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Fuerza Pública
Public Force

In 1996, the Ministry of Public Security established the Fuerza Pública or Public Force, a process that began with the Police Act, No. 7410 of May 26, 1994. This gendarmarie reorganized and combined 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.

Among the various police forces, the Fuerza Publica national uniformed police are considered to be the least effective and most corrupt. Improving the quality and performance of this force is essential in order for the government to have a significant impact in reducing crime. One of the fundamental problems with the uniformed police is their minimal selection criteria for applicants, thus, people with inadequate skills and inappropriate backgrounds are hired. The difficulty in firing police officers, unless they are clearly linked to corruption or narco-trafficking, exacerbates the problem. Addressing these two problems requires an investment of money (e.g., for technical assistance in developing selection criteria, part of a police professionalization program) combined with a more significant investment of political capital.

The Civil Guard and the Rural Assistance Guard were bodies specifically responsible for general surveillance and security citizen; they perform their duties throughout the country in accordance with the technical determination on the rural or urban nature to point the relevant public institutions. To do so, they established control units organized according to the regional division that were determined by the respective ministry.

The Public Force is composed of the Operations Directorate, the Directorate of Specialized Units, Office of Legal Support 12 Regional Offices, Tourist Security Directorate and Management Programs Preventive Police. It also has an Episcopal Vicariate, the General Inspection and Reserve police. Each Regional Directorate General Directorate depend on the security forces and their number and location will be determined by the needs of the police service. Without prejudice to the established functions for the security forces, each Regional Directorate of the security forces comply with the following functions:

• Take action to promote intensively the prevention and suppression of crime.
• Plan and execute strategies and regular preventive and response operations, according to regional needs, in order to maintain public order and safety (the) people, their property and respect for their fundamental rights and freedoms.
• Provide surveillance and physical protection through fixed posts, diplomatic missions, presidents, widows of ex-presidents, exprimeras ladies, residences of ambassadors and accredited dignitaries in Costa Rica, and others as officials of the State that require it by judicial or other reasons.
• Protect special objectives by decision of the Minister of Public Security.
• Coordinate safety devices in organized events where there is presence of diplomats or personalities, at the request of the embassy.
• Implement the protocols defined in accordance with the operative provisions of the Operations Directorate and the Directorate of Specialized Units.
• Ensure compliance with environmental regulations, exercising surveillance, protection and conservation of the environment and to denounce before the competent administrative and judicial bodies, those acts and omissions which contravene the rules.
• Participate in training processes related to regulatory and environmental education, which enable to exercise better control, monitoring, protection and conservation of the environment.
• Coordinate with the Regional Administrative Officer (a) administrative and operational support of the Region shares.
• Support the Directorate of Private Security Service in the work of verification and control of natural and legal persons engaged to provide this service under the Law on Private Security Service.
• To represent the security forces in their region, where necessary.
• Those which arise from the legal system in accordance with their competence.

The security forces are responsible to the Minister and have the following functions:

• Ensure compliance with the Constitution, international treaties and other legislation. Implementing the policies and actions of citizen and national security for the exercise and respect for the Constitution, national sovereignty, territorial integrity and maintaining public order.
• Ensure respect for property, rights and freedoms of (the) inhabitants of the Nation.
• Ensure compliance with international treaties and legal rules to ensure order in the land border areas, including public buildings, diplomatic, airport locations and where customs and migration activities are carried out.
• Run those police actions within the scope of their competence, which are duly required by state institutions, preparing a report and submitting the evidence, if necessary.
• Arrange for a prompt and effective manner, is made or make people evaded capture prison or fugitives from justice.
• Provide assistance and cooperation, within the framework of its powers, local governments, state institutions, public utilities and general communities.
• Assist in the prevention and suppression of crime, based on the principle of reciprocity with those international police organizations and in accordance with the regulations and existing agreements.
• Ensure compliance with the provisions of the Arms and Explosives Act and its amendments.
• Keep updated records and inventories of weapons, ammunition, explosives and equipment necessary to fulfill its functions.
• Prepare the records necessary to record police operations, its officers, personnel involved in the operation, patrol or police action, as well as the full name and other qualities of detainees, their hours of entry and exit of the police unit .
• Perform their duties without limitation of time, with due care, courage and dedication, to comply with the provisions of the law.
• Maintain strict confidentiality on information obtained from police investigations and operations carried out or in progress.
• Other duties and responsibilities outlined in the law.

Internal Affairs is an advisory body, attached to the Directorate General of the security forces, with jurisdiction throughout the national territory, with preventive functions, investigative, where that is required, with the intention to combat and punish possible levels of corruption and the commission of unlawful acts committed by police officers, under the command of the General Directorate of the security forces, in the same way may act at the request of (the) Minister (a), conducting research to officials from other police forces administrative, or which by their investiture should be investigated.