agencias/fuerzas del orden
feminine, plural
The English phrase 'law enforcement' can be translated into Spanish as agencias/fuerzas del orden or cuerpos/órganos policiales/policíacos/policiacos.
Meaning: various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| agencias/fuerzas del orden | feminine, plural |
| cuerpos/órganos policiales/policíacos/policiacos | masculine, plural |
These terms refer to the various government agencies involved in preventing crime and apprehending criminals. While these terms describe the concept of law enforcement, in everyday speech, people often simply use la policía to refer to the concept of law enforcement.
Which one should you use?
The form agencias/fuerzas del orden is feminine and plural, whereas cuerpos/órganos policiales/policíacos/policiacos is masculine and plural.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Chile, Carabineros is the specific name used for both the national military police and the uniformed traffic police.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, when referring to law enforcement as a general concept or a specific group, the definite article las or los is typically required.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, you might hear someone say ya llegó la ley to mean 'the law has arrived', using 'the law' as a personification for the arrival of law enforcement.
- The term orden público (public order) is often used as shorthand in Latin America to describe the specific deployment of law enforcement during civil unrest.
- While policial is the standard term in Spain, Mexico and other parts of Latin America frequently use the variation policíaco.
Examples in context
- Es importante llamar a la policía si presencias algún delito.It’s important to call the police if you witness any crime.
- No me llevo bien con la pasma.I don't get along well with the police.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “law enforcement” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
