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Organisation and Competence in Public Safety

Code: 104034 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Prevention and Integral Safety and Security OT 4

Contact

Name:
Silvia Planet Robles
Email:
silvia.planet@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

This subject does not have any pre-requierment


Objectives and Contextualisation

Targets

  • Know first hand, and in a training and university environment, the public safety system of the Spanish State, its structure and competencies. It will serve students to understand how, from the design of the public safety model of a country, the risk prevention mechanisms are configured.  The guarantee of the rights and freedoms of citizenship is a fundamental strategy of every agent of public security. The background and evolution of the public safety system must be understood in order to be able to design and apply security public policies that are effective and guaranteed .
  • Understand the historical development of the concept of security by giving students knowledge about the organization and evolution of Public Administrations and their security competencies.
  • Unveil public safety systems in Spain and especially the public safety system in Catalonia.
  • Analyze and know the different police systems compared.
  • To specify the participation of the different police forces in the concept of public security.
  • Understand the importance of coordination in public safety. To know the bodies to develop coordination in this field.
  •  Understand the importance and the consequences of moving a broad concept of public safety to the different disciplines that impact.
  •  Transmit skills for the preparation of Preventive Plans and their coordination.
  • Promote preventive security and citizen participation.

Skills

  •  To assume the social, ethical and professional responsibility that is derived from the practice of the professional exercise.
  •  Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity by developing curiosity and creativity.
  •  Efficiently manage technology in security operations.
  •  Plan and coordinate the own resources of the three big subsystems that interact in the security: people, technology and infrastructures.
  •  Transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialized and non-specialized audiences.
  •  Work in inter-institutional and interprofessional networks.
  • Use the ability of analysis and synthesis to solve problems.

Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Be able to adapt to unexpected situations.
  • Efficiently manage technology in security operations.
  • Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and in professional activity developing curiosity and creativity.
  • Identify, manage and resolve conflicts.
  • Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
  • Plan and coordinate the resources of the three large subsystems that interact in questions of security: people, technology and infrastructures.
  • Respond to problems applying knowledge to practice.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use the capacity for analysis and synthesis to solve problems.
  • Work in institutional and interprofessional networks.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the sex- or gender-based inequalities and the gender biases present in one's own area of knowledge.
  2. Analyse the situation and identify the points that are best.
  3. Apply different management systems to public safety.
  4. Be able to adapt to unexpected situations.
  5. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern professional practice.
  6. Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and in professional activity developing curiosity and creativity.
  7. Identify, manage and resolve conflicts.
  8. Propose projects and actions that incorporate the gender perspective.
  9. Respond to problems applying knowledge to practice.
  10. Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  11. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  12. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  13. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  14. Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  15. Take decision relating to the contingencies involved in managing risks in public systems.
  16. Use the capacity for analysis and synthesis to solve problems.
  17. Work in institutional and interprofessional networks.

Content

BLOCK 1
Organization and evolution of Public Administrations and their security competencies. Historical evolution. Current situation
Principles of administrative action in matters of security. Spanish public safety systems compared.
Regulatory legislation.

BLOCK 2
The different police systems and their security competencies; study compared to them.
Regulatory legislation.

BLOCK 3
Coordination models and vertical integration. Types of coordination and coordination bodies of the public safety system in the different administrations.
Preventive coordination The impacts other disciplines on public safety.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Classes with TIC support 6 0.24 4, 3, 9, 6, 13, 12, 17
Evaluation 4 0.16 2, 6, 13, 11
Type: Supervised      
Discussion forums, resolution of practical cases, tests and tutorials. 24 0.96 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 9, 6, 7, 15, 8, 14, 13, 12, 10, 11, 17, 16
Type: Autonomous      
Resolution of practical cases. Realization of works. Personal study 116 4.64 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 9, 6, 7, 15, 8, 14, 13, 12, 10, 11, 17, 16

Teaching language: Spanish

The UAB Virtual Classroom (Moodle) platform will be used regularly for regular contacts with students, providing documentation, presentation and delivery of continuous assessment work.

The online methodology means that students must work individually on the content of the syllabus and that in the guided virtual sessions the doubts about the subject, the practical cases, the evaluation tests, etc. will be resolved.

A total of three sessions of two hours each are expected to be held during the course.

The teaching methodology will be adapted to the sessions organized through the TEAMS virtual meeting platform.

Tutorials with teachers will be arranged by email.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Delivery of exercises and work carried out by the students. (PEC) 60% 0 0 5, 1, 2, 3, 9, 6, 7, 15, 8, 14, 13, 12, 10, 11, 17, 16
Theoretical-practical individual tests: Exercises and / or written and / or oral exams that allow to assess the knowledge acquired by the student 40% 0 0 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 9, 7, 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 11, 16

Continuous assessment
 
 PEC 1: (equivalent to a total of 30% of the final grade)
 
 A research paper corresponding to the contents of Block 1 (the paper of a maximum length of 10 pages is equivalent to 10% of the final grade).
 
 Presentation of the research through the platform (it is equivalent to 10% of the final grade).
 
 Presentation of two exercises and an outline related to the content of the course (equivalent to 10% of the final grade).
 
