The Police Force of Andorra is the national police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 of Andorra

Andorra

Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...

. In 2010, the force had 75 officers serving a population of approximately 85,000.

Structure

The police force consists of the Directorate of the Police, four divisions which carry out the various missions of the police, and two "functional groups".

Directorate of the Police

The Directorate of the Police is composed of a Director, a Deputy Director who has the grade of police commissioner, a secretary, a planning and human resources officer and an administrative assistant. It directs police activities throughout the country. Its members are nominated by the Government of Andorra based on proposals from the Ministry of the Interior.

Divisions

There are four Divisions with the following responsibilities:

• The Division of Criminal Police (similar to Kriminalpolizei
  Kriminalpolizei
  is the standard term for the criminal investigation agency within the police forces of Germany, Austria and the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland. In Nazi Germany during 1936, the Kripo became the Criminal Police Department for the entire Reich...
  
  ) is in charge of criminal investigations and divided into two investigation units. The first one, responsible for investigations aimed both at prevention and repression of crime, has sections dealing with drugs
  DRUGS
  Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
  
  , domestic violence
  Domestic violence
  Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
  
  , organised crime, general affairs, juveniles, and money laundering
  Money laundering
  Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
  
  . The second investigates crimes brought to its attention and is also responsible for cases of climate
  Alpine climate
  Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
  
   accidents. Also in this area is the National Central Office of Interpol
  Interpol
  Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
  
  .

• The Division of Public Security and Proximity comprises two uniformed units whose role is to ensure the overall safety and security of residents. The "Unit for Citizens' Security" is a proximity police intended to prevent offences and maintaining public order. The "Unit for Citizens' Awareness", a detachment of the central police, operates the Information Room, answers public queries, co-ordinates external services and supervises detention conditions.

• The Division of Police Support is responsible for operational support to the other divisions, as well as to the Directorate. It comprises six departments: analysis of criminal information; legal matters; information technology; training; prevention and social orientation; and management.

• The Division of Transit and Borders comprises two uniformed units: the Traffic Unit (similar to highway patrol
  Highway patrol
  A highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
  
  , motorcycle
  Motorcycle
  A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
  
   patrols to supervise the movement of vehicles at the national border
  Border
  Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
  
  s and intervene in case of accidents) and the Borders Unit (a border guard
  Border guard
  The border guard, frontier guard, border patrol, border police, or frontier police of a country is a national security agency that performs border control, i.e., enforces the security of the country's national borders....
  
   in charge of border immigration control) that works in co-operation with the Department of Immigration.

Groups

Six groups – for the protection of VIPs

Executive Protection

Executive Protection also known as Close Personal Protection or bodyguarding refers to security measures taken to ensure the safety of VIPs or other individuals who may be exposed to elevated personal risk because of their employment, celebrity status, wealth, associations or geographical...

, bomb disposal

Bomb disposal

Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...

, order maintenance, emergency situations, sniffer-dog training and mountain rescue – are formed by members of the four Divisions; are assembled in response to specific needs; and are assisted by colleagues from neighbouring countries, particularly in organising joint training programmes.

External links

Police Service of Andorra