard is "an institution closely linked" to Catalonia and emphasized that the body has "the full support" of the Spanish interior ministry. On this subject, he highlighted the improvements in employment set in motion for officers of the force and highlighted that the number of Civil Guard employees in Catalonia has increased, exceeding the 2018 figures.
In her speech, the Spanish government's senior representative in Catalonia, Cunillera, was moved to recall the victims of the 1991 attack on the barracks in the Catalan city of Vic, highlighted the paramilitary body's values, its capacity for transformation and "adaptability", and its cooperation with other police bodies: "Today the Civil Guard is one of the best security forces, with wide international recognition."