Article DetailsLaw Enforcement in Spain |
| Date Added: February 29, 2008 07:58:48 AM |
| Author: www.izguit.info |
| Category: Reference : Country Profiles |
Law Enforcement in Spain In accord with the establishment, the organic law on law enforcement bodies defines the composition of public safety in Spain. Communal safety is the duty of the State alone, and it is the national Government's role to uphold security, in which the self-governing communities and local corporations may contribute through their own security forces. The basic structure of the law has two basic elements. The National Police, a civilian force operating purely in urban areas. Policía Nacional (in fact Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, "National Police Corps" or CNP) is the nationwide metropolitan police agency of Spain. These forces are under the power of Spain's Ministry of the Interior. They handle criminal, judicial, terrorism and immigration matters typically. The issuing of DNI IDs and passports is controlled only by the CNP in all the Spanish territory. These forces have limited deployment and competencies in some independent communities. The Guardia Civil (Civil Guard); a military force that operates mainly in rural areas. The Civil Guard, in Spanish Guardia Civil, is the Spanish gendarmerie. It has duel functions both military and civilian. It was created in different stages from 1835 to 1844, and was finally recognized as an operational force in 1855. Traditionally the leaders of the Civil Guard had a affinity to get involved in political affairs, and it has been seen for many years as a intransigent force. In the present day the Spanish Civil Guard has altered much. Many visitors to Spain believe them the most trusted police force in the country. The Civil Guard has won global respect for their work as Peace Corps in United Nations sponsored operations. Some of the Autonomous Communities have there own police squads, which include Basque Country (Ertzaintza; Basque autonomous police), Catalonia (Mossos d'Esquadra; Catalan autonomous police) and Navarra (Policía Foral; Navarra autonomous police). The Local Police have over 50,000 officers throughout 1,700 municipal forces. The law enforcement in Spain has evolved to a much better shape in the past decade and hopefully will become a force which can be trusted in all matters. |