BESCAM

BESCAM, Alcala de Henares

The BESCAM, an initialism for Brigadas Especiales de Seguridad de la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (Special Security Brigades for the Autonomous Community of Madrid), is a police body created by the government of the Community of Madrid in Spain. It is not a specific police organization but a project of the regional government of the Autonomous Community of Madrid 2500 which aims to fund local police distributed among the different municipalities of the Community in response to strict technical criteria, with particular emphasis on the population, geographic location or, in the case of those with fewer than 25,000 inhabitants, taking into account the seasonal population increase suffering, or other factors such as low ratio police, industrial development and urban growth. In early 2008, 2,500 agents, distributed in 102 locations in Madrid that have a local police force, were members of these brigades.

Unlike the Ertzaintza or the Mossos d'Esquadra, it is not a full-blown police corps but a series of manpower and equipment contingents assigned to the already existing local police forces. Nonetheless, BESCAM contingents have different uniforms, and their vehicles have different livery than their home forces.

Establishment

The BESCAM were created in 2004 by initiative of the regional government, led by Esperanza Aguirre, and the president of the Federation of Municipalities of Madrid (FMM), Luis Partida, by signing a framework agreement between the Community and the various municipalities that unfold in these brigades under their respective mayors. The agreement provides for the funding by the Madrid Autonomous Community of personnel and material resources necessary to combat insecurity.

Objectives

The objectives of this plan are the guarantee of public safety as the first responsibility of government and guarantee the free exercise of fundamental rights of all citizens in society.

Since the government of Madrid has no power to create a regional police force itself, as happens in the Basque Country, Navarre and Catalonia, the Community of Madrid signed an agreement with each municipality in which is started a brigade. BESCAM is therefore considered part of the local police, although the staff of these bodies have uniforms and vehicles and do their own training separately.

Characteristics

BESCAM Honda CRV of the Colmenar de Oreja Municipal Police

The local police whose squares belong to the phases BESCAM trained at the Police Academy of the Community of Madrid being the same as that received by the local cops who are not part of this project and were not intended exclusively for public safety among its functions fall all that the law gives the police, his uniform and equipment endowment is the same as it has been used in previous templates, salary, working conditions and hierarchical controls are exactly the same as those local police non-BESCAM squares, resulting all in a consistent service to citizens.

This does not affect the current situation, in which each municipality has a different convention, with specific working conditions, salary, equipment, staffing, internal rules, or guidelines when exercising their functions may be adapted to the peculiarities of each municipality, as long as they meet basic standards that states that Law 4/92 and the Organic Law 2/1986 of 13 March, the Security Forces.[1]

Development

The implementation of BESCAM raised some controversy over whether it was an independent Police or framed within the existing local police in each municipality. In order to dispel doubts D. Alfredo Prada, VP 2 of the Community of Madrid and Minister for Justice and Home Affairs said that "is a project BESCAM security without assuming more powers by the Community and to you have 5,500 more police on the street. We have signed agreements with the Ministry of Interior to 3,000 new national police, and agreements with mayors to 2,500 new local policemen. The BESCAM is a project by which the Community of Madrid wants budgetary and politically involved in public safety. But it means a new police, no new police model, and new powers for the Community. We want to find ways open to the participation of others to the development of this project. And because security is so important for citizens, leave aside the partisan interest and reach a consensus. "[2]

Stages of development

Phase 0 pilot - It begins in 2004 with 60 members in the operational base of Móstoles, a pioneer in the implementation of this project.

Phase 1 - In 2005 starts the first phase of the Public Safety of the Community of Madrid, with 570 agents and 16 municipalities: El Escorial, Boadilla del Monte, Arganda, Colmenar Viejo, San Fernando de Henares, Rivas- Vaciamadrid, the Alamo, Parla, Coslada, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Alcobendas, Torrejón de Ardoz, Alcalá de Henares, Fuenlabrada, Getafe, Alcorcón and Leganes . Each of these councils is assigned a group BESCAM.

Phase 2 - Also in the year 2005. There are a total of 370 more agents, distributed in 15 municipalities: Algete, Aranjuez, Galapagar, Guadarrama, Mejorada del Campo, Pinto, Torrelodones, Tres Cantos, Valdemoro, Villanueva de la Cañada, Villaviciosa de Odon, Collado Villalba, Las Rozas de Madrid, Majadahonda and San Sebastian de los Reyes .

Phase 3 - Started on November 3, 2005, adds 2 new locations, Ciempozuelos and Navalcarnero, and 440 new police officers to reinforce existing 34 operational bases.

Phase 4 - In November 2006, entered the Academy new students after graduation joined the police templates San Martin de la Vega, Humanes de Madrid, El Escorial, Alpedrete, Meco, Villanueva del Pardillo, Moralzarzal, Velilla de San Antonio, Valdemorillo, Arroyomolinos, San Agustin de Guadalix, Brunete, Griñón, Soto del Real, Cercedilla, Robledo de Chavela and Valdemoro .

Phase 5 - Throughout 2007, the Citizen Security project and extended to 102 municipalities in the region. Thus, fifty locations already included in this project, 52 new towns were incorporated, in providing public safety services 500 local police. It thus meets the Government's commitment to bring the Draft Regional Public Safety to all those towns in the region with local police, thus serving the people of Madrid 2,500 new police officers.

The agreement is in effect for the next 15 years until 2018, and will be renewed automatically for the same period of time.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BESCAM.

References

External links