Here’s a blurb about the Policia Nacional vs. Guardia Civil. I think the Policía Local is just what it says. Smaller cities and larger towns have their own force. Santiago has Policia Local. Their headquarters are right at the bottom of the stairs (to the left) heading to the Pilgrim Office. I went in to get a stamp for my credential. In places lacking a P.L., I think the GC has the responsibility. Similar to here in Massachusetts. Any town that does not have its own police force relies on the State Police.
en.m.wikipedia.org
Well, prompted by my own comment, I took a look online and realized this:
The
Guardia Civil is a
Spanish military corps in charge of maintaining public safety in rural and suburban areas of the country. The Guardia Civil is under the direction of the Ministry of the Interior and is in charge of crime prevention and investigation, as well as border protection and the fight against illegal drug trafficking and smuggling.
The
Policia Nacional is a
Spanish police force in charge of maintaining citizen security in urban areas of the country. The National Police is an armed institute of civilian nature, with a hierarchical structure whose mission is to protect the free exercise of rights and freedoms and to guarantee citizen security, with a scope of action throughout the national territory.
The
Policia Local develop their function in the
locality to which they belong and therefore their functions are limited to that territory. They can collaborate and cooperate with the State Security Forces and Corps in the prevention of crimes, but the functions that define them are the following:
- Protection of local authorities.
- Surveillance or custody of municipal buildings or facilities.
- Ordering, signaling.
- Direction of traffic in the urban center.
- Carrying out of attestations for traffic accidents occurring in the urban nucleus.
To be honest I am not sure if I fully understand the different scope, however... it is important when in Spain to realize that if, for example, you are harassed or stolen something, you should go to the Policia Nacional rather than to the Guardia Civil - at least, again, this is my understanding...