Mobile police unit at the port guarantees safety

A mobile police unit operates in the port area of Palma where it keeps an eye on the safety of passengers travelling by sea and checks their documentation. It also investigates cases of cars that might have been robbed, that might be displaying false number plates, or which might be carrying drugs or other unlawful material. The area they patrol is known as “Maritime Routes Operation” and encompasses the wharfs where cargo ships and ferries come and go from Valencia, Denia, Barcelona, Ibiza and Mahón. The unit controls two types of ships: the “Superferries”, or slow boats; and the “fastferries” or fast boats. Routine procedures consist of checking, in the first instance, cars that are to go on board a vessel, asking for documentation from drivers who might trigger suspicion and taking note of articles that are being carried inside the vehicles. The work of this police unit is thrown into perspective when one remembers that hundreds of thousands of people pass through the port area each year. The Guardia Civil takes charge of dog handling, and when an important drug-related case comes up, a special Anti-Drugs Crime squad is called in.
Once the cars have been checked, officers of the mobile police units routinely take up positions at the entrance to the ships and ferries where they ask for documentation from passengers who may be under suspicion. After everything has been verified as being in order, they are free to pass on board. The aim of the exercise is to get close to the passengers through a police presence in areas where higher indications of security risk exist. The work of the mobile police unit doesn't end when the ships weigh anchor because on most routes, two officers accompany the crew to check passenger safety throughout the trip. During the months of July and August this year, the unit has carried out more than 1'600 identification checks and more than 1'800 vehicle inspections; along with approximately 500 detentions for robbery, outstaying legally permitted lengths of stay, drug trafficking which included a haul of 360 grammes of cocaine. This operation was carried out in the port of Denia. The mobile police unit of “Maritime Routes Operation” is made of 28 officers: 4 executives, 2 inspectors and 22 ground forces. It is spread territorially over 11 sectors: Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Valencia, Sevilla, Granada, La Coruña, Mérida, Oviedo, Valladolid and Burgos. It patrols ports, train and bus stations. The predecessors of today's mobile police unit began operations in 1924 when a Railways and National Frontier division was set up.
The force was disbanded in 1933 and its assignments distributed amongst other services, giving rise for the first time to the “Mobile Brigade” under the auspices of “The General Administrative Office for Public Order”. In December that year, three Sectors in Madrid and one in Barcelona were established, coming into operation the following year.
The divisions functioned as autonomous units charged with keeping watch on railway yards and stations, the comings and goings of passengers, and the administration of any legal proceedings that were necessary. Over the years, the mobile unit has been subject to periods of internal reorganisation but it was in 1985 when it underwent its most critical restructuring. The mobile units, up to that point answerable to a central organisation moved on to work with separate police commissions whilst retaining their national identity associated with Citizen Safety.