Thousands of Spanish police officers have marched through Madrid to call for higher wages.
Unions representing Spain's national police force say their members are paid 30% less than police employed by regional governments and that they are being forced to work up to 12 hours a day.
The Interior Ministry said it did not have the means to provide what the police were asking for.
Spain slipped into recession in the second half of 2008 and the government has announced spending plans totalling Â70 billion to put the economy back on track.
