Civil Guard (Spain) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Civil Guard (in Spanish, Guardia Civil) is Spain's oldest police force and one of its two main national police groups. It's a special kind of police force called a gendarmerie. This means it's part of the military but works as a police force for civilians. The Civil Guard is managed by both the Ministry of the Interior (for daily policing) and the Ministry of Defence (especially during wartime).

People in Spain often call the Civil Guard the benemérita, which means "the well-deserving" or "the reputable." Many Spaniards think highly of them, often ranking them as one of the most trusted national groups.

The Civil Guard works across Spain and also helps with peacekeeping missions in other countries. It's part of the European Gendarmerie Force, a group of similar police forces from different European countries. The Civil Guard was inspired by France's National Gendarmerie and shares many similarities.

Every day, the Civil Guard patrols and investigates crimes in rural areas, including highways and ports. Meanwhile, the National Police handles safety in cities. Most cities also have their own local police. All three forces work together under the Ministry of the Interior. Civil Guard officers often live in special buildings called casas cuartel, which are both homes for their families and fully equipped police stations.

History of the Civil Guard

How it Started

The Guardia Civil was created in 1844 by Queen Isabel II of Spain. It was founded by the 2nd Duke of Ahumada, who wanted to create a strong national police force. Before the Civil Guard, law enforcement was handled by local groups called the "Holy Brotherhood." This system often had problems and wasn't very effective, especially outside big towns. Criminals could easily escape justice by moving to a different area.

The first police academy for the Guardia opened in Valdemoro, near Madrid, in 1855. Graduates received the famous tricorne hat, which is still a symbol of the Civil Guard today.

First ever photograph of a Civil Guard officer, taken around 1855-1857 in Reinosa, Spain.

At first, the Guardia was mainly tasked with stopping brigandage, which means highway robbery. This was a big problem, especially in southern Spain, where many travelers and business people were robbed. The Guardia worked hard to bring safety to the roads.

The Civil Guard also had a role in keeping order in the countryside. They helped to make sure land ownership rules were followed and to calm down social unrest. The government wanted to prevent rebellions by unhappy farmers. The Guardia Civil was designed to be a mobile military force that could patrol large rural areas. To this day, Civil Guard officers usually patrol in pairs, called a pareja. One officer handles the situation while the other provides backup.

Column of Civil Guard officers during the 1934 Asturian Revolution, Brañosera.

The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)

During the Spanish Civil War, the Civil Guard was divided. About half of its members stayed loyal to the elected government, while the other half joined the rebel forces. The Civil Guard played an important role for both sides in city battles during the war.

The Civil Guard emblem during the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1939).

Serving in Colonies

The Civil Guard also had units in Spain's overseas territories. Before 1898, they served in places like the Philippines and Puerto Rico. They also had smaller units in other areas like Cuba and Spanish Guinea.

During Franco's Time (1939–1975) and a Coup Attempt in 1981

After the Civil War, during the time of Francisco Franco's rule (1939–1975), the Civil Guard became even stronger. Another police force, the Carabineros, joined them.

Because the Civil Guard often worked in rural and isolated areas, some people felt they were too strict or acted unfairly. The poet Federico García Lorca wrote poems that helped create this image of the Civil Guard as a tough police force at the time.

The Civil Guard was also involved in a political event in 1981. On February 23, 1981, a Civil Guard officer named Antonio Tejero led an attempted coup d'état. He and about 200 Civil Guard members briefly took over the Spanish Parliament. However, the coup failed after King Juan Carlos spoke on national television and condemned the attempt.

The Civil Guard Today

Today, the Guardia Civil has many important tasks in addition to its traditional duties. It is the largest police force in Spain in terms of the area it covers.

The Spanish Civil Guard patrol ship Rio Segura in Dakar, Senegal, during an exercise in 2014.

