Romanian Police

The Romanian Police (Romanian: Poliția Română, pronounced [poˈlit͡si.a roˈmɨnə]) is the national police force and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Administration and Interior and it is led by a General Inspector with the rank of Secretary of State.^[3]

Duties

The Romanian Police are responsible for:

• the protection of the fundamental rights and liberties of the citizens and of the private and public property
• the prevention and identification of criminal offences and their perpetrators
• maintaining the public order and safety

Organization

General Inspectorate of Romanian Police is the central unit of police in Romania, which manages, guides, supports and controls the activity of the Romanian police units, investigates and analyses very serious crimes related to organized crime, economic, financial or banking criminality, or to other crimes which make the object of the criminal cases investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, and which has any other attributions assigned by law.

Romanian Volkswagen Police Cars

The organizational chart of General Inspectorate of Romanian Police includes general directorates, directorates, services and, offices established by the order of the Minister of Administration and Interior.

The General Inspectorate is under the command of a General Inspector appointed by the Minister of Administration and Interior. Since March 2015, the General Inspector of the Police is appointed by the Prime Minister and also holds the rank of Secretary of State.^[4]

Central units

• General Directorate for Countering the Organized Crime - with 5 central directorates (Anti-Drug Directorate, Directorate of Combating Human Trafficking, Cyber Crime Directorate, Directorate of Combating Terrorism Financing and Money Laundering, Special Operations Directorate) and 15 regional Brigades of Countering Organized Criminality. These Brigades are specialized units and have the mission to fight against organized crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal migration, cyber crime, serious financial frauds, financing terrorism and money laundering.
• General Directorate for Criminal Investigations - with 3 central directorates: Fraud Investigations Directorate, Criminal Investigations Directorate, Directorate of Firearms, Explosives and Toxic Substances.
• General Directorate for Public Safety Police - with 3 central directorates: Public Order Directorate, Traffic Police Directorate, Transport Police Directorate.
• General Directorate for Administrative Police - with 4 central directorates: Forensics Institute, Directorate for Criminal Records, Statistics and Operational Registry, Directorate for Logistics Management, the Directorate for IT&C.

Under the command of the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police operates a specialized intervention squad, The Independent Service of Special Interventions and Operations.

Uniformed police agents (agenți) from the Public Order Directorate

Territorial units

The Romanian Police is divided into 41 County Police Inspectorates, corresponding to each county (județ), and The Bucharest General Directorate of Police.

Each County Police Inspectorate has a rapid reaction unit (Detașamentul de Poliție pentru Intervenție Rapidă, Police Rapid Intervention Squad). The similar unit attached to the Bucharest Police is called Serviciul de Poliție pentru Intervenție Rapidă (Police Rapid Intervention Service).

Facilities and equipment

The Romanian Police has, altogether, roughly 9,500 intervention vehicles.^[5] The fleet is mostly comprised by Dacia Logans and various Volkswagen vehicles. Mercedes Vito is yet another model in use, used by the special forces, border police and others. The Road/Traffic Police also has BMWs, Seat and Lotus vehicles, used for road chasing.^[6]

The police also uses helicopters for air surveillance and immediate response.^[7] The most common manufacturer is Eurocopter.

A policeman on duty carries a side gun (usually a Pistol Carpați Md. 1974, Makarov PM or Glock semi-automated weapon), a pair of handcuffs, an expandable baton, a radio communication device and identification.

Ranks

Before 2002, the National Police had military status and a military ranking system (see Romanian Armed Forces ranks and insignia). In June 2002 it became a civilian police force (the first police service in Eastern Europe to do so) and its personnel was structured into two corps:

• Corpul ofițerilor de poliție (Police Officers Corps) - corresponding to the commissioned ranks of a military force, to the ranks of Inspector, Superintendent and Commissioner in a British-style police force or to the both Corps de conception et de direction and Corps de commande et d'encadrement in the French National Police (Police Nationale).

Rank	Shoulder insignia	Translated as	Military rank equivalent	French police rank equivalent	British Metropolitan Police rank equivalent
Chestor-general de poliție		Police Quaestor-General	General	Directeur des services actifs	Commissioner
Chestor-șef de poliție		Police Chief-Quaestor	Lieutenant General	Inspecteur général	Assistant Commissioner
Chestor principal de poliție		Police Principal Quaestor	Major General	Contrôleur général	Deputy Assistant Commissioner
Chestor de poliție		Police Quaestor	Brigadier General	Contrôleur général	Commander
Comisar-șef de poliție		Police Chief-Commissioner	Colonel	Commissaire divisionnaire	Chief Superintendent
Comisar de poliție		Police Commissioner	Lieutenant Colonel	Commissaire de police	Superintendent Grade I
Subcomisar de poliție		Police Sub-Commissioner	Major	Commandant	Superintendent
Inspector principal de poliție		Police Principal Inspector	Captain	Capitaine	Chief Inspector
Inspector de poliție		Police Inspector	Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Inspector
Subinspector de poliție		Police Sub-Inspector	Second Lieutenant	Lieutenant intern	Temporary/Probationary Inspector

• Corpul agenților de poliție (Police Agents Corps) - corresponding to the non-commissioned ranks of a military force, to the Corps de maîtrise et d'application in the French National Police or to the ranks of Constable or Sergeant in a British-style police force.

Rank	Shoulder insignia	Translated as	Military rank equivalent	French police rank equivalent	British police rank equivalent
Agent-șef principal de poliție		Police Principal Chief Agent	Sergeant Major	Brigadier-major	Station Sergeant
Agent-șef de poliție		Police Chief Agent	Master Sergeant	Brigadier-chef	Station Sergeant
Agent-șef adjunct de poliție		Police Deputy Chief Agent	Sergeant First Class	Brigadier	Sergeant
Agent principal de poliție		Police Principal Agent	Staff Sergeant	Gardien de la paix	Acting Sergeant
Agent de poliție		Police Agent	Sergeant	Gardien de la paix stagiaire	Constable

See also

• Romanian Military Police
• Gendarmerie (Romania)
• Crime in Romania

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Police of Romania.

• (in English) Official site
• Facebook page