The Polícia de Segurança Pública MHTE ( PSP ; Public Security Police ) is the national civil police force of Portugal . Part of the Portuguese security forces, the mission of the PSP is to defend Republican democracy, safeguarding internal security and the rights of its citizens. Despite many other functions, the force is generally known for policing urban areas with uniformed police officers, while rural areas are normally policed by National Republican Guard (GNR) , the country's national gendarmerie force. PSP is focused in preventive policing, only investigating minor crimes. Investigation of serious crimes falls under the Judicial Police responsibility, which is a separate agency.
49-651: Since October 2023, the PSP is now in charge of controlling the Portuguese borders (alongside the GNR), with the dissolution of the SEF force. Like most of Europe, until the Middle Ages the defence of public order was the responsibility of local communities, under the authority of feudal lords and courts. In Portugal, there are few references to the administration of justice until the second half of
98-555: A police station and because of that, by metonymy , the police stations are usually referred to as esquadras in Portugal. Besides the previous, there are also specialized squads (transit, criminal investigation, intervention, airport security, tourism support, etc.). The minor territorial commands (district commands of Beja, Bragança, Castelo Branco, Évora, Guarda, Portalegre and Viana do Castelo) are directly sub-divided in squads. They usually include two or more territorial generic squads,
147-411: A corps to maintain public security in each of the administrative districts of the country. Until this period, the laws, decrees and dispatches that were published provided better results in thefts and murders. The guards and judges, however, felt they were betrayed by threats and reprisals, which resulted in a demoralization of the profession. To remedy this situation, King Luis ordered the publication of
196-477: A given area of responsibility) or specialized (transit, criminal investigation, airport security, installations security or public transportation security). The municipal police of Lisbon and Porto are also manned by PSP members, who retain all their police powers. However, they are not under the operational command of the PSP, but are instead under the direct control of the municipal governments of Lisbon and Porto . These two police forces are thus different from
245-476: A justification for the subsequent era of slave trade and European colonialism. When the campaigns in Africa were over, Afonso V found new grounds for battle in neighboring Castile . On 11 December 1474 King Henry IV of Castile died without a male heir, leaving just one daughter, Joanna . However, her paternity was questioned; it was rumored that his wife, Queen Joan of Portugal (Afonso's sister) had an affair with
294-447: A label over their doors to identify them, and that the King should confer on them special privileges, such as sitting at the council table. King John IV of Portugal provided a new charter, and a decree on 29 November 1644, forced them (under terrible sanctions) to serve the public, working in the day and evenings. By the first half of the 18th century, little had improved. There continued to be
343-480: A lack of policing, resulting in leis in 1701, 1702 and 1714. As new circuits were created to blanket the city, many of the criminals were aware that the laws transformed the situation into forgettable enclaves. The Quadrilheiros continued to be a poor class, due to their limitations, resulting in poor public order. After the 1755 Lisbon earthquake new laws and resolutions were established to maintain public order and reduce anarchy. Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo ,
392-592: A law that founded a corps of civil police (2 July 1867). With the formation of the Corpo de Polícia Civil , the foundations were laid for creating the Public Security Police. In July 2024, the PSP assisted French law enforcement by sending officers to Paris to protect the city for the Olympics with National Republican Guard troops. The PSP has the following police roles and responsibilities: The Public Security Police
441-575: A level of respectability to the department. Around the same time, the Guarda Real de Polícia (Police Royal Guard) was founded on 25 December 1801, a militarized cavalry corps. While correctional "houses" were established, the Polícia Sanitária (Sanitary Police) was established to curb prostitution. The Casa Pia de Lisboa was founded to collect abandoned children. As the Police Royal Guard
490-418: A logo with the national colors on the front side panels. For the traffic patrol vehicles there is a variant, which intermediates red stripes with the blue ones and has the wording "TRÂNSITO" (transit) on the rear side panels. Another variant of the livery is its negative version (blue, with the stripes and wording in white) to be applied in vans and special vehicles. The three variants have been applied to most of
