Intelligence Center for Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime

The Intelligence Center for Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO) is the Spanish domestic intelligence agency responsible for the prevention of terrorism, organized crime and other violent radical organizations by managing and analyzing all internal information of the country. It was formed in October 2014.

Intelligence Center for Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime
Emblem of the CITCO
Intelligence agency overview
FormedOctober 15, 2014 (2014-10-15)
Preceding agencies
  • National Anti-Terrorism Coordination Center
  • Intelligence Center against Organized Crime
HeadquartersMadrid,  Spain
Intelligence agency executive
  • Francisco Montes López, Director
  • Deputy director
Parent Intelligence agencySecretariat of State for Security

History

The agency was created on October 15, 2014 by the Royal Decree 873/2014, of 10 October 2014, which modified the Royal Decree 400/2012, of 17 February 2014, by which the basic structure of the Ministry of the Interior was developed.[1] The agency resulted from the merged of two predecessor domestic intelligence agencies, the National Anti-Terrorism Coordination Center (CNCA) and the Intelligence Center against Organized Crime (CICO) under the Secretariat of State for Security within the Ministry of the Interior. The purpose of the union was to optimize efforts and take advantage of economic resources of both agencies in the face of growing threats and the link between violent extremist, terrorist organizations and organized crime.[2]

Functions

CITCO is responsible for the reception, integration and analysis of the strategic information available in the fight against organized crime, terrorism and violent radicalism, the design of specific strategies against these threats, and, where appropriate, the establishment of criteria for Action and operational coordination of the bodies acting in the cases of coincidence or concurrence in the investigations, and in particular:[3][4]

  • To receive, integrate and analyze information and operational analysis related to organized or especially serious crime, terrorism and violent radicalism that are relevant or necessary for the elaboration of strategic and prospective criminal intelligence in relation to these phenomena, both in its national and international projection, integrating and channeling to the State Security Forces and Corps all the operational information that it receives or captures.
  • To dictate, determine and establish, in the cases of joint or concurrent intervention, the coordination and action criteria of the operative units of the State Security Forces and Corps, and of those with other intervening agencies, according to their competencies support the intervention.
  • To prepare annual reports on the situation of organized crime, terrorism and violent radicalism in Spain, as well as a periodic assessment of the threat in these fields.
  • To develop and disseminate statistical information related to these matters and in particular to drug trafficking.
  • To propose national strategies against organized crime, terrorism and violent radicalism and update them on a permanent basis, coordinating and verifying their development and implementation.
  • To establish, within the scope of their powers, the corresponding relationships with other centers or similar units of the European Union, their Member States or third countries

Personnel

The agency´s personnel is composed from the National Police Corps (CNP), Civil Guard, Customs Surveillance Service, Prison officers, Armed Forces and Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI).

Directors

The first director of the agency was José Luis Olivera Serrano, acting director from 2014-2015 and director from 2015-2018.[5] He was ceased on July 2018 and the Deputy Director, Francisco Montes López, assumed as Acting Director.[6] That same month, Civil Guard's Brigadier general Ángel Alonso Miranda was appointed Director.[7]

See also

References
  1. Royal Decree 873/2014, of October 10, by which modifies the Royal Decree 400/2012, of 17 of February, by which the basic organic structure of the Ministry of the Interior is developed boe.es
  2. "Interior crea un centro de inteligencia de terrorismo y crimen organizado". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  3. ÓRGANOS DE COORDINACIÓN DEPENDIENTES DEL SECRETARIO DE ESTADO DE SEGURIDAD, EL CENTRO DE INTELIGENCIA CONTRA EL TERRORISMO Y EL CRIMEN ORGANIZADO
  4. "Royal Decree 952/2018, of July 27, which develops the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Interior". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  5. interior.gob.es José Luis Olivera, new CITCO's director 27 January 2015, retrieved 2 July 2018
  6. "El cese del comisario Olivera del CITCO marca un punto y aparte en 'Las cloacas de Interior'". www.publico.es. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  7. "El general de la Guardia Civil Ángel Alonso Miranda dirigirá el Citco". La Vanguardia. 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
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