Judicial Police of Spain

Distinctives of the Judicial Police (Spain)

Shield of the Civil Guard Judicial Police

National Police Judicial Police Shield

According to article 126 of the Spanish Constitution, the Judicial Police of Spain reports to the judges, the courts and the Public Prosecutor in their functions of investigating crimes and discovery and insurance of the delinquent, in the terms that the law establishes (generally, the Law of Criminal Procedure).

Both the Civil Guard and the National Police have judicial police organic units in their structures, as well as units attached to courts and tribunals. The regional police forces that have powers to do so also have these organic units within their structures.

On the other hand, and although the Organic Law 2/86 of March 13 on security forces and bodies grants judicial police matters to state bodies (Civil Guard and National Police) as exclusive competence, in the In recent years, some local police forces have also performed judicial police functions, adapting their function to social needs and the new territorial and political structure of Spain. In the last decade, the assumption of powers of the autonomous communities, in terms of training and material resources of the local Police, has meant that many of these police forces deal directly with Judges and Prosecutors, in application of current legislation, and have units attached to those authorities.

Likewise, the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency performs judicial police tasks by virtue of the provisions of the Organic Law for the Suppression of Smuggling; according to which in the investigation, persecution and repression of contraband crimes, it will act in coordination and collaboration with all the State Security Forces and Bodies.

In this sense; according to the current Law of Criminal Procedure (art. 283) and Forest Law (art. 6q); the Bodies of Forest and/or Environmental Agents, regardless of the Public Administration to which they belong (state, regional or local) and within the scope of their environmental powers, are Judicial Police in a generic sense, acting as an auxiliary to judges, courts and the Public Prosecutor's Office, and in coordination with the Security Forces and Corps, with respect to the powers of its regulatory organic legislation.