Directorate General for Security Administration – Ministry of Home Affairs
It corresponds to the Generalitat de Catalunya or the Government of Catalonia, the planning and regulation of the public security system for Catalonia. In this regard, the Government of Catalonia has the supreme command over its police, Mossos d’Esquadra, and coordinates, plans and regulates the activities of the local police forces. The security system of Catalonia comprises of the security authorities, the police forces, other public or private security services and the coordination and participation bodies in matters of security.
The Police of the Government of Catalonia –Mossos d’Esquadra and the police forces of the city councils represent the police of the institutions of Catalonia. The police forces of the city councils are in a position to contribute, according to their organizational and functional capacities, to the general purposes of the security and police system of Catalonia, but unlike the Police of the Government of Catalonia –Mossos d’Esquadra, the local police operationally obeys their respective city councils and depend on their municipalities.
For this reason, the Government of Catalonia, through its Ministry of Home Affairs (Departament d’Interior), and city councils, must promote, through the joint bodies, the operational planning of their security services and the efficient allocation and the joint exploitation of the resources, the integration of police information systems and the homogenization of organizational and operational standards.
The Directorate – General for Security Administration is an organ of the Ministry of Home Affairs and has the responsibility, inter alia, of the effective coordination of local police. To do this, its functions and actions are aimed at determining the means and systems of interaction and relationship that enable the action of the various police forces, through the competent authorities and the various bodies of participation and coordination (the Police Commission of Catalonia, the local security boards, the operative coordination boards, etc.), ensuring the integration and coordination of all the actors involved in the public security system of Catalonia.
Local police force, taking into account their competencies, can perform traffic and administrative police duties, coexistence maintenance, cooperation in the resolution of private conflicts, the protection of authorities and institutional buildings, avoid commission of crimes, citizen security, investigations within its competencies, support and collaboration with other police forces and emergency services, public assistance and reception of citizens. In this regard, it should be noted that assistance is also included in case of accident, catastrophe or public calamity, and participate, in the manner provided for by law, in the execution of civil protection plans.
The proximity of this local police creates a link between the society and police agencies and provides valuable knowledge and experiences in the different scenarios in which they have participated. These characteristics of local police undoubtedly give a different perspective and vision for the management of crisis and emergency situations.
_________________ ¹Also referred to as city council police force, urban guard local police, city police or municipal police