For much of the 20th century, height requirements in Spanish police forces were inherited from models designed for parades, controlling public order on horseback, and an intimidating physical image as a symbol of authority. Those scales were set at a time when police work was much less technical and professionalized than today, and they were barely revised for decades.
Requirements of the past. Yes, they were times when the police forces in Spain and in much of Europe dragged access criteria born in a context very different from the current one, when authority was associated with presence and police models drew directly from military structures of the 20th century. The minimum height was then consolidated as an automatic filter that was barely revised over time, even when the police function evolved towards increasingly technical, legal and citizen-friendly tasks.
Starting in the 1990s and, above all, in the last two decades, this requirement began to be questioned in courts, parliaments and administrative reforms due to its discriminatory nature and its poor relationship with the actual performance of police work, which led to its progressive elimination in many European countries and, more recently, in Spanish state bodies.
Andalusia now reaches that turning point after many years of delay.
End of a legacy filter. Thus, as of February 22, Andalusia will leave behind one of the most discussed requirements for access to the Local Police: the minimum height. The new decree that regulates entry, promotion, mobility and training eliminates a physical bar that for decades excluded fully qualified applicants, aligning the Andalusian local police with European practice and with other State bodies that had already abandoned that criterion.
The decision is based on a clear premise: prioritizing talent, preparation and vocation over a fixed body condition that says little about the actual performance of police work.
Real equality. The standard is not limited to deleting a requirement, but rather introduces conciliation measures for applicants in a maternity situation, avoiding disadvantages during the selection process and reinforcing the principle of equal opportunities.
The message it’s explicit: access must evaluate capabilities and merits, not penalize personal circumstances or perpetuate barriers that are not directly related to the police function.
The reinforced model. The decree redefines initial training and places it under the leadership of the Institute of Emergencies and Public Security of Andalusia, together with accredited municipal schools and the possibility of approving courses from other entities.
The entry course is strictly linked to the training phase, with a minimum charge of 650 hourswhile staff internships are separated and developed under municipal supervision. In addition, the way is opened for trainee personnel to carry regulatory weapons, once again equating them to other state bodies.
Unified calls. Plus: one of the keys to change is the possibility of unified callsthrough an agreement with the city councils, to centralize and streamline selective processes.
The grading system “is reorganized into modules that require balanced excellence, age groups are eliminated in physical tests and an agility circuit is incorporated, already present in other models.” The syllabi are updated and the psychotechnics are divided into two phases, one during the opposition and another in the admission course, with professional endorsement.
That the short ones can too. On the whole, the reform corrects a grievance that had gone on for too long: preventing access by a question of height when the profession requires judgment, preparation, endurance and commitment to public service.
With this decree, Andalusia not only modernizes its Local Police, but also sends a symbolic and practical signal to thousands of applicants: the uniform will no longer depend on how tall you are, but on what you know and how you are prepared to serve.
Image | Preopol
In Xataka | We have the most armored and encrypted DNI in our history. The problem is that we are using it wrong.
In Xataka | We have the most armored and encrypted DNI in our history. The problem is that we are using it wrong.
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