THE MANY ARMS OF THE LAW   

 846 word ArticLE

By

Nick Snelling

THE MANY ARMS OF THE LAW   

Few matters are more initially confusing to a visitor to Spain than the array of police forces encountered around the country.  It can be difficult to know who to go to when you are in trouble and why one police force will attend a crime in one place and another elsewhere. 

In fact, essentially, Spain has three police forces: the Guardia Civil, the Policia Nacional and the Polica Local - each has its own specific area of operation and clearly defined working parameters.  However, in reality, only the Guardia Civil and Policia Nacional have the extensive powers and resources that would be recognised of a police force in the UK.   

Perhaps most distinctive is the Guardia Civil who are dressed in green and are a highly disciplined military force that has internal regulations and a command structure similar to the army.  It was founded in 1844 by Queen Isabella II after the first Carlist War (1833 – 1839) and was originally created to restore and maintain security in the bandit-ridden Spanish countryside.  Now the Guardia Civil are primarily responsible for rural areas with a remit that covers all crimes within the countryside, including in towns and villages with a maximum population of around 20,000 people.

Most commonly, you will see the Guardia Civil controlling and inspecting traffic on the highways, roads and borders of Spain, although their police stations (Casas Cuarteles) with their distinctive flag can be seen in many small towns and large villages.

There are some 73,000 Guardia Civil agents of whom around 2,500 are women.  These agents (civilies) operate from some 2,100 police stations throughout Spain and are controlled from 50 provincial departments, overseen by 17 divisional head quarters.  The Guardia Civil is under civil authority during peace time and is directed by the Interior Ministry.  However, in time of war or an emergency the the Ministry of Defence takes over control.  Under normal circumstances some 40% of the Spanish population live under the protection of the Guardia Civil, although this percentage rises to around 65% during the summer holiday season - when many urbanites leave the towns and cities.

If you have a problem or are a victim of a crime then it is to these Guardia Civil ‘police stations’ that you go - if you are in the countryside or in a small town.  The Guardia Civil will attend to your problem, react to an emergency and investigate a crime exactly the way you would expect of any professional police force.  Indeed, the Guardia Civil are very well resourced, highly trained and well regarded by the Spanish for their honesty and efficiency.

However, the remit of the Guardia Civil does not extend to intensively populated urban areas.  Any town or city over 20,000 people will be controlled by the Policia Nacional, which is a force that was amalgamated in 1986 with the disliked ‘secret police’ (The Higher Police Force).  It has a Trade Union and, unlike the Guardia Civil, is a civil (rather than military) force.

The Policia Nacional is responsible for crimes and general policing in large towns and cities.  It is to them that you will go if you have suffered a crime within an urban area and it is only the Policia Nacional who will respond to an emergency in a town of 20,000 people or over.  However, should you need a NIE number or Residencia then it is also to the Policia Nacional to whom you will need to go (not the Guardia Civil) – irrespective of where you live.

The Policia Nacional have some 60,000 officers located within 1,700 municipalities.  This provides for roughly 2 police officers for every 1,000 people living in urban areas throughout Spain.

Finally, there is the Policia Local.  This is a force which is recruited, funded and controlled by local town halls and that is responsible to the elected Mayor.  The Policia Local respond to minor crimes and mostly deal with local authority enforcement matters, together with traffic control and any associated violations.  Crimes are not investigated and any serious matter is immediately handed over to either the Guardia Civil or Policia Nacional as appropriate to the area.

Of course, typically, there are exceptions to the rules above.  The Basque country, Catalonia and Navarra all have their own regional police forces in place of the Policia Nacional.  And Spain has an intelligence service (with whom, hopefully, you are unlikely to come into contact!) called the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CIN) which, unusually, deals with both inland and external intelligence matters.

To Spain’s credit, the country has made a remarkable transition from the dictatorship of General Franco to that of a modern, first world democracy.  This is no-where better seen than through its police forces, which have a generally good reputation.  Indeed, the US State Department ‘Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2006’ gives Spain virtually a clean bill of health.

On a day to day basis, most expatriots tend to find the Guardia Civil and Policia Nacional helpful and efficient if, sometimes, a little remote and macho.  Certainly, they have a reputation for dealing with trouble in a no-nonsense fashion and it is unwise to be aggressive towards them.  Meanwhile, the Policia Local are usually charming and often provide considerable assistance to tourists and foreigners. 

Copyright Nick Snelling (www.nicholassnelling.com) author of three books on Spain including ‘How to Move Safely to Spain’ (www.movesafelytospain.com)

ENDS