The Provincial Commissariat of Burgos presents the Bicentennial Column in commemoration of the 200 years of history of the National Police

• The main pillar of the police units has been decorated with a large mural by Christian Sasa, which reflects the most significant moments in the history of the National Police. A sculpture of a rooster forged in iron, the work of Cristino Díez, crowns the column • The event was attended by the delegate of the Government in Castilla y León, Nicanor Sen, accompanied among other authorities, by the subdelegate of the Government in Burgos, Pedro de la Fuente, the Superior Chief of Police of Castilla y León, Juan Carlos Hernández, the Principal Commissioner, Provincial Chief of Burgos, Jesús M. Nogales, and the President of the Círculo Foundation, Emilio de Domingo, who sponsored the project

April 24, 2024. The Provincial Commissariat of Burgos presented this morning the so-called Column of the Bicentenary. It is a large mural, work of the artist Christian Sasa, which decorates the main pillar of the building with outstanding images of the history of the National Police from its foundation to the present day. In the same act has taken place the discovery of the iron sculpture ‘Gallo 2024’ that crowns that column, work of the renowned Burmese artist Cristino Díez.

The event was chaired by the Government delegate in Castilla y León, Nicanor Sen, accompanied, among other authorities by the Government subdelegate in Burgos, Pedro de la Fuente; and police commanders such as the Superior Chief of Police in Castilla y León, Juan Carlos Hernández, as well as the Provincial Chief Commissioner Jesús M. Nogales. The mayor of Burgos, Cristina Ayala, the territorial delegate of the Junta de Castilla y León, Roberto Saiz and the president of the Círculo Burgos Foundation, Emilio de Domingo, the entity that sponsored the project, also attended. During the tour of the Column of the Bicentenary, a commemorative plaque has been discovered and a facsimile of the Royal Cédula of 1824 has been delivered to the attendees.

The Bicentennial Column is located in the center of the police building, and is surrounded by the stairs of the four floors of the Police Station. It is composed of twelve images that constitute a journey through time throughout the two centuries of history of the National Police. The tour has been explained by the Burmese historian Isaac Rilova, detailing the different engravings that have been reproduced by Christian Sasa whose works as a muralist are recognized worldwide.

The column is crowned with a sculpture, the work of the Burwelsh Cristino Díez, who has made in iron the figure of a Rooster, a bird that constituted the first symbol of the police institution because of its “always awake and vigilant” character.

The presentation of the Bicentennial Column is part of the programming for the Bicentennial of the National Police that is being carried out during 2024 in Burgos. Last weekend the basketball team Longevida San Pablo wore in their regular league match of LEB Oro a kit with the logo of the 200th anniversary. In addition, during the next ‘White Night’ on May 25, the Provincial Police Station will participate remaining open, at which time citizens will be able to visit the works of art that have been presented this morning.

Event of exceptional public interest

The Bicentenary, considered as an event of exceptional public interest, commemorates the main episodes in the history of the National Police, its image before the citizens, the feeling of belonging of its members and its recognition as a reference operator in public security, both nationally and internationally. In addition, it will serve as a tribute to all the national policemen who gave their lives in the act of service.

The commemoration of the Bicentenary will take place throughout 2024, through an extensive program of activities that will take place throughout the national territory and that are promoted and coordinated by the National Commission, an interministerial collegiate body attached to the Ministry of the Interior that acts under the Honorary Presidency of Their Majesties the Kings.

200 years in the service of citizenship

On January 13, 1824, at the initiative of King Ferdinand VII, the Royal Decree was promulgated creating the so-called General Police of the Kingdom, historical precedent of the current National Police and the first police force with a national dimension with the function of ‘guaranteeing good and public security’. To this end, this police force was endowed with ‘unity, extension and strength’ recognizing it as a ‘benefit for civilization’ and the ‘first guarantee of good and public happiness’.

Throughout these two centuries of existence, and despite having had different denominations, the National Police has continuously served all citizens and Spain, always in the same spirit of public service. In 1844 it was known as the Corps of Protection and Security, after Surveillance and later Security and Surveillance. In 1942 it was renamed the General Police Corps and, in 1978, the Superior Police Corps, of a civilian nature, which coexisted with the Armed Police Corps, which later changed its name to the National Police Corps, with military structure and organization.

Finally, in 1986, both bodies were integrated into a single body, the National Police Force, whose name became the National Police in 2015.

Another historic milestone happened in 1978. The BOE published the call for selection tests that included 100 places for ‘female members’. The following year, in 1979, 42 women took the oath of office and were part of the first promotion of the Superior Police Force. The National Police currently has some 74,000 officers, of whom 12,600 are women, which represents almost 18 per cent of its total staff. Four of them, chief commissioners, are part of the National Police Governing Board.