539-517: A new secret police was reestablished, the Polícia Preventiva (Preventative Police force). On 21 August 1826 the Guarda Real de Polícia was discontinued. On 8 November 1833, the position of Intendente-Geral was discontinued with José António Maria de Sousa e Azevedo. All the services of the police, from this period, were transferred to the prefects (later civil governors), of which the Prefect of
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#1732844115728588-603: A nobleman named Beltrán de La Cueva . The death of Henry ignited a war of succession , with one faction supporting Joanna and the other supporting Isabella , Henry's half-sister. Afonso V was persuaded to intervene on behalf of Joanna, his niece. He betrothed himself to her, proclaimed himself king of Castile and led troops into the kingdom. Because of their close blood-relationship, a formal marriage had to wait for papal dispensation. On 12 May 1475 Afonso entered Castile with an army of 5,600 cavalry and 14,000 foot soldiers. In March 1476, after several skirmishes and much maneuvering,
637-643: A period of political confusion caused by the Liberal Wars , the Guarda Real de Polícia was substituted by the Guarda Municipal (Municipal Guard), currently represented by the GNR, then created by Pereira do Carmo. In this entanglement of police institutions, many times contradictory, the Guarda Nacional was dissolved in 1846. Yet, the inconsistency of public security resulted in the 22 February 1838 law, that created
686-547: A transit squad, a criminal investigation squad and an intervention and inspection squad. In the major territorial commands (metropolitan commands, regional commands and district commands of Aveiro, Braga Coimbra, Faro, Leiria, Santarém, Setúbal, Vila Real and Viseu) there is, however, an intermediate level of sub-unit between them and the squad, this being the division. These commands are thus organized in two or more divisions, each including several squads. The divisions can be generic (named "police divisions" and being responsible for
735-455: Is headed by a National Director, who is under the dependency of the Minister of Internal Administration. Its internal organization includes the following components: The regional and district commands have territorial jurisdiction over, respectively, the corresponding autonomous regions and districts . Despite their designations, the territorial jurisdictions of the metropolitan commands are not
784-615: The Marquess of Pombal , found it necessary to create an organism to centralize all laws. By law, on 25 June 1760, he created the Intendência da Polícia da Corte e do Reino (Police Quartermaster of the Court and the Kingdom), and the position of Intendente-Geral da Polícia da Corte e do Reino (Quartermaster-General), with unlimited jurisdiction. The first Quartermaster-General was Inácio Ferreira Souto, at
833-528: The Province of Estremadura , Bento Pereira do Carmo, stands out. The police prerogatives of this position remained temporary and territorial, influenced by prefects, general administrators and later civil governors. On 18 April 1835, the kingdom was divided into 17 administrative districts, with a civil governor for each district, and divided into municipalities, civil parishes and ecclesiastical parishes. The civil governors were responsible for public security. During
882-1031: The Skoda Octavia has been the principal model of patrol car used by the Public Security Police. Since 2018 PSP is receiving hundreds of Renault Captur patrol vehicles, many equipped with Federal Signal push bumpers , to replace older patrol cars. However, a number of other models are also in service, including Nissan Leaf , Renault Zoe , Fiat Tipo , Toyota Avensis and Toyota RAV4 jeeps. Single apprehended Audi R8 , BMW i8 , Porsche 996 Turbo and Subaru Impreza Prodrive are used as special pursuit cars. Ground speed radar equipped Toyota Avensis and Volkswagen Sharan minivans are used for traffic enforcement, such as some Audi A4 3.0 TDI and Bmw 335i unmarked patrol cars , while some Toyota Hilux pickup trucks and Land Rover Defender jeeps are used for patrolling non urban and mountainous areas. A huge number vans are also in service, including newer Mercedes-Benz Metris and Sprinter (with flip down wire shield across
931-515: The metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto but are instead the districts of Lisbon and Porto . The squad ( esquadra in Portuguese) is the traditional basic police sub-unit of the PSP, each being usually headed by a Sub-Commissioner. Most of the squads are responsible for the generic territorial preventive policing of a given area of responsibility , which can be a neighbourhood of a large city or an entire small city. Each of these squads occupies
980-491: The 15th century. With the reign of King Afonso V (under the regency of Infante Pedro ) came the first ordinances and penal codes, known as the Ordenações Afonsinas . These ordinances were reissued during the reign of King John I in 1514, after various changes under Manuel I . Some of the early judicial measures came from the early nobles. Afonso Henriques ordered the incarceration of women who lived with elements of
