Repressive Legacies and the Democratisation of Iberian Police Systems

Citation

Palacios Cerezales D (2010) Repressive Legacies and the Democratisation of Iberian Police Systems. South European Society and Politics, 15 (3), p. 429–448. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13608746.2010.513603#.UfJSRNKyBjQ; https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2010.513603

Abstract
Literature on democratisation claims that the dictatorship's police forces are difficult to reform and that modes of transition and authoritarian legacies are linked. It predicts that a continuous transition will leave greater legacies than a discontinuous one. This paper analyses the police reforms during democratisation in Spain and Portugal, comparing them in several dimensions: symbolic changes, demilitarisation, decentralisation, accountability, professionalisation and new service role. In both countries a democratic police was built; yet, contrary to predictions, the Spanish police underwent a faster and deeper reform than the Portuguese, a result explained by the double legacy of dictatorship and revolution in the Portuguese transition, the credibility dilemmas of the Spanish reformers and the impact of regional devolution.

Keywords
Spain; Portugal; Democratic Transition; Police; Legacies of the Past; Democratization Spain; Democratization Portugal; Representative government and representation Spain; Representative government and representation Portugal; Spain Politics and government 1975- ; Portugal Politics and government 1974-

Journal
South European Society and Politics: Volume 15, Issue 3