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Spanish National Police history

In 1824 King Ferdinand VII with a Royal decree created the General Police of the Kingdom, first antecedent of Spanish National Police that is now celebrating its anniversary. A General Superintendent in Madrid, helped by Secretary Officers, Barracks Commissioners in the Capital and Delegated Intendants in every Province led the organization. Police was divided in professional and semi-professional, integrated in 1825 by Royal Guards (an auxiliary Cavalry Battalion) and in 1833 by Royal Safeguards, both units soon abolished. It had to issue passports, trade and profession permits, trade and weapons licences, to impose administrative sanctions, to redact reports about homeless people, to stop leaflets and other documents against the king, to arrest thieves and to fight secret associations. Police had to fight smuggling, to protect public order, public security and public health, to prevent fire, to control food on public markets and people conditions. In 1844 Spanish Government created the Protection and Security Corps and in 1848 the Superior Government of Police. In 1868 the Public Order Corps of Madrid was born, followed in 1870 by the Public Order Corps of Spain, both put as military corps. Later around a hundred members were demilitarized, to use them for investigation and prevention duties. In 1873, under the Republic of Spain, rulers put an apolitical corps, the Government and Judicial Police. In 1877 the corps was divided in two services, a civil corps for vigilance and a paramilitary one for security, whit the exclusive competence for the Madrid area given to the military Civil Guard. In 1886 Government established the General Direction of Security and gave to Vigilance and Security Corps the competence for the full territory of Spain. In 1908 Juan de la Cierva y Penafiel, with the Organic Law of Government Police, underlined the independence of Police from politics and its subordination to Provincial Civil Governors.

In 1912 the General Direction of Security was reconstituted: its first Chief, Don Ramon Mendez Alanis, predisposed registries, photographic and fingerprinting laboratories and divided the Police service in brigades, putting districts, patrol and cycling services. In 1932 the Second Republic transformed Vigilance Corps in Investigation and Vigilance Corps and Security Corps in Security and Assault Corps. After the Civil war, the two corps became one Corps, the Security Corps, divided in Uniformed and Civil groups, while military Civil Guard and Rear Guard Militias were unified in the Republican National Guard. In 1941 organisation changed again: the General Police Corps, a civil corps for information, investigation and vigilance, and the military Armed and Traffic Police (that unified the Security and Assault Corps and the Road Guard Corps) were born. In 1978, with the liberal democratic regime, the Superior Police Corps and the National Police Corps replaced General Police Corps and Armed Police Corps and ensured full access to women who wanted to enlist. Finally, in 1986, police was unified in the National Police Corps, a civilian police responsible for the defense of constitutional order, security, rights and freedoms of citizens. Organic Law of 13 March 1986, clearly divided police service in Spain between National Police, heir of Superior Police Corps and National Police, and the military Civil Guard. Today National Police duties are public order and public security, fight against organised crime and terrorism, in cooperation with Civil Guard and in the context of international police cooperation. It operates in provincial capitals and urban centers of some importance, while Civil Guard mainly operates in the rest of the national territory, in rural areas and in the territorial sea.

Law enforcement in Spain

National Police is a civil police force under control of Minister of Interior, put in in provincial capitals and in in important urban centers, also able to issue identity cards and passports. Civil Guard instead is an armed force under control of Ministry of Defense and Minister of Interior that mainly acts in the rest of the national territory, rural areas and territorial sea. According to the Organic Law of 1986, both police forces have the mission to protect the free exercise of rights and freedoms, granting cities security, defending democracy, following Council of Europe and United Nations General Assembly guidelines. In particular in article 3 it is stated the principle of reciprocal cooperation and organic coordination of the two corps that constantly need to intercommunicate. Chapter V instead directly refers to article 126 of Spanish Constitution, giving judicial police functions to National Police and Civil Guard, helped by Autonomous Police and Local Police forces as collaborators. Law enforcement is completed by autonomous police forces belonging to regional governments (like Mossos d’Esquadra, Ertzaintza and Policia Foral), that have public order duties in their territories and are under control of National Government.

Other police corps are:

National Police organization

In article 12 of Organic law are stated exclusive competences of National Police. It has to issue passports and documents, to control entrance and exit of citizens, foreigners and refugees in the national territory, to control respect of laws in matters of games, to fight crimes related to drug trafficking, to cooperate with international police forces and to control private security institutes.

National Police structure is composed by:

– The Additional Operational Directorate, responsible to coordinate, together with the General Directorate, order maintenance and city security, to supervise central units, to control results of operational programs and to organise human resources needs and digital transformation plans.

– “Comisarias Generales” for Information, for Judicial Police, for Citizen Security, for General immigration and borders and for Scientific Police.

