Catalonia Loses Appeal for Trainee Civil Guards: From 134 to 13 in Five Years

The number of students choosing the Catalan units of the Civil Guard has plummeted by 90% since 2021, falling from 134 to just 13 in 2025, according to a Transparency request.

The Civil Guard has experienced a 90% decrease in the number of trainee officers assigned to Catalonia over the past five years. The data, obtained by THE OBJECTIVE through a Transparency request to the General Directorate of the Civil Guard, shows that in 2021 there were 134 trainees, while in 2025 only 13 were incorporated.

This decline coincides with the dismantling of units of this force in the autonomous community. In April, the Special Underwater Activities Group (GEAS) was disbanded, and the closure of four units of Seprona is planned. Additionally, responsibilities have been reduced in favour of the Mossos d'Esquadra in ports and airports, and the number of personnel in the region has decreased.

The annual evolution reflects a sustained decline: from 134 trainees in 2021 to 69 in 2022, with a rebound to 94 in 2023, a drop to 82 in 2024, and the historic low of 13 in the latest cohort. In total, Catalonia has hosted 390 trainee officers out of 11,218 deployed across Spain in the last five years.

The Civil Guard has denied the information broken down by provinces or commands. The force justifies the refusal on security grounds, as revealing the number of trainees would allow knowledge of "the size of the staff." Therefore, the data is grouped only by autonomous communities.

The distribution of trainee officers is concentrated in the south and centre of the peninsula. Andalusia leads with 3,254 trainees between 2021 and 2025, peaking at 840 in 2024. Madrid has accumulated 1,985 personnel and has grown from 267 in 2021 to 347 in 2025. The Valencia area is third, with 1,503 trainees. At the opposite end, La Rioja has only received 142.

Across the country, 11,218 trainees joined units of the Civil Guard in the last five years. Most completed their training period: only 20 could not graduate, a success rate of 99.8%. Dropouts were minimal: one in 2021, one in 2022, five in 2023, eight in 2024, and five in 2025. In no year did the dropouts exceed 0.3% of the total.

For readers in Catalonia, this decline means a reduced presence of trainee civil guards in the community's units, which may affect service in rural and coastal areas. The next intake of trainee officers is scheduled for 2026, according to the usual timetable of the General Directorate.