The first female intendants
In 2008, Intendant Rocío Rubio and present-day Commissioner Cristina Manresa, from the fourth cohort, attained one of the highest-ranking positions in the Mossos d’Esquadra hierarchy: the superior police rank of intendant.
Intendant Rubio’s work on hate crimes with prosecutor Miguel Ángel García Aguilar was pioneering in Spain, involving liaison with groups, press, training and protocol dissemination.
Intendant Rocío Rubio in dress
uniform showing a service ribbon.
Commissioner Cristina Manresa.
Video on the 10th anniversary of the Mossos d’Esquadra in Barcelona.
Deployment completed across Catalonia
The Mossos d’Esquadra’s deployment in the Camp de Tarragona and Terres de l’Ebre regions in 2008 marked the completion of its deployment across Catalonia. Men and women now formed a comprehensive police force, with full powers throughout the Catalan territory. Intendant Teresa Laplana, together with Intendant Moriana in Girona, occupied the highest position ever attained by a woman—that of assistant regional chief—in the Camp de Tarragona Police Region.
Intendant Laplana was one of the first 43 women to join the Mossos d’Esquadra in 1985. During her many years of service, she has head up the Central Minors Unit and the Les Corts, Sant Andreu and Eixample basic police areas. It is also worth mentioning her more sporting side, representing the Mossos d’Esquadra in various World Police and Fire Games [1]. In 2011, she was part of the delegation of Mossos d’Esquadra officers who took part in the games in New York City.
[1] The World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) is a multi-sport competition held every two years. It is open to active and retired police officers and firefighters from all over the world.
Feature article on Teresa Laplana, intendant and assistant chief of the Camp de Tarragona Police Region, covering her career and the evolution of the Catalan police force over the last 25 years.
Laplana, who is currently overseeing the deployment of the Mossos d’Esquadra in the regions of El Baix Penedès, El Tarragonès, L’Alt Camp, El Baix Camp, La Conca de Barberà and El Priorat, was one of the first women to join the force in 1986. As an officer, she saw the creation of the first police station specifically for minors, the Olympic Games in Barcelona, the beginning of deployment in the Osona region and the deployment of the Mossos d’Esquadra in Barcelona, among other major occurrences.
Laplana recalls that there were 45 women in her cohort of 245, a very high proportion at the time. She had left her pharmacy studies for the Police School of Catalonia and started working upon graduation. Her first posting was to the Minors’ Brigade, which she found particularly enriching, as, among other things, she was involved in setting up the first police station specifically for minors.
Laplana was promoted to corporal in 1991. She was promoted again in 1994, becoming one of the first four female sergeants in the force. This meant her transfer from Barcelona to Lleida, which was hard on her as she had to leave her two children in Barcelona until she returned as chief of the Central Minors Unit in 1996.
She was promoted to sub-inspector in 2002 and then to inspector in 2005. At that point, she began a new chapter as chief of the Les Corts police station. This coincided with the deployment of the Mossos d’Esquadra in Barcelona. In 2008, she became one of the first four female intendants in the force.
In all these years, Laplana has seen the Mossos d’Esquadra grow, transform and accept women as a mainstream part of the force. The proportion of women has reached 20%, one of the highest in law enforcement across Europe. Although, in her own words…
The first woman to join the Mountain Rescue Unit
The Mountain Rescue Unit (UIM) was created in 2000 to provide police coverage in difficult-to-access environments. It requires specialised knowledge, equipment and training in risk prevention and response, data analysis, investigation, inspection and clarification of the facts in accidents.
In 2008, eight years after its creation, Rut Grau joined the UIM. She is the only female officer in the unit.
The UIM covers all of Catalonia through three operational groups located in Sabadell, La Seu d’Urgell and Vielha.
Rut Grau and fellow officers in the Mountain Rescue Unit.
