The Superior Police Corps (, CSP) was a

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

force of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

created during the

Spanish transition to democracy The Spanish transition to democracy, known in Spain as (; ) or (), is a period of History of Spain, modern Spanish history encompassing the regime change that moved from the Francoist dictatorship to the consolidation of a parliamentary system ...

and predecessor of the present-day

National Police Corps The National Police Corps (, CNP; ; also known simply as the National Police, ) is the national civilian police, police force of Spain. The CNP is mainly responsible for policing urban areas, whilst rural policing is generally the responsibil ...

. It was also known colloquially as "the Secret Police" or simply "the Secret". They came to be called contemptuously (especially within the police circles) "the badges", by the way they identified themselves by showing their

badge A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fir ...

History

The origins of CSP are in the

General Police Corps The General Police Corps (, CGP) was a law enforcement force of Spain established by the Francoist Spain, Francoist regime in 1941 to conduct criminal investigation and enforce political repression. They should not be confused with the Armed Polic ...

(CGP) of the

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

, which on 4 December 1978 was renamed as "Superior Police Corps". The CSP inherited much of the staff from the old CGP, and also maintained its structure with slight modifications. Organically it depended on the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

, although directly it did it through the Directorate-General of Security (DGS). In the middle of 1980s the CSP was affected by the existence of a mafia network (known as the "police mafia") composed of several policemen who acted outside the law and in collusion with criminals to the organization of robberies to jewelry stores; Later, the corrupt policemen took over the stolen property and sold it illegally. This corrupt network was discovered following the statements to the justice of a jeweler, Federico Venero, which would lead to the dismantling of the network and the prosecution of those involved. This plot was also related to the disappearance of (alias "Nani"), a common criminal who disappeared without a trace after being arrested by the policemen involved in the organization of robberies. His disappearance ended up becoming a media scandal. The CSP also suffered from significant organizational deficiencies, disorganization and the need for internal modernization, which impeded optimal performance in its functions. This forced the first government of

Felipe González Felipe González Márquez (; born 5 March 1942) is a retired Spanish politician who was Prime Minister of Spain from 1982 to 1996 and leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party from 1974 to 1997. He is the longest-serving democratically- ...

to undertook an internal reorganization of the police to improve its functioning. The Superior Police Corps was dissolved on 13 March 1986 with the enactment of Organic Law of Security Forces and Corps, which created the

(CNP), on the basis of the former police forces in existence then in Spain, the SPC and the NPC, which were fused into one. Francisco Alonso Pérez (2004);
Manual del policía
', La Ley-Actualidad, p. 85

Rank insignia

Although the CSP was a civilian institution, its members could wear uniforms with the rank of their category for official events.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Superior Police Corps Defunct law enforcement agencies of Spain 1978 establishments in Spain 1986 disestablishments in Spain

History

Rank insignia

See also

References