Andorra Police Force Expands to 290 Officers with New Recruits

Andorra's police force is expanding toward 290 officers, with eight recruits from the 58th promotion sworn in on Friday before Head of Government Xavier Espot and Justice and Interior Minister Ester Molné. The group consists of seven men and one woman, while a ninth recruit remains in training.

Police Director Bruno Lasne said these additions, combined with up to 15 more from a recent recruitment drive that drew around 30 applicants and closed Friday, will lift the force from 266 to 290 agents. He attributed high interest to salary and working condition improvements agreed across the public sector last year, noting strong turnout even in back-to-back calls—including 36 candidates in the prior round. Lasne called 300 officers essential and urged a new recruitment round soon, adding that a further group of up to nine is slated for April. The latest graduates are already on street duties.

Espot praised the police's "fundamental" role in democratic society, pointing to Andorra's position as Europe's safest country and the world's second-safest on the Numbeo Crime and Safety Index. Crime rates have held steady over the past decade "despite comments from some," he noted—a dig at opposition party Andorra Endavant. Security remains a core global asset for the principality and pillar of its welfare state, he added, with the government committed to ongoing modernisation in equipment and staffing.

Molné expressed satisfaction with recent data confirming top safety rankings. She pledged efforts to sustain them but took a measured view on further growth. "We have a new competition underway, and once completed, we will assess if more officers are needed," she said.

Lasne also addressed ongoing issues at the Riu Runer facilities, where missing heating and lighting stem from delays in a rooftop machine ordered in November to replace a burned-out unit. He dismissed the supplier's holiday-related excuses as unacceptable.