POLICE

The main forces are the local municipal police (policía municipal/local), the national police (policía nacional) and the civil guard (guardia civil).

Some autonomous provinces have their own police forces like Basque Country (Ertzalintza – La Policía de Euscadi) and Cataluña (Mossos d’Esquadra).

Spain has also an elite special operations group (GEO – Grupo Especial de Operaciones) responsible for combating terrorism and dealing with other extreme situations, in addition to guarding Spanish ambassadors and embassies abroad.

MUNICIPAL POLICE – Policía Municipal/Local
The municipal police are attached to local town halls in towns with a population of over 5,000. They wear blue uniforms with white-chequered bands on their hats and sleeves, and usually patrol in white or blue cars. They deal with minor crime, traffic control, protection of property, civil disturbances. In resort areas, the local police often speaks English.

NATIONAL POLICE – Policía Nacional
National Police are stationed in towns with a population of over 20,000 and deal with serious crime such as homicide, theft, rape, muggings etc. They are housed in a police station (comisaría de policía) and many of them have a foreigners department (extranjeros) dealing with matters such as residence permits.

CIVIL GUARD - Guardia Civil
The civil guard patrol Spain’s highways and rural areas, often on motorcycles (always in pairs) and deal with road accidents. They also act as immigration officers and frontier guards.

Guardia Civil                062
Policía Local                 092
Policía Nacional            091
Protección Civil            112