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Local police. Members. By rank. Counties and Aran, and areas

Local police. Members. By rank. Counties and Aran, and areas Catalonia
Superintendent Major intendent Intendent Inspector Subinspector Sergeant Corporal Officer Total
2022 1 12 25 106 141 437 1,279 9,571 11,572
2021 1 13 30 108 146 413 1,276 9,180 11,167
2020 1 14 27 112 154 414 1,261 8,921 10,904
2019 1 15 23 108 146 400 1,249 8,761 10,703
2018 1 12 28 113 147 451 1,300 8,916 10,968
2017 1 13 27 109 146 444 1,296 8,814 10,850
2016 1 14 28 108 139 415 1,262 8,881 10,848
2015 1 12 30 107 138 416 1,258 8,926 10,888
Source:
2015-2021: Ministry of Home Affairs.
2022: Ministry of Home Affairs.
Note: From March 2014 onwards, eight municipalities in L'Anoia will change designation and will belong to El Penedès region of the Central Counties.

Last update: August 24, 2023.

Methodological note

Definition of concepts

Local police
Police force that forms part of a council under the higher management of a mayor and that is responsible for vigilance and control of urban traffic and compliance with municipal orders and regulations. Can only act in the territory of its own municipality, but for reasons of exceptional emergency may be called upon to serve in bordering municipalities. Their functions include protecting the authorities, buildings, facilities and dependencies of the local corporation; regulating urban traffic; acting as administrative police in municipal competences and environmental regulations; overseeing public security and order; acting as community police in neighbourhood coexistence and in local public services, and acting as judicial police.

Methodological aspects

The Spanish Constitution (article 148.1.22) and the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia (article 164) grant the Generalitat de Catalunya (Generalitat) powers for the planning and regulation of public order and the organization of local law-enforcement. This responsibility is developed by Law 16/1991 of local law-enforcement agencies of Catalonia.

This legal framework establishes that all settlements with over 10,000 inhabitants shall have the power, but not the obligation, to create a local police force. At present, all towns with this level of population have a local police force, as well as some with lower population through special authorization from the Ministy of Home Affairs.

The jurisdiction of the local police force is restricted to the area of their municipality. They may only act outside this area in emergencies or with prior authorization from the relevant authorities, and must report any such actions to the Ministry responsible for public order.

Each police force is separate and under the authority of the mayor or mayoress, although it takes its orders from the commanding officer, who is the officer of highest rank.

The model for territorial distribution of the police force of the Generalitat of Catalonia is extra-municipal, in county-wide forces subordinate to regional police authorities. This arrangement makes it possible to concentrate some services in the main towns of Catalonia and extend them to the rest of the country from there.

This distribution has resulted in a model of police forces that varies according to the municipality. Some municipalities have both local police forces and Generalitat police forces, while others have only local police or only those of the Generalitat, while others have no police station at all, with law enforcement provided by the Generalitat through the closest police station.

From 2010, the figures refer to actual members of the force, and not to potential numbers.

Unavailable information is represented using the symbol ":". When the value is lower than that of the minimum unit to be able to estimate the statistical operation or if it effects statistical confidentiality, the symbol used is "..".

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