Here are some of their main responsibilities:

Enforcing laws across most of Spain, especially outside big cities.
Patrolling highways.
Protecting the King of Spain and the Royal Family.
Working as military police in overseas military missions.
Stopping smuggling.
Controlling customs and borders at ports and airports.
Ensuring safety at prisons and guarding prisoners.
Managing weapons licenses and controlling firearms.
Securing border areas.
Handling bombs and explosives (this unit is called TEDAX).
Performing high-risk and special operations (by the UEI unit).
Working as a coast guard.
Providing police services at Spanish embassies abroad.
Gathering intelligence and fighting terrorism (by the SIGC unit).
Operating a diving unit (GEAS).
Investigating cyber and internet crimes.
Conducting mountain search and rescue missions (by the GREIM unit).
Issuing hunting permits and enforcing environmental laws (by SEPRONA).

A Guardia Civil's CASA CN235 surveillance aircraft.

The Quick Reaction Force, Grupo de Acción Rápida, of the Civil Guard.

A Spanish Civil Guard Eurocopter EC-135P-2 carrying members of the Unidad Especial de Intervención (Special Intervention Unit).

Peacekeeping and Other Operations

The Guardia Civil has taken part in many peacekeeping missions supported by the United Nations. These missions have included places like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Angola, Congo, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Haiti, East Timor, and El Salvador. They also served with Spanish armed forces in Iraq, mainly as military police and gathering information.

In Afghanistan, the Civil Guard's rapid reaction team, the Grupo de Acción Rápida (GAR), was sent in 2002. They protected the European Union's High Representative until 2008. Other Civil Guard units, like the Traffic Group and the Customs and Revenue Service, also helped with peacekeeping in Afghanistan.

After 2009, the Civil Guard's mission in Afghanistan changed. They focused on training local security forces. Their counter-terrorism branch, the Unidad de Acción Rural (UAR), trained the Afghan National Police.

The Civil Guard also has a sister force in Costa Rica called the Guardia Civil. Officers from Costa Rica often train at the same academy as Spanish officers. During the Iraqi Civil War, the GAR unit was sent to Iraq to train and help Iraqi federal police fight against ISIS.

Special Features

Civil Guard officers usually patrol in pairs.
Officers often live in special garrisons, called casa-cuartel, with their families.
The symbol of the Guardia Civil includes the Royal Crown of Spain, a sword, and a bundle of rods (a fasces). Different units have their own versions of this symbol.
Their main sidearm (pistol) has changed over the years. They used the Star Model BM, then the Beretta 92, and now they use the Heckler & Koch USP.

Traditions

Monogram

Ship racing stripe

Hymn

The Civil Guard has its own hymn. It was first written between 1915 and 1916 as a school hymn. Later, in the 1920s, it was arranged and became the official song for the Young Guardsmen's College. Over time, it became the official hymn for the entire Civil Guard.

Motto

The motto of the Civil Guard is "Honor is my badge." This comes from a rulebook written by the Duke of Ahumada in 1845. The full saying is: "Honor is the main badge of the Civil Guard; it must, therefore, be kept spotless. Once lost, it is never recovered." This means honor is the most important thing for them.

Music Unit

The Civil Guard has its own Music Unit, which is like a military band. It has been around since the Civil Guard was created in 1844. They play music for ceremonies and events. In 2006, two music units were combined to form the current band. There is also a small mounted band that uses special trumpets and continues the traditions of the Civil Guard cavalry.

Tricorn Hat

The most recognizable part of the Civil Guard uniform is the tricorn hat. It's a three-cornered hat that is part of their formal and service uniforms. While they also use other hats like peaked caps and berets for daily duties, the tricorn is worn for special parades and when guarding public buildings. Officially, the Civil Guard calls it the "black hat."

Patron Saint

On February 8, 1913, Our Lady of the Pillar was officially declared the patron saint of the Civil Guard.

Uniforms

Spanish Civil Guard officers wearing the tricornio hat during National Day celebrations in Madrid.

The Civil Guard wears different uniforms depending on their duties.

The traditional tricornio hat is mostly used for ceremonies and when officers are on duty outside important buildings. For other tasks, they wear a cap or a beret.

The old blue, white, and red uniform of the Guardia is now only worn by a special Civil Guard Company in the Royal Guard and by parade markers at the Civil Guard Academy.

In 2011, a new, more modern working uniform was introduced. It includes a green baseball cap, a polo shirt, and cargo pants.

