The bicentennial of the National Police begins its celebratory acts placing its origin in the Royal Decree of January 13, 1824. This document created the General Police Superintendency of the Kingdom the period of repressive absolutism had just begun behind the sarcastic betrayal of Ferdinand VII: “Let’s march frankly, and I am the first, along the constitutional path.”
During those years, the liberals were arrested, imprisoned, tortured and assassinated. Diego Munoz-Torrero, president of the Cortes of Cádiz and rector of the University of Salamanca, suffered these penalties and saw his ideals cut short. That historical moment could not have been more gloomy, so we should remember it before claiming a different present and a promising future.
The public order of constitutional Spain was marked by militarism until the last quarter of the 20th century. From the Constitution of 1978, the Spanish Police democratizes and directs its work to the protection of the rights and freedoms of people. Its performance in these decades of democracy has been outstanding and has transformed the social perception of the uniformed into a positive one, as befits a rule of law.
Highlighting this positive public image of the women and men of the security forces and bodies is an irreproachable patriotic duty. The Civil Guard also deserves the same recognition, since its troops contribute in complementary work of respect for the law, the first base of coexistence and trust in the institutions.
A look to the future
How to turn an anniversary into an opportunity to project the next exemplary decades of the Police in Spain? The occasion is perfect for reflecting on and discussing the future of policing. These discussions have been raised for years in the most advanced democracies (United States or England, for example), with proposals worth considering.
The growing trend to the use of artificial intelligence algorithms and applications on the predictive policing it is a matter of great importance. In addition to the necessary guarantees of rights and freedoms against their biases, it should be noted that the most important thing for a good service to the public are people, not machines, so the loss of human judgment could have very negative effects on the mission. police constitution.
International experts have pointed out the convenience of prioritizing an approach that cares for the people, instead of the abstract and impersonal police of new technologies. The most profitable investment is the training of those who patrol and carry out protection work at street level, with appropriate salaries. The success of the creation of the Police University Center by the Ministry of the Interior offers an excellent academic lever to advance in this line.
We could also look more at what other countries are doing, going back to the humanist component of the public police service, to its authentic meaning in a social and democratic State of law. The Police that we want is not that of Fernando VII, nor that of Primo de Rivera, nor that of Franco. It is necessary to progress and not go back to the darkness of the past.
Two Spanish historians have devoted separate essays to the management of the past and commemorations: Javier Moreno Luzón with his centennial mania and José Álvarez Junco with What to do with a dirty past. Shared memory management influences our own contemporary understanding, allows us to point out rights and wrongs, while helping us to put each person and decision in its context of shadows and lights.
Ricardo Rivero Ortega, Rector of the University of Salamanca. Professor of Administrative Law, University of Salamanca
This article was originally published on The Conversation. read the original.