– An Operations and Digital Transformation Division, responsible to organize police operational coordination, to put a digital transformation strategy, to coordinate the fight against cybercrime and to ensure police presence on aviation safety matter.

– An International Cooperation Division, created by Royal Decree number 400 of 17 February 2012, depending by Police General Director. It has to direct the cooperation, to assist police forces of other countries, to coordinate international and European Union working groups and to support police missions abroad.

– a General Subdirectorate of HR and training, a Personnel Division, a Training and improvement Division, an Economic and technical Division, a Documentation Division and a General Subdirectorate of the technical office.

Spanish National Police is organised on:

  • “Jefaturas Superiores”, in charge of coordinating police services of every Autonomous community.
  • “Comisarias Provinciales”, responsible of police units coordination in every Province of Spain.
  • “Comisarias Zonales”, used to coordinate more districts.
  • “Comisarias Locales” and “Comisarias de Distrito”, performing same functions at the lowest level.

Frontier points, immigration and documentation units and Police cooperation units, put in Police and Customs cooperation centers, guarantee police controls at borders.

Special units of National Police are:

  • Special Operations Group (G.E.O.), used to fight terrorism and major crimes. It was created in 1977 to fight against terrorism and organised crime. It is based in Guadalajara and it is used for high-risk operations, like hostage release, to neutralise terrorists and to protect high diplomats.
  • TEDAX NRBQ group, used to defuse explosives, to eliminate incendiary devices and NRBQ agents.
  • Technological Investigation Central Brigade (B.C.I.T.), to contrast at a national and international level cybercrimes, like hacker attacks, frauds and pornography-related crimes.
  • Drug Central Brigade (B.C.E.), to fight drug trafficking, either on national roads either through internet trades.
  • Central Unit for Family and Women Care, to protect women victims of physical, psychological or sexual violence from a person with them they have or had a relationship. This unit also deals with domestic violence matters and sexual violence cases.

Police intervention units, cavalry units, canine units, a mobile brigade, a subsoil and environmental protection unit, a prevention and reaction unit and private security units, provide cities security. Aerial units, units against immigration networks and documents forgery and the clandestine immigration response brigade complete the organization.

Italian State Police history

In 1814 King Victor Emmanuel I with Royal Patents created the Good Government Direction, with police, judicial and administrative tasks. The Direction was led by Governors and Military Commanders, was helped by Royal Carabineers and put under control of War and Navy Minister and since 1847 under Interior Minister and Police Direction. In 1848 King Charles Albert and Minister Pinelli created the Administration of Public Security, a civil administration led by a General Intendant. It was divided in provinces and mandates that operated through National Guard, Royal Carabineers and Veteran Carabineers in Genoa and Turin, Division capitals. Using the term public security, the King wanted to underline citizen democratic right of security. In 1852 the King created the military Public Security Guards Corps, helped by Carabineers, with much more personnel. The Corps had to keep public order and public security, controlling unemployed, homeless, prostitutes, players, criminals and fighting fire. In 1859 inspectors, delegates and applied replaced councillors.

In 1860 General Secretary of the Interior Spaventa put the rule of celibacy and residence in the barracks for police officers and in 1867 president of the Council Ricasoli suggested to enrol police officers in the lowest classes. With his circular, Ricasoli affirmed the role of Minister of Interior as sole police authority, with prefects, subprefects and quaestors as local authorities. In 1877 Horse Public Security Guards replaced Horse militia Corps in Sicily, close to mafia. Later Government put in Turin an education repository, transferred in 1876 in Rome and transformed in a school. In 1879 Minister of Interior Villa put as General Director Prefect Bolis and established requirement of degree for highest levels in police. He gave police officers the same wage of municipal guards, he put news of police on newspapers, he creates railways vigilance, auxiliary agents, fingerprinting service, he put statistics on crimes, and he increased the presence of Carabineers in small centers and of Police in cities. In 1889 Crispi, like Minghetti did before, propose to unify municipal and state police, but municipalities rejected the proposal, not to pay more expenses and not to have direct control of central state on their guards. Government created investigative plainclothes officers, police registry, and scientific investigation systems. In 1890 anyway the City Guards Corps was born, composed by public security foot guards, with law enforcement, public order, prevention and repression of crimes duties: municipalities could use those agents in case they needed them, paying the cost of the services used (in service in Rome only from 1897 to 1901). In 1902 coroner professor Ottolenghi applied scientific police lessons to Police functionaries of Rome, organising in 1903 a scientific Police School. In 1907 railways, posts, motorization and frontiers police specialities were born. Police was used for counter-espionage operations during First World War, while in 1919 plainclothes investigative agents were added to the organization. Public disorders led to the birth of the military Royal Guard Corps for public security, put under Minister of Interior, while City guards were definitively suppressed. In 1922 Mussolini cancelled Royal Guards and Investigative Agents, giving their duties to Carabineers and public order duties to Volunteer Militia for National security, loyal to fascism. Royal Guards opposed to this reform and pushed fascism to create a specialized role inside Carabineers that existed until 1925, when Mussolini created again the military Public Security Agents Corps, with special Corps in Rome and later in Naples and Palermo. In 1939 it was created the Colonial Police, the Italian Africa Police Corps, with members coming from Carabineers and African Ascari. In 1930’s Police was again organised as an Armed Force and used to fight in the battles in Balkans, while African Police fought in Africa. In 1943 Badoglio underlined that Police belonged to Italian Armed Forces, as a military corps, but under Minister of Interior. In 1944 police was named again Public security Guards Corps, a military corps but completely under control of Minister of Interior. It unified the personnel of Public security Agents Corps, Italian Africa Police Corps, Road Militia and Salo Republic police and it helped to Italian liberation from Nazis.

