Municipal police (Spain)
In Spanish towns and cities, the Policia Municipal (Municipal Police), also known as the Policia Local or Guardia Urbana, is a police force organized at the municipal level.[1] As of 2024, Spain has more than 75,000 local police officers distributed among all the autonomous communities.[2] Municipal police officers are armed.[3]
Municipal police are authorized in every town and city of 5,000 or more people. The Policía Municipal de Madrid is the largest force[citation needed] and the Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona the second largest. In towns and villages that are too small to organize a municipal force, the function is performed by the Guardia Civil or by the Autonomous Community force.[citation needed] The municipal police have complete powers[citation needed] regarding citizen security and use of force; they work together in all types of operations with the national police and civil guard.
Local police in Spain
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In Spain there are the following local police bodies, whose names depend on the institutional tradition of each place:
- Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona
- Policía Municipal de Madrid
- Policía Local Málaga
- Udaltzaingoa en País Vasco
- Policía Municipal de Pamplona
- Policía Local de Albacete
- Policía Local de Santander
- Policía Local de Murcia
- Policía Municipal de Valladolid
- Policía Local de Gijón
Forces also exist in other municipalities. According to the provisions of Royal Legislative Decree 781/1986, of April 18, which approves the Consolidated Text of the current legal provisions regarding the Local Regime, the fourth transitional provision states, "The Local Police will only exist in municipalities with a population greater than 5,000 inhabitants, unless the Ministry of Territorial Administration authorizes its creation in those with a lower census."
See also
[edit]References
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Country Studies. Federal Research Division.
- ^ Newton, M. T. (1997), Institutions of Modern Spain, Cambridge University Press, p. 149
- ^ "Mapa de la policía en España por comunidades autónomas". 17 January 2015.
- ^ http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field%28DOCID+es0178%29 [dead link]
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