Lasne renews one-year mandate as Andorra police chief

In the final stretch of his career, Lasne has renewed his mandate for another year as head of the police force. He took over smoothly after Jordi Moreno’s early retirement and says he has brought a greater degree of pacification to the service. Some of the changes he introduced months ago, which initially caused tension at certain levels, appear to have stabilised.

He manages the day-to-day work of more than three hundred people including civilian staff. Calm and methodical, he keeps a small notebook with a few key reminders but relies on detailed knowledge: to stay close to the reality of the country he reads every complaint the force receives—often around ten or more a day—assigning each to the appropriate unit. He also reviews the many incident reports filed by officers and, when needed, does paperwork in the afternoons or attends particular operations personally to support colleagues and see how work is being carried out.

A former patrol officer, Lasne has spent time in nearly every unit of the force and says that experience informs his approach. He warns that people who become police only for the salary are mistaken: policing is a job of high wear and dedication and those who join should be attracted by the work itself.

Lasne says he continues to press for more human and material resources and believes some of the positions now being created could and should have been anticipated earlier. He nevertheless considers the current organisational design of the department adequate to meet forthcoming challenges.

He expects continuity into next year and intends, if possible, to align the end of his directorship with the end of the political legislature. Beyond that he declines to speculate. Succession, he insists, is a political decision: it is not his role to propose or burn any names. At the same time he acknowledges a generational renewal is inevitable—many officers are nearing the end of their careers and replacements will be needed sooner rather than later.

With nearly 39 years in the force—almost four decades—Lasne has witnessed the corps evolve alongside broader social and legal changes. He says the force has continually adapted to changing cycles, laws and types of crime and must anticipate and adjust to new challenges. Recent statistics presented under his leadership show that while the population has grown, public safety remains a fundamental pillar and Andorra continues to be a safe country. He cautions, however, that technological evolution has brought new forms of criminality and that social changes may also shape future threats.