INSPECTION POLICE

Notion of Police

The concept of police, which the layperson understands relatively easily, did not always exist
in its current sense. The function of the police, as we know it today, is particularly recent. In
ancient or tribal communities, there was no talk of police, policing, security forces, or police
bodies. Each person was responsible for safeguarding their personal and property interests. In
cases of aggression by a third party, it was up to the victim or their relatives to impose
punishment on the offender through private vengeance (private punishment or justice). In
those more distant times, people resolved offenses or crimes they had suffered through
personal retaliation. Private justice was allowed, and sometimes even revenge.

Although there was no formal police force, social control (surveillance) and modes of
repression (punishment) were always present within communities. The formula of
surveillance and punishment has existed throughout history. Similarly, the sense of “guard”
was always present, with various functions related to safeguarding property, watching over
places or people, guarding city gates, protecting heritage, and ultimately ensuring safety and
security. Even in less organized or more primitive community structures, the concept of
justice prevailed, emphasizing the need to create instruments for controlling community
members. It was not enough to guard against external enemies or defend against attacks using
military power. It was also necessary to protect against ill intentions from neighbors within
the community, using social control and various tools that would eventually give rise to
formal policing over the centuries.

This control took on multiple forms, serving Power (political, religious, aristocratic,
oligarchic) in various ways. Throughout history, the police have served several purposes.
Initially, the police were created to enforce the law and control or suppress the impulses of
the most ruthless criminals. However, they quickly transformed into a powerful instrument
serving the interests of diverse factions or elites within society. Examples of this include
secret or political police forces, always vigilant against those who criticize established power
—from the unsuspecting to the well-informed—collecting information and eliminating the
roots of insurrectionary or revolutionary movements. It is armies and police that Power likes
to surround itself with. Information is power, and the police serve as the cyclopean eye of
authority. So much so that, as indicated by Bobbio, “the ideal of the powerful has always
been to observe every gesture and listen to every word of those subjected to their authority (if
possible without being seen or heard).”1 The countless spies of the most despotic and
oppressive governments in our history demonstrate this reality.

When everything is going well, people don’t discuss the police. However, when conflicts
arise, attention turns to them. The police constitute an institution—or rather, multiple
institutions—each with diverse, ambiguous, or multidimensional roles (such as civil police,
military police, municipal police, economic police, national police, state police, political
police, secret police, and ecclesiastical police). Yet, the police also represent a set of
operations that describe a function: administrative in nature, with both service-oriented and
auxiliary roles in the criminal justice system.

Speaking of the police alludes to a system—a means of maintaining order in society. It

invokes authority, strength, and visibility, emphasizing their coercive capacity to enforce
respect for the law among the people. However, discussing the police also evokes memories
of rescue, assistance during times of distress, solidarity, aid to the vulnerable, and comfort for
the afflicted. The concept remains equivocal, sometimes broader, sometimes more restricted
in meaning. It can carry technical-legal-operational connotations or common associations.
Positive aspects, rooted in humanism and goodwill, coexist with negative connotations of
reprimand and animosity.

Today, the notion of the police has a more circumscribed significance than in the past.
Nevertheless, it continues to encompass a vast and complex part of public administration—
one exposed to a multifaceted array of events and circumstances.

Functions of the inspection police

The inspection police perform several important functions. Some of them include:

1. Municipal Code Enforcement: Ensuring compliance with municipal rules and

regulations, such as urban planning, land use, and licensing for commercial activities.

2. Civil Construction Inspection: Supervising construction projects to ensure compliance

with standards and regulations.

1
NORBERTO BOBBIO — (1987). The Future of Democracy: A Defense of the Rules of the Game. University
of Minnesota Press, p. 30.
3. Health Inspection: Monitoring commercial establishments, restaurants, and public places
to maintain hygiene and health standards.

4. Environmental Inspection: Protecting the environment by monitoring issues such as

pollution, deforestation, and improper use of natural resources.

These functions aim to maintain order, protect citizens, and ensure compliance with local
laws and regulations.