The Town Hall of Galapagar has reserved 20% of its Local Police positions for military personnel from the Troop and Navy Scale who are forced to retire at 45 with a pension of just 725 euros.
Two former Army employees, Mario and Adrián, now patrol the streets of Galapagar as local police officers. They left the Armed Forces before the forced retirement to embark on a new working life. "The Army retires you at 45 with 725 euros gross," they explain while traversing the Madrid municipality. "Many colleagues are left with nothing, with families, children, and mortgages."
The mayor Carla Greciano launched a pioneering initiative in March 2024: to reserve 20% of the Local Police positions for personnel from the Army. The aim is to leverage the experience and discipline of military personnel, according to municipal sources. "We are incorporating highly trained personnel, accustomed to responsibility and service," officials from the Town Hall state.
From Iraq to Galapagar: the leap to a second career
Mario, who turned 18 and went straight into the Army, spent 14 years in the Asturias 31 Infantry Regiment in El Goloso and then eight in the Rifle Company. He was also deployed in Iraq in 2017. "I liked action and had the example of my military brother," he recalls. Now, he drives the patrol car around Galapagar, a radical change of scenery.
Adrián, for his part, served in the Guadarrama XII Armoured Brigade and participated in missions in Afghanistan. Both agree that accessing the Local Police is more difficult than joining the Army. "The exams are tough, but we prefer to compete only with military colleagues, not with the entire civilian population," they clarify. In Madrid, military personnel compete with any citizen; in Galapagar, the reserved positions are exclusive to them.
An insufficient pension at 45
The Troop and Navy Scale forces retirement at 45, with an average pension of 725 euros gross. "It’s not enough to live on. It’s a complicated age, with family and mortgage," the officers lament. Therefore, many seek a second career. Galapagar has become an example: "We would like other municipalities to follow this path. We spend the best years serving Spain and then you’re left with nothing," they plead.
The Town Hall defends that the measure is not a privilege, but an opportunity. "Military personnel have training in values and discipline that fits perfectly with the Local Police," they insist. In fact, Mario and Adrián highlight that the change of environment —from a closed barracks to the street— is a challenge, but also a satisfaction: "Now we deal with residents, resolve everyday conflicts. It’s more human."
The heat is intense in Galapagar, but they are used to it. "We’ve sweated more in drills," they joke. The patrol continues its route as the sun sets over the mountains. For these ex-military personnel, their second professional life has just begun.
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