2015 Spanish Public Security Law : the Expansion of Security Society to Governing Public Order

On March 30, 2015, was enacted the new Spanish Public Security Act which entered into force on July 1. This Law, nicknamed the "Gag Law" (Ley mordaza) by critics, is one of the most controversial Laws in Spain. The reform was an important step forward in extending the regulatory mechanisms for the control of public safety to the control of "public order". As a result, the risk for the violation of rights is being increased. More specifically, this article will focus on the changes promoted by the reform of the Public Security Organic Act in 2015 and will analyze the first available data on the application of this Law. Secondly, we will address a specific issue that we consider crucial from the point of view of the protection of guarantees and freedoms, the problems raised by police discretion in the security society.

To conclude, finally, it will develop some cautions and the need to put limits to authoritarian and restrictive interventions in the preventive control of public safety to guarantee the protection of fundamental rights. [Publisher's text].