Police Forces

14-05-2024

2024 marks the 200th anniversary of the Spanish “Policia Nacional”, and 25th years of Europol – #policeforces celebrates the establishment of police forces, which have the duty of enforcing the law on a day-to-day basis. A look at how police forces operate throughout history can tell us a lot of the type of governance, and relationship between governments and citizens, in a determined area. This means, basically, that police forces are like archivists!

The first predecessor of the Spanish “Policia Nacional” developed in 1824, with the creation, under the reign of Ferdinand VII, of the General Police of the Kingdom, by Royal Decree of the 13th January. However, several attemps had taken place in the 18th and early 19th century. For example, in 1813, the court tried to set up a police force, constituted by the informers working for the Supreme Central Board; this report explains why this operation failed.

The official regulation of the Madrid police forces (Reglamento de policía de Madrid) was published on the 20th February 1824, created by the Duchy of Osuna (Ducado de Osuna)

Over the following years, its functions and prerogatives were further defined. This is the document that regulates whether employees in the police branch, before proceeding to the arrest of someone, must inform the relevant Intendancy and judges of the towns.

And this regulates when and how police officers can use short and bladed weapons (even the outlawed ones) in the performance of their duties:

By the mid-19th century, the police force was well established, even if its organisation was modified, and its members were civil servants. This is the retirement file for Police Commissioner Antonio Rodriguez, in 1855:

Meanwhile, the revolutions of 1848 were being kicked-off in Europe, causing periodical strong unrest throughout the 19th century. The police played a fundamental role in the Springtimes of the Peoples, repressing them or carrying them forward, depending on the situation. In these documents from the 25 February 1848 and 22nd March 1848 the police prefecture was giving to revolutionary Constantin Pecqueur, an economist and socialist politician, the role of Commissioner, during the unrest that brought to the collapse of the monarchy in July 1848.

A few decades later, in 1886, one of the most prominent members of the Third International, César De Paepe, was called to present at the prefecture of Saint-Gilles, in Belgium, only a few years before he died of consumption

Interestingly, both the papers of Constantin Pecqueur and those of César De Paepe, together with those of thousands of other European socialist, anarchists, and progressive thinkers of the past two centuries, are now held at the Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis, one of our content providers, and one of the largest archives of labor and social history in the world.

Connected to the political upheaval of the time, freer satirical newspapers started to circulate. Here is a copy of “La Police illustrée” from March 1883, a satirical and political newspaper from the times held at the Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis, as part of the papers owned by communard and anarchist Louis Michel.

One last document from the Commune, from the personal collection of novelist Lucien Descaves, held at the Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis: a letter from E. Méjeau, probably a police officer in the police department of the Necker department in Paris.

The 20h century was the century that saw some of the most horrible times in human history, but also the conquest of many civil rights, which police forces went from sanctioning to uphold. These documents from 1917 show the extent to which British suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst was surveilled by the police. The first is a report in which a detective informs on the latest moves by her and her comrades; the second is a letter to the National Labour Press informing them that the police has the right to enter the premises and seize all copies of the “Workers' Dreadnought”, Pankhurst’s socialist and internationalist newspaper. You can find the complete reports here

Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis, Documents regarding Sylvia Pankhurst's surveillance, 1917

Here a few pics from Lithuania in the interwar period: A border policeman Pranas Venckus playing cards with a friend. Laižuva, Mažeikiai district, Lithuania, 1922 (PIC 08_03); a military police academy sergeant in the shooting range (PIC 08_04); a police officer next to two people arrested for alcohol smuggling (PIC 08_05).

Lithuanian Central State Archives, A border policeman Pranas Venckus playing cards with a friend. Laižuva, Mažeikiai district, Lithuania, 1922. P-30547.

PIC 08_04: Lithuanian Central State Archives, A military police academy sergeant in the shooting range. Author I. Girčys. [1918-1940] P-04568

PIC 08_05: Lithuanian Central State Archives, A police officer next to the arested smuggling of alcohol. [1918-1940]. P-12190.

The first traffic police ever was established in London, England, in 1722, in response to an increase in traffic during the 18th century: the mayor appointed three men to stay on the London Bridge and ensure traffic was kept to the left side of the road, to keep a smooth circulation. However, most traffic guards started to be established, first locally and later nationally, around the 1920s, when cars started to become “a thing” on city roads. Here are a few pics from the LIthuanian Central State Archives (Pic 09_01 to Pic 09_3)

Pic 09_01: LIthuanian Central State Archives, A police officer regulating traffic on the crossroad of Donelaitis and Maironis street next to Lithuanian ministry of Finance. Kaunas, Lithuania, 1930s.

Pic 09_02: LIthuanian Central State Archives, A police officer regulating traffic on the crossroad of Donelaitis and Maironis street next to Lithuanian ministry of Finance. Kaunas, Lithuania. [1920-1940]

Pic 09_03: LIthuanian Central State Archives,A police officer regulating traffic next to the Central Committee (CK) building of the Lithuanian Communist Party (LKP) on Gediminas Avenue, Vilnius, Lithuania. 1947-1949.

