By Marco Aurelio


Are you travelling to Spain in the future? Then you may be wondering how the Spanish police operates and who do you have to talk to if you happen to get lost or need to report a crime. Here is a list of main things you ought to know about the Spanish police before getting to Spain:

1) There are 4 types of police in Spain:

- Policia Local: their outfit differs from town to town, although in most cases they wear black or blue clothes with pale blue shirt and a blue cap (or white helmet) which has a plaid white-and-blue strip wear. In some cases they as well wear a black or dark blue layer with yellow reflective both in the front and the back. This kind of police maintains order and rules the traffic inside the cities. They will also help you if you get lost and need directions.

- Policia Nacional: they use navy clothing and a dark blue cap. Different from the Policia Local, they don't have a checkered flag around their cap/helmet. Inside cities, all offenses and crimes ought to be reported to them, although all the other police bodies will be pleased to help too if you require to inform of an offense.

- Guardia Civil: they wear plain green navy-like clothes and green caps. This type of police keeps the order outside cities, in the country, and regulates traffic in the roads connecting cities.

- Some Spanish territories also have their own regional police corp. Some example cases are the Policia Foral in Navarre, the Ertzaintza in the Basque Country or the Mossos d'Esquadra in Catalonia. These groups have basically the same competences as the Policia Nacional in their own territories.

2) The Spanish police duties not only involve police activities. They also the issuing of identity documents like ID cards and passports, and the control over receipts and outgoings of foreign people and Spaniards. If you ever need a Spanish ID, you will likely have to check out the local police station.

3) Every one of the Spanish cops are "funcionarios", that is, public workers who work for the authorities of Spain or for the government of their region. To become law enforcement officials, they had to undergo an extremely competitive selection process which involves a multiple-choice examination, a physical examination, an aptitude examination, a medical examination and an interview. After that, they received top notch training in Avila's police academy for six months, where they learned about Spanish law, crime analysis and received firearms and self-defense training.

Okay, I hope you now have a better notion of what the Spanish police organization is like. Enjoy your time in such a beautiful nation and don't forget to phone 911 from your telephone if you have an emergency or are in serious trouble.




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