Z02E - Police

Police 
The history of the Portuguese police stretches back into the 14th century with the establishment in 1383 of a force of constables, or “Quadrilheiros”, a somewhat inefficient organisation that nevertheless held the reigns of law in its hand for almost four hundred years. The problems created by the earthquake of 1755 accentuated the shortcomings of the existing forces of law and order, and on the 25th of July 1760 a new force was created and operated for the first time under the title Police. Later under the Marquis of Pombal the force filled a political rather than strictly law enforcement role, and in the years that followed the police force was remodelled many times, at times fulfilling a political role and at others acting in a military capacity. The creation of a purely civil police force had to wait until the final years of the 19th Century. 

Today the dichotomy still exists, and the present police force comprises of two main distinct divisions. Both bear arms: 

PSP 
The dark blue uniformed PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública) are a civilian force and are responsible for keeping law and order in the cities and on urban roads in all situations not regarded grave enough for military intervention. They are closely associated with the Polícia Judiciária (or plain-clothes police) who deal specifically with criminal investigation and victims of crime.

GNR 
The Guarda Nacional Republicana, with their grey uniforms, operates in times of peace jointly under the Ministry for Internal Administration and the Ministry of National Defense. In times of crisis or war they operate solely under the wing of the Armed forces of Portugal. Ranks within this force are military. 

The force was created in 1911 with the responsibility for all rural areas. The three main divisions within the GNR are as follows: 

• The Brigada Territorial which oversees general maintenance of the law in rural areas. They act in these areas to prevent illegal acts and assist the legal authorities and criminal police. They also watch points of entry into the country and are responsible in states of both human and natural disaster. 

• The Brigada de Trânsito which has especial responsibility for maintaining law and order on the country and national roads. 

• The Brigada Fiscal, with authority over the National territory and Maritime zone, exists to prevent fraud and other fiscal crimes. They may also serve as customs officers and coastguards, and in some small coastal communities even take on a wider police role. 

• On the 15th of January 2001 a service for the protection of the Environment was created within the GNR, which is known by the acronym SEPNA. SEPNA (Serviço de Proteção da Natureza e do Ambiente) officers have as their brief the prevention and investigation of crimes against the environment (illegal storing of toxic wastes, water pollution etc.). 

The GNR, PSP and PJ will have new units to deal with the powers they will inherit from the Foreign Service and borders (SEF), which will be abolished and will give rise to the Agency for integration of migration and asylum (AIMA).

Polícia Judiciária
Polícia Judiciária is designated as a "service of criminal prevention and investigation, auxiliary to the justice administration organised under the umbrella of the Ministry of Justice”. This arm of the Portuguese justice works mainly with crime such as homicides, missing people, drug trafficking, criminal network, influence peddling and corruption, terrorist organisations, stolen art, etc. and cooperates with the international policies such as Interpol and Europol.

Polícia Judiciária has, with the remaining police forces, a process of operational cooperation to fight drug trafficking, based on the sharing of information, cooperation between forces, operational coordination and joint intervention.

Polícia Florestal 
In addition to the two main forces there are other forces that fulfil various policing roles. One of the principals amongst these is the Forestry Police force (Polícia Florestal). They exist as an auxiliary force under the direction of the Regional Forestry Commission. Their remit consists of policing, hunting and fishing in forests and inland waters as well as ensuring observance of all pertinent laws. They are also responsible for the prevention, control, and investigation of forest fires. They are bound to protect both the workers and products of the forests. 

Unfortunately, they are currently grossly undermanned with numbers still falling. Hence many of their duties have been assumed by the GNR. So, in the case of the ever-present disputes between householders and hunters the complainants will generally be referred to the GNR. It is however worth contacting the local officer of the Forestry Police at the same time www.icnf.pt , as these officers are keen to catalogue the effectiveness of any action taken by their GNR counterparts, in the interests of preserving their role. 

To contact the police: 

National Emergency Number (for any emergency) – please call 112