The Plan of the Police head quarters in Vennera station, showing proposed additional accommodation for the Malta Transport Department. What is interesting about this plan is that it was created in the midst of the siege of Malta, in 1942, during World War II, one of the darkest episodes of the war, with the island being bombed constantly by the Axis in order to starve Malta into submission. Apparently though, life went on for architects and planners even in this dire conditions.

L-Arkivji Nazzjonali ta' Malta, Plan of the Police head quarters in Vennera station, available here

During the 20th century, the Civil War and Franco's regime brought about a major change in police organisation. During the war (1936-1939), both sides retained their police forces.

Centro Documental de la Memoria Histórica , Albert-Louis Deschamps, Puerto con personajes (two policesmen at the port of Santander), available here

After World War II, the German police was entirely disbanded and re-established because of its heavy implications with Nazism. In 1951, the Bundesgrenzschutz (from 2005 Bundespolizei) was established, with the more restricted goals of border controls in West Germany. This is a photo from 1951 in the southern city of Karlsruhe, which was turned into a US military based. The original caption reads "A police officer leading away a perpetrator. On the sleeve of the uniform is the bilingual badge "Police-Polizei."

Stadtarkiv Karlsruhe, A police officer leading away a perpetrator. On the sleeve of the uniform is the bilingual badge "Police-Polizei., 1951, available here

And here is the International Police on duty in Freiburg

In 1961, Karlsruhe was shocked by a major car accident involving a patrol car of the American Highway Patrol at the Langensteinbach highway rest area, with two seriously injured. Perhaps just coincidence, but the following year there was an 'Action Against the Accident' event, organised by American soldiers.

Stadtarkiv Karlsruhe, Car accident in 1961, available here

Stadtarkiv Karlsruhe, Action Against the Accident' event, 1962, available here

We remain with post-war American police involvement in Europe with these pics from the Central State Archives of Lithuania:

A police officers on duty next to the Embassy of Soviet Union in New York in 1960 (pic by G. Penikas)

A police officer on duty next to the United Nations headquarters building in New York on the 4th of November, 1962 (pic by G. Penikas)

A police officer maintains order during BATUN (Baltic Appeal to the United Nations) protest aginst the Molotov-Ribentrop pact next to the United Nations headquarters building in New York on the 20th September 1969 (pic by G. Penikas).

Police officers supervise demonstrators of the Lithuanian diaspora in the US, at the protest against Lithuanian sailor‘s Simas Kudirka extradition to Soviet Union (December 1970, pic by G. Penikas). Simas Kudirka’s story became notorious at the time and his deportation back to the Soviet Union brought to the establishment of strict guidelines for refugees from the Soviet Union in the US. Kurdirka was convicted to 10 years of imprisonment but was released from jail after four years and managed to move with his family to the US, only returning to Lithuania after the country’s independence.

In a more democratic world, protesters and police forces often have a love-hate relationship: protests are regulated by the law, both guaranteeing the right to free speech and to dissent, but also tampering protesters in some times controversial actions. Here a few historical documents, from Israeli leftist associations those archives are held at the Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis:

A police permit for demonstration in Israel, from 1970, available here

The major Israeli students’ leftist organisation SIAH attacking the police in a pampleth, 1971, available here

A condemnation against the attacks by the police against the Black Panther, from 1972 (always from the Israeli Left Archives), available here

The police interrogates the Romanian Left, available here

The police attacks protesters, available here

The police bows to the requests of Left Wing Israeli and Palestinian Women marching together, available here

Going back to Spain and to democracy, once the Franco regime fell and democracy was restored in the country, the National Police was again reorganized to "defend the constitutional order, protect the free exercise of rights and liberties and guarantee citizen security". Its members also obtained the right to organize themselves into trade unions as of 1984.

Archivo Històrico Nacional, Archivo de Luis Camacho, Sindicato Profesional de Policía. Unión Sindical de Policías, available here

Proof that police forces can party, too! A few pics about police forces at festivals, from the Lithuanian Central State Archives:

A police officer with photographer during the Sea fest next to Danė river. Klaipėda, Lithuania. 1960s. Author A. Karpavičius.

V. Semenikas and V. Cicinas, inspectors of the Vilnius city national auto inspection unit, on Gorki (now Dižioji) Street. Vilnius, Lithuania. The 14th of august, 1973. Author T. Žebraukas.

Inspector, senior police leutenant, A. Bitinas on duty. Ukmergės district, Lithuania. 1986. Author G. Svitojus.

A police officer on duty during international student song festival „Gaudeamus““ in Vingis park. Vilnius, Lithuania. Juneof 1989. Author P. Lileikis.

Research by Anna Batzeli, Darius Bujokas, Santiago Muriel. Text by APE, Santiago Muriel, Federica Tammarazio

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