50 officers for two arrests: the cost of the major operation in Cuenca and Toledo
Spain's Guardia Civil mobilised 50 officers to make two arrests in Cuenca and Toledo. Estimated cost: up to 20,000 euros. Effective spending or self-perpetuating bureaucracy?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
50 officers, two arrests and a 20,000-euro bill: the equation that doesn't add up
The Guardia Civil (Spain's paramilitary police force) deployed an operation with fifty officers across the provinces of Cuenca and Toledo to arrest two people accused of burglary. According to independent estimates, the result leaves taxpayers with a bill of between 15,000 and 20,000 euros.
The deployment's numbers include three shifts of officers, vehicles, diesel and overtime. The question that arises is whether the cost-benefit ratio justifies such a mobilisation. The argument that bureaucracy perpetuates itself, explored by authors such as Robert Higgs and James C. Scott, finds a textbook case here: more insecurity (or the appearance of it) justifies bigger budgets and more posts. The duty prosecutor, with 400 pending cases, files the case in a fast-track trial, and the detainees are back on the streets within days.
With predictable reoffending, the operation looks like a cyclical expense that feeds the system without solving the underlying problem. Meanwhile, the taxpayer foots the bill, and police unions demand more resources to fight insecurity.
The Guardia Civil (Spain's paramilitary police force) deployed an operation with fifty officers across the provinces of Cuenca and Toledo to arrest two people accused of burglary. According to independent estimates, the result leaves taxpayers with a bill of between 15,000 and 20,000 euros.
The deployment's numbers include three shifts of officers, vehicles, diesel and overtime. The question that arises is whether the cost-benefit ratio justifies such a mobilisation. The argument that bureaucracy perpetuates itself, explored by authors such as Robert Higgs and James C. Scott, finds a textbook case here: more insecurity (or the appearance of it) justifies bigger budgets and more posts. The duty prosecutor, with 400 pending cases, files the case in a fast-track trial, and the detainees are back on the streets within days.
With predictable reoffending, the operation looks like a cyclical expense that feeds the system without solving the underlying problem. Meanwhile, the taxpayer foots the bill, and police unions demand more resources to fight insecurity.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (13 replies).
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