In 1945 Minister of Interior Romita accepted many partisans who fought for liberation inside Public Security Corps, but in 1946 De Gasperi and Scelba kept only 5.000 partisans of 20.000. Police became the defender of new democracy. Railway, Road, Frontier, Postal police were organised on territorial units and groups inside “Questure” and mobile units were set in big cities for public order duties and public rescue, with three rapid response Departments “Celeri” in Rome, Milan and Padua. In 1959 women joined police in Feminine Police, dealing with women protection and minors, while in 1968 Criminalpol and in 1969 “113” phone number for public rescue completed the organization. In 1974 Counter Terrorism General Inspectorate, Security Service, General Investigation and Special Operations Central Office with Security Central Operation Unit were added. In 198121 with law 121 Police was completely demilitarized and Public Security Guards Corps, Public Security Functionaries Corps and Feminine Police Corps were unified, under control of a Police Chief. With this reform, women got same right of access to police corps and to personnel the possibility to have a trade union representation. Today Minister of Interior is the main police authority, responsible of its operations, highly directing its actions, while the Police Chief has the technical and operational coordination of Italian police forces.

Law enforcement in Italy

Under the provision art. 16 of law 121/1981 State Police, together with Carabineers and Financial Guard, is part of law enforcement. Like them, it has the task of maintaining public order and public security, with functions of public rescue. These functions are under control of Minister of Interior, National Authority of public security. The Department of public security, part of the Administration of public security, following Minister of Interior orders, controls public security in the national territory and coordinates police forces, including Penitentiary police, controlled by Ministry of Justice. State police is a civil police force, while Carabineers and Financial Guard are military forces, the first under control of Ministry of Defence and the second under Ministry of Finance. State Police has the task to protect freedom and rights of citizens and to prevent and repress crimes. During Italian Republic history, political and institutional leaders attempted to separate territorial areas of competence of Police and Carabineers, putting the second in rural areas, like during fascist regime. The first was in 1954 Police Chief Carcaterra, followed by Ministers of Interior Napolitano (in 1998), Pisanu (in 2006) and Minniti (in 2017), but political resistances stopped this project27.

Other police forces are:

  • Provincial Police, a judicial police responsible in its territory in the field of hunting and fishery, environmental crimes repression and road control.
  • Local Police, a judicial police set in every Italian municipality and put under control of the Major. It is in charge of road control, administrative sanctions and urban security, in cooperation with National police forces.
  • Special police forces in Autonomous regions, like Forestry Corps in Sicily or Barracelli in Sardinia, responsible of countryside protection and firefighting.

State Police organization

State Police is organized mainly on territorial offices named “Questure”, responsible for police activities in every province of Italy, that have the direction of territorial offices named “Commissariati”. The Chief of every “Questura” is named “Questore”. Under provision of article 14 of law 121/1981, he is the technical authority of Public Security in every Italian province, in charge of coordinating public order and public security services. He can use operators of other Italian police forces and has to coordinate his work with that of “Prefetto”, the political-administrative authority in every province. Following Minister of Interior directives, using the advisory body Provincial Committee for Public Order and Security, every “Prefetto” redacts coordinated control plans with Questore,  Carabineers and Financial Guard Provincial Commanders and Provincial Capital Major.

State Police prevents and fights crimes and has administrative functions, like giving gun and residency permits or passports.

