The Minister of the Interior entrenches himself without explaining the crisis of the Mossos

The 'president', Pere Aragonès (left), talks with the Minister of the Interior, Joan Ignasi Elena, in the plenary session of the ParlamentQuique Garcia (EFE)

After days of controversy, with the Mossos d'Esquadra in the eye of the hurricane, this Wednesday it was possible to hear the voice of one of the main protagonists, Joan Ignasi Elena, Minister of the Interior.

The former socialist has defended his decision to dismiss Commissioner Josep María Estela, alleging that they had some differences that pushed him to dismiss him.

“The model is my responsibility”, he said in response to a question from Marc Parés, deputy of the commons, who lamented the internal “disaster” of the Mossos reflected with the new change in the leadership.

But nothing else.

The counselor has entrenched himself without giving hardly any explanations of the serious crisis that the Catalan police is experiencing and has referred to the appearance that he will make in the interior commission.

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Pere Aragonès has shown his confidence in Elena and has rejected the request of the head of the opposition, Salvador Illa, to dismiss him.

More information

The Mossos withdrew their investigations from the computer system for fear of political interference

From the outset, Elena has defended her management by stating that the citizens rate the provision of the Mossos with a good mark.

Then, she has taken advantage of her brief intervention to launch, for the second time, a clear warning to the Catalan police commanders: she is not going to let them interfere in her work at the head of the Department of the Interior.

She has articulated it in a double message that she already used last week, also in Parliament.

“There will be no political interference in the judicial police or in the operations of the Mossos d'Esquadra Corps”, she repeated, later adding that “there will be no police interference in decisions that correspond to the political dimension”.

Elena has invited her predecessor, Miquel Sàmper (Junts), although without citing him, to prove the alleged interference that she has been denouncing in various interventions,

although accepting that he has no proof.

Sàmper assured in Rac1 that there were police officers who "obstructed" investigations.

The situation of the Mossos d'Esquadra has hovered over the debate in Parliament and everything is pending as to whether any initiative between the groups to disapprove the head of the Interior bears fruit.

“Now it is convenient to put an end to insecurity, quite the opposite of the chaotic direction of the Mossos body, Mr. Elena”, said the leader of the opposition, Salvador Illa.

“Enough of political interference in the Mossos.

What they would have to do is support the 18,000 that make up the body”, Illa requested.

The socialist has raised the tone during the control session to the president of the Government.

In his intervention, Illa asked Aragonès if he was thinking of dismissing Elena and the

flatly ruled him out, insisting that he has all his confidence.

“We are clear about the policies and we respect autonomy, but changes must be made in the orientation of the public security model, not of the operational ones,” the Republican added.

In the debate on the orientation of the new Executive, the head of the Socialists and the

have clashed over "political interference" in the Catalan police.

“Since when does a director decide who promotes a commissioner?

It is a contest of merits and abilities.

A bit of modesty”, Illa snapped.

Aragonès, for his part, has reminded him that since 2001 there has been a decree that establishes that it is the director who makes the appointments.

Historically, the names of the new commissioners are the result of a pact between the police leadership and politics.

The leader of Junts, Albert Batet, has also wanted to put his finger on the problem by pulling sarcasm.

“They said that they would start a new stage [after the coalition breakup] in which there would be no noise.

The first week of this Government is not bad, what a noise with the Mossos crisis”.

The leader of En Comú Podem, Jéssica Albiach, has criticized that the first decision of the monocolor Executive has been the dismissal of Estela, because, in her opinion, no convincing explanations have been given and that, in her opinion, gives wings to the “ strong suspicions and accusations of attempts to politicize the Catalan police”.

"I do not accept that you draw the Mossos as a body that blackmails the Government," Aragonès replied to the CUP, which has complained about the participation of the Catalan police in a real estate event this Wednesday in Barcelona.

The Mossos are plunged into a serious crisis after the "choral" dome chosen by the Department led by Elena fractured before the summer.

On Monday, the counselor dismissed the chief commissioner, Josep Maria Estela, and appointed his second in command, commissioner Eduard Sallent.

The two had ceased to have a relationship.

This is the second boss Elena fired in less than a year.

Before it was the turn of Major Josep Lluís Trapero.

Since 2017, the Catalan police have had seven different police officers, which generates a deep sense of instability in the Mossos.

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