Guardia Civil (Spain)
| Civil Guard Guardia Civil |
|
|---|---|
Badge of the Guardia Civil
|
|
| Active | May 13, 1844 |
| Country |
 Spain
|
| Type | Gendarmerie |
| Role |
|
| Size | 92,692 officers |
| Part of | Government of Spain (Spanish Constitution of 1978) |
| Garrison/HQ | Calle de Guzmán el Bueno, 110, 28003 Madrid, Spain |
| Patron | Our Lady of the Pillar |
| Motto(s) |
El honor es mi divisa (Honour is my badge) |
| Anniversaries | October 12 |
| Barracks | 2,691 |
| Decorations | Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand |
| Website | guardiacivil.es |
| Commanders | |
| Minister of the Interior | Jorge Fernández Díaz |
| Director-General | Arsenio Fernández de Mesa |
| Deputy Director of Operations | Lt. Gen. Cándido Cardiel Ojer |
| Notable commanders |
Colonel Francisco Javier Girón, for being the founder Lt. Col. Antonio Tejero., for attempted coup d'état |
| Insignia | |
| Abbreviation | GC |
| Monogram | .svg) |
| Ship racing stripe |  |
The Guardia Civil (English: "Civil Guard"; [ˈɡwarðja θiˈβil]) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain. It is organised as a military force charged with police duties under the authority of both the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence. The corps is colloquially known as the (reputable). In annual surveys, it generally ranks as the national institution most valued by Spaniards, closely followed by other law enforcement agencies and the military. It has both a regular national role and undertakes specific foreign peace-keeping missions. As a national police force, the Guardia Civil is comparable today to the French Gendarmerie, the Italian Carabinieri, the Portuguese National Republican Guard and the Dutch Royal Marechaussee as it is part of the European Gendarmerie.
As part of its daily duties, the Guardia Civil patrols rural areas (including highways and ports) and investigates crimes there, whilst the Policía Nacional deals with safety at urban situations. Most cities also have a Policia Municipal. The three forces are nationally coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior. The Guardia Civil is usually stationed at casas cuartel, which are both minor residential garrisons and fully equipped police stations.
The Guardia Civil was founded as a national police force in 1844 during the reign of Queen Isabel II of Spain by the Navarrese aristocrat Francisco Javier Girón y Ezpeleta, 2nd and 5th , an 11th generation descendant of Mexica emperor Moctezuma II. Formerly, law enforcement had been the responsibility of the "Holy Brotherhood", an organization of municipal leagues. Corruption was pervasive in the Brotherhood, where officials were constantly subject to local political influence, and the system was largely ineffective outside the major towns and cities. Criminals could often escape justice by simply moving from one district to another. The first Guardia police academy was established in the town of Valdemoro, south of Madrid, in 1855. Graduates were given the Guardia's now famous tricorne or Cavaliers hat as part of their duty dress uniform.
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Wikipedia