Political

The Canary Islands are provinces of Spain, and are divided into two; the Province of Santa Cruz de
Tenerife, which comprises the islands of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and the Province
of Las Palmas, consisting of the islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. The
Province of Tenerife has a total population of around 950,000. Tenerife is the main island, its capital
being Santa Cruz with a population of around 200,000. The island has around 5 million visitors each
year of which approx., 1.9 million are from the United Kingdom.

The islands have their own Government and special status within the EEC - European Community.
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia head the Spanish Monarchy, with their son Prince Felipe as heir
to the throne.

There is an army garrison in the capital city Santa Cruz maintaining a military presence.

Police Service: This is extensive and generally, there is 'respect' for the service's officers. The Police
Service basically consists of three groups - The Local Police (Policia Local) - The Civil Guard
(Guardia Civil) - The National Police (Policia Nacional).

Local Police - generally, care for the local citizens, policing the beaches, streets, deal with
complaints and handle minor offences, in addition to controlling traffic.
National Police - operate the emergency services dealing with accidents, fires, robberies, etc., and
deploy the appropriate force.
Guardia Civil - oversee and investigate more serious crimes including drug enforcement. 
Related Articles:
General way of life in Tenerife
Living and working in Tenerife
Moving to Tenerife
Why Tenerife?