El Salvador
| Author | George Kurian |
| Pages | 366-368 |
Page 366
Official country name: Republic of El Salvador
Capital: San Salvador
Geographic description: A country in Central America bordering the North Pacific Ocean
Population: 6,704,932 (est. 2005)
Formed in 1912, the Civil Guard was set up by Spanish officers, who patterned the new organization after the Spanish Guardia Civil. The National Police, organized in its present form in 1945, is the outgrowth of a number of predecessor bodies since colonial times. Before independence, the Corps of Watchmen patrolled the towns and main highways at night. The first unified police force was established in 1843 with the formation of the Corps of Police, which was charged with maintaining law and order in the urban districts. This body eventually became the National Police. In 1868 the Civil Guard was founded to augment the Corps of Watchmen. Although at first their sphere of operations included both urban and rural areas, in time they became an exclusively rural force until 1912, when they were supplanted by the National Guard. In 1992 all these agencies were combined into the National Civil Police under a director general.
The National Civil Police consists of the National Guard, the National Police, and the Treasury Police. All three are paramilitary organizations commanded by army officers subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. Each force, although centralized and directed by its own commander, works in close coordination with the armed forces.
The National Guard is a constabulary-type force engaged primarily in rural police duties. It is distributed throughout the country in five infantry commands comprising fourteen separate companies. Each command has its headquarters in the principal city within its jurisdiction, usually a departmental capital, and assigns its companies as needed to the surrounding rural areas. The men wear army-type uniforms and are armed with standard infantry weapons.
The National Police is primarily an urban force. It is a centralized force under a director general with headquarters in San Salvador. It constitutes the Department of Public Security within the Ministry of National Defense. Although directly controlled from the capital, local detachments enjoy considerable autonomy.
Police...
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