Police in 19th Century Spain: From Republic to Restoration

Posted on Nov 4, 2024 in Law & Jurisprudence

Police Projects in the First Spanish Republic

  • With the abdication of Amadeus I of Savoy, the First Republic was established in February 1873. On October 22, a decree organized police enforcement and justice throughout the Republic’s territory.
  • This police project attempted a two-section division: Surveillance and Security. Budget constraints, due to the Third Carlist War, hampered its implementation.
  • The design aimed for a police force under governmental authority with nationwide responsibilities, representing a serious attempt at establishing a Judicial Police.
  • The Republicans modeled the force after the National Militia, creating the “Volunteer Corps of the Republic” as an alternative to the army.
  • This initiative failed due to high levels of politicization. The government was forced to rely on the regular army, which held real power.

Police in the Restored Monarchy of Alfonso XII

  • Following the Republic’s collapse, Cánovas del Castillo, as Minister of the Regency, prepared the restoration of the monarchy under Alfonso XII, King of Spain (appointed January 14, 1875).
  • A new constitution legitimized the parliamentary monarchy, establishing a partnership between the Cortes and the King, granting the latter veto power. Administrative centralization began.
  • The Restoration’s two main parties were Cánovas’s Conservatives (supported by the bourgeoisie, landowners, and middle classes, the “people of order”) and Sagasta’s Liberals (based on the bourgeoisie, traders, and businessmen).
  • The Restoration period saw a lack of a unified policing model. The provincial model from Isabella II’s reign gradually evolved towards a centralized, partly militarized National Police.
  • The Surveillance and Security Corps was created by Royal Decree on November 6, 1877.
  • Its Regulations were issued on October 18, 1887, establishing it as an independent body.


  • The Surveillance and Security Corps represented both continuity and a break from tradition. Continuity stemmed from adopting elements of the First Republic’s failed judicial police project. The break was due to budget issues and the initial limitation of operations to Madrid (expanding nationwide for Surveillance only a decade later).
  • The Surveillance Corps’ function was to identify potential criminals to prevent crime and assist in judicial investigations and arrests.
  • The Security Corps maintained public order, controlled public gatherings and performances, and protected citizens and their property.
  • The Surveillance Corps was conceived as a judicial police force focused on investigation, while the Security Corps was a public order force.
  • The 1887 Regulations defined relations between the two. Article 25 stated that the Security Corps should assist Surveillance officers, recognizing their shared goals and the need for harmonious action.
  • This period marked the beginning of specialization within the Security Forces.
  • The independence of the two bodies necessitated a coordinating body within the Ministry of the Interior: the General Directorate of Security.
  • Established by Royal Decree on October 26, 1886, and modified by Royal Decree on October 18, 1887, its main innovations included:
  • The creation (and subsequent abolition) of the General Security Directorate.
  • The creation of Inspector Generals.
  • The expansion of powers granted to civil governors.
  • The rise of anarchism and social unrest influenced police specialization (leading to the creation of a Judicial Police in 1896 to combat anarchist terrorism).
  • Early specialization included passenger control and the suppression of political crime (anarchism).
  • Passenger control involved inspectors and agents in stations and ports.
  • To combat anarchist terrorism (beginning with harsh laws in 1894 against attacks using explosives), specialized sections were created in Madrid and Barcelona (the latter being more developed).