Uniforms of the Civil Guard

Patrol	Patrol Road waistcoat	Traffic Group Motorcyclist ATGC	Sailor Coverralls	Sailor Summer	USECIC	GAR	GRS Winter



GREIM Rescue	GEAS Diver	Camouflage Military Police	Service Dress Winter	Service Dress Summer	Full Dress	Evening Dress	Ceremonial Dress Historic

Ranks and Insignia

NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer
Spanish Civil Guard
Spanish Civil Guard					Teniente general		General de división		General de brigada		Coronel		Teniente coronel		Comandante		Capitán		Teniente			Alférez			Caballero Alférez Cadete						Alférez Alumno 3º		Alférez Alumno 2º		Alférez Alumno 1º

NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Spanish Civil Guard
Spanish Civil Guard	Suboficial mayor			Subteniente			Brigada		Sargento primero		Sargento						Cabo mayor						Cabo primero				Cabo		Guardia Civil de Primera (Rank in abeyance)						Guardia Civil

Organization and Specialities

A mountain rescue group (GREIM) from the Civil Guard during an avalanche rescue training.

The Civil Guard emblem from 1939–1977.

The Civil Guard has many different specialized units for various tasks:

UAR (Unidad de Acción Rural) – The rural service branch.
Seguridad Ciudadana – The Public Order and Prevention service, which is the largest part of the Civil Guard.
GEAS (Grupo Especial de Actividades Subacuáticas) – Divers who work underwater.
GRS (Grupo de Reserva y Seguridad) – The Security Group, involved in riot control and includes the Civil Guard Cavalry Squadron.
SEMAR (Servicio Marítimo) – The Civil Guard's Naval Service, which patrols the coast and inspects fisheries.
SEPRONA (Servicio de Protección de la Naturaleza) – The Nature Protection Service, which protects the environment.
SAER (Servicio Aéreo) – The Civil Guard Air Service, using aircraft.
Servicio Cinológico – The K-9 Unit, which uses dogs to detect explosives and find people.
GREIM (Grupos de Rescate e Intervención en Montaña / Servicio de Montaña) – Mountain and Speleology Rescue teams.
Jefatura Fiscal y de Fronteras – The Customs and Revenue Service.
SIGC (Servicio de Informacion de la Guardia Civil) – The Intelligence Service.
TEDAX (Técnicos Especialistas en Desactivación de Artefactos Explosivos) – Specialists in defusing explosive devices.
Agrupación de Tráfico – The Traffic Group, which patrols highways and main roads.
GAR (Grupo de Acción Rápida) – The Rapid Reaction Group, a special anti-terrorist unit that works in Spain and on some foreign missions.
UCO (Unidad Central Operativa) – The Central Operative Unit, which handles complex or nationwide investigations.
UEI (Unidad Especial de Intervención) – The Special Intervention Unit.
ODAIFI (Oficinas de Análisis e Investigación Fiscal) – Units that investigate crimes related to smuggling, like illegal money or stolen goods, at entry points to Spain.
USESIC (Las Unidades de Seguridad Ciudadana de la Comandancia) – Elite citizen security units attached to some regional headquarters.

Requirements to Join

To join the Civil Guard, you need to meet certain requirements:

Be a Spanish citizen.
Have good or native Spanish language skills.
Be at least 16 years old to be a cadet, and between 18 and 31 years old for adult service.
Be taller than 1.65 meters (about 5 feet 5 inches) for men and 1.55 meters (about 5 feet 1 inch) for women.
Have completed Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO).
Be in good general health and have no chronic illnesses.
Be able to swim.

Equipment

Firearms

EMTAN Ramon 9x19mm (new standard sidearm)
Heckler & Koch USP Compact 9×19mm
Beretta 92 9×19mm (being replaced)
Heckler & Koch MP5 9×19mm
EMTAN MZ-4P 5.56×45mm
Heckler & Koch G36 5.56×45mm
Heckler & Koch HK33 5.56×45mm
SIG Sauer MCX Rattler .300 AAC Blackout
CETME rifle 7.62×51mm
SIG SG 553

Aircraft

CASA CN 235
INDRA P2006T

Helicopters

MBB BÖ-105
MBB/Kawasaki BK-117
Airbus H-135
Airbus H-365 Dauphin II