NCJ Number
136684
Journal
Police Volume: 24 Issue: 6 Dated: (February 1992) Pages: 24-26
Date Published
1992
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the organization and responsibilities of the Spanish Police.
Abstract
Since 1986 the police forces in Spain have been composed of the Cuerpo National de Policia and the Cuerpo de la Guardia Civil which operate at the national level; and the Cuerpos de las Comunidades Autonomas and the Cuerpos de Policia Locales which operate at the municipal level. The Cuerpo Nacional de Policia is a civilian force and brings together in one organization the former Policia Nacional and Superior de Policia. It is an armed institution, and its members have the right to belong to a union. It is responsible to the Ministry of the Interior and has 53,000 officers and 4,500 administrative staff. Its territorial jurisdiction covers all the Spanish provincial capitals and those urban areas specified by the Government. The Cuerpo de la Guardia Civil, unlike the national police, is an armed military institution that is responsible to the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense. It has 65,000 full-time and 8,000 auxiliary guards, who do not have the right to belong to a union. It has jurisdiction over the whole of the country and territorial waters. It performs police duties in all urban areas where there is no unit of the Cuerpo Nacional de Policia. Policias Autonomas are responsible for performing the tasks allocated to them by the Autonomous Communities and for protecting their authorities and buildings. They act in cooperation with the police bodies that are responsible to the National Government. Policias Locales control traffic in their municipalities, protect the public buildings, and conduct crime investigation duties in cooperation with the State Police. This article also describes the Spanish judicial system.