Welcome to this welcome ceremony for the 95th intake of new Barcelona Guàrdia Urbana officers.

 

I'm proud and honoured to welcome you today at this ceremony, which is particularly important for the Guàrdia Urbana, the City Council and, most especially, for Barcelona as a whole.

 

To start with, please accept my most sincere congratulations on passing a set of competitive public exams that I'm sure weren't at all easy, and also, in the case of some of you, on passing the training course at the Institute for Public Security of Catalonia. Today you have reached the finish line in a long journey and you are being rewarded for your efforts: you are now members of the Barcelona Guàrdia Urbana city police.

 

You should all feel extremely proud of this, as should your partners, parents, friends and others who I'm sure have supported you throughout this recruitment process, and to whom I would also like to extend my congratulations.

 

You are now part of a force with a long history of dedication to the residents of Barcelona. An extraordinary history that is at the same time key to ensuring the well-being of all our citizens.

 

The unprecedented health crisis of the last few years and the circumstances of everyday life bear witness to the great professionalism and humanity of the people who wear this uniform.

 

Being a Barcelona Guàrdia Urbana officer is not just a job. It basically requires you to have a vocation for public service and be ready to tackle complex and difficult situations, because the city changes and, with it, the security challenges themselves.

 

From now on, you will be involved in difficult and high-pressure situations, as well as in simpler ones, and sometimes you may even carry out slightly more routine tasks. But either way, they are all – without exception – very important, because your work makes Barcelona a safe and friendly city. Thanks to all these actions, the trust placed in us by Barcelona's residents grows year after year.

 

I'm sure those of you who joined the force in January from other police forces are very aware of this, having experienced in full for several months what being a Barcelona Guàrdia Urbana officer entails.

 

I'm not going to lie: it's not an easy job. However, it is rewarding like no other, as it will give you the satisfaction of serving people and feeling their gratitude.

 

This is why it is essential for you to always be close to residents, listening to them, supporting them, serving them. Close to entities, to people in particularly vulnerable groups, so they feel safe and protected. Because you will often be people's first contact with the Administration.

 

This prevention and closeness work also requires you to network and liaise with the various municipal services to identify risk situations and prevent danger to the public.

 

And your job of course also requires you to work together with other police forces, the civil defence services and judicial authorities.

 

In such a complex city as ours, this collaboration is key.

 

This became clear this summer, when we saw fewer crimes and more arrests than before the pandemic in spite of the recovery of tourism and more people on the streets.

 

This is no coincidence: it is the result of a lot of hard work. This improvement has been possible thanks to great coordination with the Mossos d'Esquadra [the Catalan regional police], the constant increase in the number of Guàrdia Urbana officers and the reform of the legal provisions on repeat offending that we had been asking the Spanish Parliament to pass for years.

 

It is a positive assessment that encourages us all to keep working on improving every day. In addition, it clearly proves that there is no truth in the alarmist messages of many interested parties who want us to believe that Barcelona is a lawless city out of control.

 

The people sending these messages probably want to wear the municipal government down, but what they end up doing is discrediting the Guàrdia Urbana's fantastic work, of which we are very proud.

 

As I mentioned before, the city changes. We're working for a friendlier, greener, healthier city with fewer cars and more room for residents.

 

This new city must also be a safer space, because safer streets are those in which children can play, the elderly can go for a relaxed walk and people can say hello as they pass each other.

 

This transformation needs you and will probably require you to make a special effort to guarantee peaceful coexistence, to correct minor road traffic offences, to ensure everyone feels safe and comfortable both at home and on the street, and much more. This is a basic right and, as public servants, we have an obligation to guarantee it.

 

You will have our full support in this work. Both my support as mayor, and that of all our councillors. And, to prove it, we're increasing the Guàrdia Urbana's human and technical resources.

 

During this political term we've created over a thousand officer jobs, with a call for a further 241 new officers open right now. As a result, the Guàrdia Urbana has over 3,300 officers for the first time in history.

 

We are very proud of this, and I in particular am very glad that we're finally reversing a historical trend and significantly increasing the number of women in this force.

 

Today we have 92 women – almost 40% of the total – joining the Guàrdia Urbana city police. It is the second intake in which this percentage has been guaranteed, a measure that will be applied to all recruitment processes from now on.

 

We are slowly putting right a historical injustice and ensuring that our local police force reflects our society, which is plural and diverse. We still have a long way to go, but I think we're making good progress in our aim to achieve gender equity.

 

Just like we're also making progress at the Guàrdia Urbana to fight against gender violence, improve road safety and protect society's most vulnerable.

 

All that remains for me to do is thank you for choosing a career with the Guàrdia Urbana and to wish you every success wearing this badge and this uniform.

 

Many thanks!