Spain pulls police reinforcements back from Catalonia
Thousands of police reinforcements who were deployed to Catalonia in the run-up to an attempted referendum on the region's independence from Spain in October are being withdrawn.
The estimated 5,000 reinforcements are no longer necessary following the return to normality after Spain seized control of the region following a declaration of independence by the Catalan parliament weeks after the referendum, according to minister Juan Ignacio Zoido.
Spain was criticised over police using force to try to prevent the referendum from taking place.
Hundreds of people, including police, were reported injured.
Spain later dismissed the Catalan government, dissolved the regional parliament and ordered fresh elections for December 21 to quell the secession push.
