Cuerpo Nacional de Policía (Spain)

Infobox Police
name= Cuerpo Nacional de Policía
bgcolor= 87CEFA
fgcolor= 000000
country= Spain
type= Police
start= 1824
motto= "Ley y Orden" ("Law & Order")
title= Director General
head= Francisco Javier Velázquez López
HQ= Madrid
coa=|150px
web= http://www.policia.es

The "Cuerpo Nacional de Policía", ( _en. National Police Corps) is the national civilian police force of Spain. The CNP is mainly resonsible for policing urban areas, whilst countryside policing is generally the responsibility of the Guardia Civil, the Spanish gendarmerie. The CNP is under the authority of Spain's Ministry of the Interior. They mostly handle criminal, judicial, terrorism and immigration matters. However, the CNP has limited competency in the Basque Country and Catalonia, where the autonomous Ertzaintza and Mossos d'Esquadra handle most matters.

Duties

Duties are regulated by the "Organic Law 2/1986‎".
# The issuing of identity documents - ID cards and passports.
# To control receipts and outgoings of the foreign people and Spaniards.
# Immigration law, refuge and asylum, extradition and expulsion.
# Gaming enforcement
# Drug enforcement
# Collaborattion with Interpol and Europol.
# Control of private security companies
# General law enforcement

Ranks

uperior Scale

* Comisario Principal - Chief Superintendent
* Comisario - Superintendent

Executive Scale

* Inspector Jefe - Chief Inspector
* Inspector

Deputy Inspector Scale

* Subinspector - Sergeant

Basic Scale

* Official - Corporal
* Agente - Constable

Access and training

Requirements

* Born or naturalized Spanish
* Between 18 and 30 years old
* At least 1.65 meters tall (for men), and 1.60 metres for women
* Not to have been a convicted of fraud or dismissed by the state, autonomous or local governments, or prevented from holding public functions.
* Hold a driving licence of the class specified by the government.

Basic Scale:

* Have or to be in conditions to obtain the Certificate in Secondary Education or equivalent level. (Baccalaureate will be necessary in some years).

Executive Scale:

* Have a Technical Engineer, Technical Architect, Qualified University student or equivalent or top formation degree.

Competitive examination

The applicant can choose between a Basic Scale career or an Executive Scale career. Applicants must pass the following basic tests before starting the academy:

* Physical test
* Multiple-choice exam
* Aptitude test
* Volunteer language test (English or French)
* Medical examination
* Interview

Training Academy

If the applicant has been chosen, they will receive professional training in Ávila's Police Academy for six months. Whilst trainees reside at the Academy, they learn about Spanish law, receive firearms and self-defense training, conduct practical application exercises, learn the basics of the English language and under go training in crime investigation. After that, the applicant will have the "aula práctica", that mixes theoretical knowledges with practical situations for three months. Finally, the pupil will receive a policing practice, in which there will be varous common situations that will form him as an agent.

pecial units

There are numerous special units:
*GEO ("Grupo Especial de Operaciones") - Special operations tactical unit.
*GOES ("Grupos Operativos Especiales de Seguridad") - Similar to GEO.
*SCDE-NRBQ ("Servicio Central de Desactivación de Explosivos y Nuclear, Radiológico, Bacteriológico y Químico") - Explosive artifacts defuser and NBC specialised team.
*UIP ("Unidad de Intervención Policial") - Anti-riot unit.
*UDYCO ("Unidad de Drogas Y Crimen Organizado") - Drugs and organised crime investigation squad.
*UDEV ("Unidad de Delincuencia Especializada y Violenta") - Investigation and pursuit several kinds of crimes related to artistic and cultural heritage, families.
*BIT ("Brigada de Investigación Tecnológica") - Computing crimes investigation.
*UCDEF ("Unidad Central de Delincuencia Económica y Fiscal") - Monetary crimes.
*Guías Caninos. Mixes human-dog unit. Drug, explosives and people detection.

Nicknames

An earlier uniform was brown, leading to the nickname "la madera"/"los maderos" ("the wood"/"the logs"). They are also called "la pasma". Among supporters of the violent Basque terrorist organization ETA, Policía Nacional is loathed as "txakurrak" (Euskara for "the dogs").

External links

* [http://www.policia.es Official web site]
* [http://www.foropolicia.es/foros/ Spanish police forces forum] The most complete forum about different spanish police forces.