Spain: Plan to "combat criminality":
01 August 2002
President Aznar presented the so-called Plan to Combat Criminality on 12 September 2002, a few days after he stated that he was "going to sweep criminality off the streets". The range of measures envisaged include: making the criminal code tougher; a higher proportion of sentences to be served, with the suppression of prison benefit regimes and an increased use of provisional imprisonment; the expulsion of foreigners involved in crimes or offences entailing sentences of under six years; an increase in numbers of judges and prosecutors; speedy trials; the contracting of 20,000 police officers and Guardia Civil (paramilitary police force) officers over the next three years.