It is divided in the following logistics departments:

  • Police Force Coordination and Planning Office
  • Public Security Department Secretariat
  • Office for the General Administration of the Public Security Department,
  • Central Directorate for General Affairs
  • Central Inspection Office
  • Central Directorate for Human Resources
  • Central Directorate for Health Services
  • Central Directorate for Technical and Logistical Services
  • Property Management
  • Central Directorate for Accounting Services

Operational departments instead are:

  • Criminal Police Central Directorate, put to coordinate criminal police investigations and sharing information with foreign police forces.
  • International Police Cooperation Service, hosting Interpol, Europol and S.I.RE.N.E. Italian offices.
  • Criminal Analysis Service
  • Central Witness Protection Service
  • Central Anticrime Directorate, dealing with major and organized crime cases.
  • Central Operations Service
  • Territory Control Service
  • Forensic Science Police Service
  • Central Directorate for the Anti-Terrorism Police
  • Central Directorate for Antidrug services, managed together with Carabineers and Financial Guard.

The Central Directorate controls police specialities for Road Police, Railway Police, Postal and Communication Police. It also manages Special Units, like Mobile units, bomb disposal experts, snipers, NBCR experts, canine units, mounted police units, air service units and nautical squads.

The Central Directorate for Immigration and Border police, the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate and the Central Interagency Office for Personal Security complete the organization.

State Police patrols are composed by:

  • “volanti”, police cars equipped by two operators that constantly patrol Italian territory, preventing and fighting crimes. Every “Questura” coordinates them in its Province through a Telecommunications Operative Center; these cars intervene very quickly and their operators have every instrument necessary to carry out investigations on the suspicious subjects.
  • Road police that controls road mobility, ascertains traffic violations, detects road accidents, mainly on State roads, while it has exclusive competence on Italian highways.
  • Frontier police, controlled by the Central Direction for Immigration and Frontiers, instituted by the law Bossi-Fini of 30 July 2002, number 189, and organised on eight frontier police zones. These patrols have to fight illegal immigration and to check goods that transit trough national ports and airports, where they have again exclusive competence.
  • Railway police, responsible for maintaining the security of passengers and railroads, fighting crimes and intervening in case of emergency. It is composed by 15 compartments that employ 4400 police officers. It has exclusive competence for railways.
  • Mounted police, operating in national parks.
  • Units of the 21 Crime Prevention Departments, coordinated by State Police Anti-Crime Central Direction, used for extraordinary territorial control operations, to support important operations against organised crime and to carry out high impact operations in coordinated plans with other police forces.
Spanish and Italian Police cooperation.

In the context of the project “Safe tourism – Comisarias conjuntas”, coordinated by the Police International Cooperation Service of the Public Security Department, the two police forces patrol together the roads of cities in Italy and Spain, especially the ones in which is strong the presence of tourists from the other country. Patrolled cities these years were Rome, Florence, Madrid, Alicante, Ibiza, Pamplona, Santiago de Compostela, Tenerife, Granada, Murcia and Benidorm. Mixed patrols, led by General Prevention and Public Rescue Offices, are in charge of controlling touristic places, acting as a link between tourists and national and diplomatic institutions. The program is part of the European Police stations project, created in 2008 by Spain and France. Italy participates since 2013, sending Italian agents to Spain and receiving Spanish agents in Italy.

Foto: Polizia di Stato

Le opinioni espresse negli articoli del Belfablog sono quelle dei rispettivi autori e potrebbero non rispecchiare le posizioni del Centro Studi Machiavelli

Laura Lara Martínez

Laura Lara Martínez è una storica e scrittrice spagnola. Ha conseguito il dottorato presso l'Universidad Complutense de Madrid con il massimo dei voti. Laura Lara è stata docente di ricerca presso l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, CNRS, a Parigi, e professore Erasmus Plus in Bulgaria, Svezia, Italia, Portogallo, Polonia, Georgia... Laura è specializzata in Storia contemporanea. È borsista dell'Accademia della Televisione e ambasciatrice dell'esercito spagnolo.

 

María Lara Martínez

María Lara Martínez è una storica e scrittrice spagnola. Ha conseguito il dottorato presso l'Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha con il massimo dei voti. Associata e borsista presso la RCC Harvard University, María Lara ha lavorato presso la Widener Library e il Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. In precedenza, è stata docente di ricerca presso l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, CNRS, a Parigi. È borsista dell'Accademia della Televisione e ambasciatrice dell'esercito spagnolo.

 

Roberto Martino
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Ufficiale in congedo, è laureato in Scienze Politiche (Università di Genova) con Master in Risorse Umane ed Organizzazione (Università Guglielmo Marconi di Roma). Ha conseguito il Dottorato di ricerca in Studi dell’Unione Europea (Università UNED di Madrid) discutendo una tesi dottorale su “Il sistema militare dell’Unione Europea”.