Not that it matters, but one thing that may have had something to do with easing the transformation is that the Guardia Civil is a military unit, not a civil police unit. Orders from the top flow down faster, I bet.
I did a little reading and see that the Guardia Civil reports to both the Ministery of the Interior (for its civil policing operations) and the Ministry of Defense. In times of war, its only reporting is to Defense.
Sorry to go off topic a bit, but I can’t resist — LT do you remember when we met the retired guardia civil and her partner in Huesca and they bought us drinks? She had retired from the Guardia Civil’s biathalon team (a sport I had never heard of till then) because of shoulder injuries, no doubt caused by her shooting escapades!