The Buenos Aires Provincial Police (Spanish: Policía de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, informally Policía Bonaerense) is the police service responsible for policing the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina.
It is one of the biggest police services of Argentina, responsible for policing a province of over 15 million inhabitants, about 38% of Argentina's entire population. The Federal Capital district of Buenos Aires city is under the separate jurisdiction of the Buenos Aires City Police.
The institution is usually referred to as Policía Bonaerense, where bonaerense is the demonym for the Province of Buenos Aires. This contrasts with porteño, used for the inhabitants of the Buenos Aires city.
This police force is subordinate to the Provincial Ministry of Security headed by Javier Alonso.[3]
Until January 2005, the Buenos Aires Police used the same rank system as employed by the Federal Police and other Argentine provincial police forces. This system consisted of seventeen ranks, of which nine were for (commissioned) officers and eight were for sub-officers (including the basic rank of agent). A new and simplified rank system was established through passage of a law governing police personnel.
This system officially abolished the distinction between (commissioned) officers and sub-officers. It instituted a rank system consisting of the following nine ranks, listed in descending order:
As of 2009, a new law modified the police ranks and established some variations (Ley 13.982/09).[4] It establishes different personnel rankings ("Escalafones" as they are called in Spanish), which relate to operational responsibilities:
The current levels for the Command sub-ranking are (ten levels) in descending order:
Comisario General
Comisario Mayor
Comisario Inspector
Comisario
Subcomisario
Oficial Principal
Oficial Inspector
Oficial Subinspector
Oficial Ayudante
Oficial Subayudante
The General sub-ranking defines seven levels (the general sub-ranking is subordinate to the commando sub-ranking, so its highest ranking is subordinate to the lowest ranking of commando officers):
Mayor (Major)
Capitán (Captain)
Teniente 1ro. (First Lieutenant)
Teniente (Lieutenant)
Subteniente (Sublieutenant)
Sargento (Sergeant)
Oficial (Officer)
Both the Commando and General rankings represent the sworn officers (armed personnel). The other rankings constitute the support staff. For the Professional, Technical and Administrative sub-rankings, the levels of the Commando sub-ranking is employed. The subordinate relationship between the subrankings makes the Commando ranking the highest group over all.