 
 
 PEC 2: (equivalent to a total of 30% of the final grade)
 
 A research paper corresponding to the contents of Blocks 2 and 3 (the paper of a maximum length of 10 pages is equivalent to 10% of the final grade).
 
 Presentation of the research through the platform (it is equivalent to 10% of the final grade).
 
 Submission of two exercises and an outline related to the content of the course (equivalent to 10% of the final grade).
 
 
 
Final Continuous Assessment Test (Theoretical / Practical) consisting of 30 multiple-choice questions (equivalent to 30% of the final grade) and the resolution of a case study (equivalent to 10% of the final grade). Final grade weight: 40%.
 
The tests / exams may be written and / or oral at the discretion of the teacher.
 
The final evaluation exam or test will be face-to-face, except in exceptional situations that prevent it.
 
 
 
Single Evaluation
 
Students who opt for the single evaluation will take a final synthesis test of all the content of the course (40%) and will deliver or be evaluated of the PECs of the course (60%).
 
The date for this test and/or the deliveries of the subject will be the same scheduled in the timetable for the continuous evaluation exam.
 
The same recovery system will be applied as for the continuous evaluation.
 
 
 
Evaluation of the students in second or more summons
 
Students repeating the course will have to take the scheduled tests and exams and hand in the course work on the dates indicated in the Moodle classroom.
 
 
 
Recovery Exam
 
In case of not passing the course according to the criteria mentioned above (continuous evaluation), a recovery test may be taken on the date scheduled in the timetable, which will deal with all the contents of the program.
 
To participate in the recovery of the student must have been previously evaluated in a set of activities, the weight of which is equivalent to a minimum of two thirds of the total grade of the course.
 
However, the grade that will appear on the student's transcript is a maximum of 5-Approved.
 
The student who is repeating the course must follow the same evaluation criteria according to the guide.
 
 
 
Changing the date of a test or exam
 
Students who need to change an evaluation date must submit the request by filling out the document found in the EPSI Tutoring Moodle space.
 
Once the document has been filled in, it must be sent to the professor of the subject and to the coordination of the Degree. 
 
 
Revision
 
At the time of each evaluation activity, the faculty will inform the students of the grade review mechanisms.
 
For single evaluation students, the review process will be the same.
 
 
Other considerations - Plagiarism
 
Without prejudice to other disciplinary measures deemed appropriate, and in accordance with current academic regulations, "in the event that the student performs any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an act of evaluation, this act of evaluation will be graded with a 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instigated. in the event that several irregularities occur in the acts of evaluation of the same subject, the final grade of this subject will be 0 ".
 
If there are supervening circumstances that prevent the normal development of the subject, the faculty may modify both the methodology and the evaluation of the subject.
 
If during the correction there are indications that an activity or work has been done with answers assisted by artificial intelligence, the teacher may complement the activity with a personal interview to corroborate the authorship of the text.
 

Use of IA

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted at any stage. Any work that includes AI-generated content will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total penalty in the activity's grade, or more severe sanctions in serious cases.

 

Bibliography

Bibliography:

• Aguado i Cudolà, Vicenç: “Derecho de la Seguridad Pública y Privada”, ed. Aranzadi, Navarra, 2007.

• Barcelona Llop, J ,: “Police and Constitution, Ed. Tecnos, 1997.

• Gonzalo Jar, Couselo: “Comparative models of police”, ed. Dykinson, S.L., 2000

 Documents you will find on the internet:

• Díaz Villalba, LM: “Reflections on the evolution of the concept of Security” at: http://revistas.javeriana.edu.co/sitio/papelpolitico/admin/upload/uploads/9%20reflexiones.pdf

• Framework Document 05/2011: “The evolution of the concept of Security” (June 2011). Spanish Institute of Strategic Studies. Ministry of Defense. http://www.ieee.es/Galerias/fichero/docs_marco/2011/DIEEEM05-2011EvolucionConceptoSeguridad.pdf

 

• Guillen Lasierra, F: “Police and Security Models”; Doctoral thesis, UAB, 2015. https://www.tdx.cat/bitstream/handle/10803/291813/fgl1de1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

 

• E. Soto Silva, "Elements for the elaboration of a book of National Defense. Comparative analysis of white papers and strategies of national security of European and continental countries", Journal of Studies in International Security, Vol. 2, no. 2, (2016), pp. 57-100. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18847/1.4.4

 

• María del Carmen Girón Tomás: “The law of national security in Spain: the security of the countries in international key. Analysis of the law of national security in Spain like law of integral security”, in Notebooks of Strategy 313, Ministry of Defense. http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee/article/view/313

 

• Arteaga Martín, Félix (2008) The reform of the security sector: proposal in its incardination in the Spanish policy of defense, in the work “The reform of the security sector: the nexus between the security, the development and the good government”VVAA, Strategy Notebooks 138, Ministry of Defense. http://www.ieee.es/Galerias/fichero/cuadernos/CE_138_Reforma_Sector_Seguridad.pdf

 

 Websites of interest:

o Spanish Constitution http://www.congreso.es/consti/

o Ministry of the Interior. Spain. http://www.interior.gob.es/es/web/interior/el-ministerio

or Institute of Public Security of Catalonia: http://ispc.gencat.cat/ca/

International organizations: 

 


Software

It's not necessary.


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(TE) Theory 1 Spanish first semester afternoon