The formation of the National Police has been at the centre of heated debates that have now led to its transfer to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Not so much the content of the training, about which little is known at present, but its content, who is providing the training and the arguments used by its supporters. The reason: the United Police Corps (USP) has announced a “personal defence” course open to 30,000 officers, to be taught by Club Desokupa, an organisation run by the leader of the controversial company of the same name, which is responsible for the eviction of slums.

The government has already warned that the deal would be viewed with a magnifying glass.

What happened? SUP and Desokupa have signed an agreement to provide a self-defense course to National Police agents. The announcement was made by both organizations through the networks, with a video in which Desokupa leader Daniel Esteve and SUP secretary general Mónica Gracia are seen. During the presentation, both parties insisted on two ideas: first, that the course would target up to 30,000 police officers in Spain, thanks to the police union; second, that it would be “certified and denuded”.

So what is the course about? During the presentation, Mónica Gracia and Daniel Esteve contented themselves with a few, if obscene, brush strokes. The courses will be “very real personal defense,” as the Desokupa leader put it, and will be open to 18 instructors and up to 500 police officers at a time. “We will teach both civilians and police officers how to defend themselves,” he emphasized.

Gracia, who celebrated the signing of the agreement as a “historical moment” for the union organization he leads, was more specific. “This is a plus, another one. We have a problem in the streets. There is excessive violence, there is a loss of authority, our colleagues are increasingly at risk and with this we want them to feel more secure,” said the general, the secretary of the SUP.

What is Desokupa? The agreement was published yesterday and it didn’t take long for it to go viral and become the center of an intense debate that the National Police and even the Ministry of the Interior have already publicly voiced. The reason: the controversy that has largely accompanied Esteve himself and Desokupa, an organization that gained notoriety years ago for its dedication to evicting slums in Spain.

The company claims on its website that it specializes in “property recovery through slum dwellers, tenants, precarious occupants, neighborhood communities and shared apartments.” It also states that it has been involved in over 7,000 “successful” evictions since 2016. The website also provides information about its Desokupa club, which is “an online and personal self-defense course that benefits those facing specific issues stemming from illegal occupation.”

Why controversial? In addition to its core business, over the past few months Desokupa has deliberately placed itself at the centre of several equally high-profile controversies. For example, last year the company displayed several banners in Madrid with provocative messages against the Government.

At the end of 2023, he put up one with the slogan “We will continue cleaning the streets!”. You could see Irene Montero, Ione Belarra, Monedero and, as the main image, Carles Puigdemont in prisoner’s garb. Months earlier, he had displayed another with Esteve and Pedro Sánchez looking sad, and with another slogan that resonated just as much: “You go to Morocco. Get out of Moncloa!”

Argument with LladosAnother of his most famous controversies occurred just two months ago, when Esteve announced, through X, his intention to file a complaint against the celebrity, again in a video. Influencer He was summoned for “various crimes” including fraud and defamation. Today he once again took to X profile to defend the agreement with USP, insisting that Club Desokupa “has nothing to do with the Desokupa company” “This is a marketing tool for branding.”

Under the government’s magnifying glass. They were quick to assess the agreement between Desokupa and the United Police Union from within. The department, headed by Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced that the defense courses would not be approved and emphasized that “they did not receive any support from the General Directorate of Police (DGP)”. And not only that.

The government says it will examine the possibility of opening a case to determine whether the agreement violates democratic values ​​and will challenge the agreement. Its announcement has sparked another debate. In the last few hours, Macarena Olona, ​​for example, has questioned the state’s ability to overturn the agreement. Sumar has gone further, calling directly for Desokupa to be outlawed.

Neither homologous nor scalableThe National Police also took the floor to clarify that the training provided during the SUP and Desokupa course will not be homologated or scaled up, contrary to what is advocated by both organizations. “There is no support from the DGP.”

The National Police also stresses that a specific section of the force is responsible for the “training and specialization” of agents, and notes the progress made in training in recent years with the creation of the National Police University Center, whose charter was renewed and approved two years ago.

The SUP admits that the training of national representatives “corresponds exclusively to the DGP” and insists that the aim of the courses is to provide “extra-curricular” training to its members. “We do not quite understand the origin of the confusion that has arisen today, because neither the Desokupa Club nor this union wanted to imply that the DGP or the Education Department and the excellent professionals who make up it had anything to do with this complementary offer”.

Image | SUP (X)

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