| Public Force of Costa Rica Fuerza Pública de Costa Rica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1996 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Costa Rica |
| General nature |
|
| Specialist jurisdictions |
|
| Operational structure | |
| Parent agency | Ministry of Public Security |
| Child agency | |
| Notables | |
| Anniversary |
|
| Website | |
seguridadpublica | |
The Public Force of Costa Rica (Spanish: Fuerza Pública de Costa Rica) is the national law enforcement agencyofCosta Rica, whose duties include internal security and border control.[1]
On 1 December 1948, the President of Costa Rica, José Figueres Ferrer, abolished the Costa Rican military after winning the Costa Rican Civil War.[2][3] In a ceremony at the national capital of San José, Figueres symbolically broke a wall with a mallet, symbolizing an end to the military's existence.[4] In 1949, the abolition of the Costa Rican military was introduced in Article 12 of the Constitution of Costa Rica.[5] The budget previously dedicated to the military is now dedicated to security, education and culture. Costa Rica maintains Police Guard forces. The museum Museo Nacional de Costa Rica was placed in the Cuartel Bellavista as a symbol of commitment to culture. In 1986, President Oscar Arias Sánchez declared December 1 as the Día de la Abolición del Ejército (Military abolition day) with Law #8115. Unlike its neighbors, Costa Rica has not endured a civil war since 1948. Costa Rica maintains small forces capable of law enforcement, but has no permanent standing army.
In 1996, the Ministry of Public Security established the Fuerza Pública or Public Force, a gendarmerie which reorganised and eliminated the Civil Guard, Rural Assistance Guard, and Frontier Guards as separate entities. They are now under the Ministry and operate on a geographic command basis performing ground security, law enforcement, counter-narcotics, border patrol, and tourism security functions. The Costa Rica Coast Guard also operates directly under the Ministry but is not a part of the Public Force proper.[6]
Outside the Fuerza Pública, there is a small Special Forces Unit, the Unidad Especial de Intervencion (UEI) or Special Intervention Unit, an elite commando force which trains with special forces from around the world, but is not part of the main police forces. Instead it is part of the Intelligence and Security Directorate (DIS) which reports directly to the Minister of the Presidency. About 70-member strong, it is organized along military lines, although officially it is a civilian police unit.
The motto of the Public Force is "God, Fatherland, and Honour." Commissioner of Police Juan José Andrade Morales serves as its current Commissioner General.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) (Spanish)
|
Military of North America
| |
|---|---|
| Sovereign states |
|
| Dependencies and other territories |
|
The dependent territoryofFederal Dependencies of Venezuela (Venezuela) is not listed. The Federated stateofNueva Esparta (Venezuela) is not listed. The DepartmentofSan Andrés and Providencia (Colombia) is not listed. The uninhabited islands of Clipperton Island (France) and Navassa Island (United States) are not listed. The uninhabited disputed territories of Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank are not listed. | |
