Badge worn by the National Police

This photograph from the 16 December 1931 issue of the Policía Española magazine shows the badge carried by police inspectors after the proclamation of the Second Republic. The iconography, which includes the national shield surrounded by a band with the three colours of the new national flag, makes clear the Azaña government’s goal of making the police a Republican institution.

The Republic retained the hybrid system used during the monarchy. This was based on two pillars: a military one consisting of two armed agencies, and a civilian one represented by the Government Police.  Beneath them were a number of regional or provincial forces such as the Mossos d’Esquadra in Catalonia, and other auxiliary forces responsible to municipal governments or private entities: municipal police, security guards, and watchmen among others.

The first of these armed agencies was the Civil Guard, created in 1844. It was responsible to both the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of War. It worked in the countryside and was charged with keeping an eye on the villages and roads and maintaining order. It was governed by the Code of Military Justice and most of its officers came from the army. The Civil Guards lived with their families in barracks spread across the country, allowing the state to reach deep into the countryside. 

The second armed agency was the Border Guards, which had been created in 1829. Like the Civil Guard, it was subject to military discipline and was responsible to two ministries, in its case the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Finance. The mandate of its agents, who were posted on the borders and along the coasts, was to oversee the collection of import duties, fight smuggling, and control the movement of people across the border.

The civilian force, the Government Police, operated in large cities and provincial capitals. It consisted of two forces. The Surveillance Corps was a civilian police force charged with preventing and investigating crimes. It had a number of specialized branches, including the Criminal and Social Investigation Brigades and the Criminal Identification Service. There was also a uniformed branch called the Security Corps charged with patrolling and preserving public order in the street. It was also a civilian force but was subject to military discipline and obedience to orders and was commanded by officers who came from the military. The wide range of its responsibilities led to the creation, in 1932, of the Assault Guard, the first national anti-riot unit in Spain.

SVM