The Canary Islands are an Autonomous Community that is part of Spain They are not a nation,per se, and are not listed on nation lists for purpose of internet research. Thus the analysis here must be incomplete. The 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain are similar in their relationship to Spain as Hawaii is to the United States. Canarians are Spanish citizens and the Constitution of Spain fully applies to them. The Islands exercise the right to self-government recognized by the Spanish Constitution. The main difference between the Islands and Spain, proper, is that the islands are a tax-free trading zone. This was a decision made by Isabel II because of the economic misery of the Islands.

INCIDENCE OF CRIME

Considering that the major industry in the Canary Islands is tourism, robbery is a common problem. Handbag snatching and car theft happen frequently. Another sizable problem in the Canary islands is the increasing amount of illegal immigration. Most of the migrants come from Morocco and sub-Saharan countries like Cameroon, Togo, Ghana and Guinea-Bissau. Most are men. Thousands of people from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa try to enter Spain illegally every year, seeking either make a living in Spain or make their way farther north to other European countries. The Spanish government says the number of people caught entering Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, an island farther north, reached 4,000 last year, nearly double the previous year. In year 2002, by late March, more than 1,500 had been caught. Spain's ruling conservative government is planning to introduce tougher immigration laws to reduce the number of north Africans landing illegally in the south of the country. The government said the current law, passed by opposition parties, was too soft and has led to an increase in the number of illegal immigrants trying to enter the country. The legislation would take effect from January 2003 and would authorize the expulsion of immigrants refused permission to stay in Spain. Under the proposed immigration law, migrants would still be entitled to receive medical care and education, those without residency papers would be banned from attending demonstrations, joining unions or striking. Problems with the current policies have been brought to public attention by the Human Rights Watch group.

THE POLICE

The police forces include three main groups, the Policia Local, the Guardia Civil, and the Policia National. The duties of the forces are mutually supportive. The Local Police take care of local citizens, patrolling beaches, streets, control traffic and handle minor offences, complaints and lost and found. Police National man the emergency telephone numbers. When accidents, fires or robberies occur they send the appropriate force for the job. Guardia Civil investigates crimes and are responsible for drug enforcement, customs and controls, murder investigations, crime investigations, public assistance, rural protection and function as military police. The Guardia Civil was the first public security force to be created at a national level in Spain.

COURTS

The Supreme Court of Justice in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, exercises the Judicial Power. It is the highest judicial body in the Islands. Appeals against its resolutions are only possible in the cases and under the conditions fixed by law to the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court of Spain. The Supreme Court is also the incumbent body to judge in trials against the President, the Members of the Government or Members of Parliament.

DETENTION

The Human Rights Watch group said that the migrants they interviewed could not recall having been provided an interpreter or a translator. They also said they were never given standard information, oral or written, on their rights in Spain, either in Spanish or in a language they could understand. Spanish law requires the provision of a lawyer and interpreter to migrants who have been arrested or taken into police custody and judicial oversight for all cases in which migrants will be deprived of their liberty for more than seventy-two hours. Spanish law also requires that migrants detained for violations of the foreigners' law have access to translation and interpretation services prior to and during detention in an "internment facility" and to information about administrative and judicial decisions pertaining to them in a language they understand. In addition, authorities must provide migrants with information about the place in which they are being detained, including information on their rights.