During the initial stage of French domination in Spain (1812-1814) a Barcelona Police Board was set up, headed by Ramon Casanovas. It replicated the French police system and its goal was to prevent uproar against the invaders.

Napoleon divided Catalonia into four departments, set up the French Civil Regime and the common administration, and additionally reorganised the police of the principality in accordance with his own model.

In 1840 there was a need in Barcelona for an organised surveillance force to ensure compliance with ordinances. Hygiene had been greatly overlooked in neighbourhoods and posed major problems for such a densely populated major city confined within the walls.

In spite of this, the 1812 Constitution did not consider the organisation of any local police force. The police scene was composed of regional or countywide police forces that were just an extension of the army.

It was at this stage that the City Council, by means of the resolution dated 8 April 1840, appointed a retired army captain, Mr Mateo Brun, as commander of a Guardia Municipal, a police force that would amass all the various bodies, although the details remained unknown until some years later.

On 21 July 1841, councillor Manuel Torrents suggested the City Council organise a force that would be available around the clock, grouping the various dispersed bodies that were attached to the City Hall. This force would gather the night watchmen, the avenue guards, the street-lamp lighters, the brigade workers, the macebearers and the guards watching the oil tanks for the street lamps. In order to carry out their unusual tasks, these men wore uniforms and some were armed.

Compiled information indicates that the Guardia did not undergo a major period of organisation prior to 1843. Consequently, Mr Mateo Brun did not fulfil his duties.

The Guardia Municipal was created on 26 November 1843 during the term of mayor Josep Bertran Ros. Mr José Planellas Simón was appointed as commander.

The Guardia Municipal was directly attached to the major’s office and its regulations stated that one of its missions was to preserve calm in the community. It stated: "If disturbances, quarrels or rows break out during surveillance of streets and squares, the peaceful residents shall be protected".

In the space of a few years, several names had been attached to this initial Guardia Municipal according to the policy methods and trends. They were called the Civic Guards, the Urban Lifesavers and the Municipal Guards.

However, these municipal guards were not taken seriously. Many of their members were foreign people and so the more satirical gave them the nickname Sánchez, pronouncing it Chanchez, and their shako and sabre were used in caricatures. They came to form part of Catalan comedies at the time. In comic sketches they were the authority who imposed order.

At the start the Municipales Guards were armed with a sabre and gun, a rifle and even a bayonet. However, the decision was made to disarm them stemming from the events which took place during the tragic week in 1909.

1856 saw the creation of the mounted section, which was based on the ground floor of the Town Hall in Plaça Sant Jaume. The first contingent had ten posts. Its goal was to carry out surveillance over the ports of the city, which at the time was still enclosed by the walls; to assist in collecting revenue from consumption; to disperse gangs of dangerous people who loitered at night; and to prevent stone fights, a practice that was popular among groups of children at the time.

This force first took to the streets on 19 November 1859 on the occasion of the saint’s day of Isabella II. They made a huge impression on the citizens of Barcelona on account of their uniform and the public soon came to grow fond of them.

In addition to their acclaimed involvement in the Carrousel, in which they show off their conquering abilities, the “plume guards”, as they were commonly known, had specific missions, such as surveillance in the outskirts of the city – particularly in the mountain areas such as Les Planes, the areas of El Laberint, Horta, Torre Baró and Arrabassada; they were active in major gatherings; they carried out surveillance in gardens; they prevented secret constructions and were involved in uncovering criminals’ hide-outs.