1029-558: The 8,000 men of Afonso and Prince João , faced a Castilian force of similar size in the Battle of Toro . The Castilians were led by Isabella's husband, Prince Ferdinand II of Aragon , Cardinal Mendoza and the Duke of Alba . The fight was fierce and confusing but the result was a stalemate: While the forces of Cardinal Mendoza and the Duke of Alba won over their opponents led by the Portuguese king—who left
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#17328441157281078-592: The Portuguese government. Later, Joseph issued a royal decree dated September 16, 1769, in which he elevated the Count of Oeiras to the dignity of a marquisate as the Marquis of Pombal ( Portuguese : Marquês de Pombal ). ”Nobreza de Portugal e do Brasil" – Vol. III, pages 68/69 and 133/152. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon 1989. 38°43′31″N 9°09′01″W / 38.72530°N 9.15024°W / 38.72530; -9.15024 This article about Portuguese history
1127-433: The all blue body (used by most of the vans and special vehicles) and several special police programs (Safe School, Tourism support, etc.) liveries. A restored Volkswagen Beetle historical patrol car - kept for use in ceremonies and exhibitions - is anachronistically painted with the 1979-1991 livery, instead of the original livery used by the PSP in the 1960s and 1970s, which consisted in a blue body and grey mudguards, with
1176-651: The assistance of King Louis XI in his fight against Castile. But finding himself deceived by the French monarch, he returned to Portugal in 1477. Disillusioned, he abdicated for a few days in November 1477 in favor of his son John II, then after returning to the throne, he retired to a monastery in Sintra , where he died in 1481. Afonso married, firstly, in 1447, his first cousin Isabella of Coimbra , with whom he had three children: After
1225-603: The battlefield to take refuge in Castronuño —the troops commanded by Prince John defeated and persecuted the troops of the Castilian right wing and recovered the Portuguese royal standard, remaining ordered in the battlefield where they collected the fugitives of Afonso. Both sides claimed victory, but Afonso's prospects for obtaining the Castilian crown were severely damaged. After the battle, Afonso sailed to France hoping to obtain
1274-516: The category of chief is made through the promotion from the category of agent, after the conclusion of a specific course also at the EPP. The access to the officer category requires a previous graduation from the Higher Institute of Police Sciences and Internal Security (ISCPSI), a university -level police academy . The various categories, ranks, insignia and respective main functions are: Since 2004,
1323-557: The churches, monasteries and "privileged" lands. These privileged lands became areas of thieves and criminals, which resulted in King John extinguishing these areas. This was also something that King Fernando did with bairros , and only churches and convents became sanctuaries. The first corps of police agents, the Quadrilheiros , was created by Fernando I, on 12 September 1383, consisting of 20 members, who were recruited by force from
1372-487: The clergy, while in the era of Afonso II, under the influence of Visigothic codes and Roman law resulted in the appearance of the first general laws. Similarly, Afonso III punished anyone who assaulted and robbed the home of another. King Pedro I , the Just , decreed that anyone who falsified coins, gold or silver objects would have their hands and feet amputated. However, criminals were provided shelters by which to flee justice:
1421-505: The conquests. The king's army conquered Alcácer Ceguer in 1458 and Arzila in 1471. Tangiers , on the other hand, was won and lost several times between 1460 and 1464. These achievements granted the king the nickname of the African or Africano . After the capture of Alcácer Ceguer in 1458, Afonso gave himself the title "king of Portugal and the Algarves", where the plural form of Algarve
1470-428: The crown. The country prospered under his rule, but not peacefully, as his laws interfered with the ambitions of powerful nobles. Afonso, Count of Barcelos, a personal enemy of the Duke of Coimbra (despite being his half-brother), eventually became the king's favourite uncle and began a constant struggle for power. In 1442, the king made his uncle Afonso the first Duke of Braganza . With this title and its lands, he became
1519-457: The death of his wife in 1455, he had at least one child out of wedlock with Maria Soares da Cunha, daughter of Afonso's major valet, Fernao de Sa Alcoforado: English Non-English Marquess of Pombal Count of Oeiras ( Portuguese : Conde de Oeiras ) was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated July 15, 1759, by King Joseph I of Portugal , and granted to Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo , Chief Minister of
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1568-577: The laws of Fernando I, Edward and Afonso V. To compensate the diminishing benefits of their service, the Quadrilheiros were exempt from paying taxes or military service. Sebastian also ordered that Lisbon be divided into barrios, and that each should be administered by an official of justice, with discretionary powers. On 12 March 1603, King Philip II ordered new regulations for the Quadrilheiros to reinforce their authority. The Lisbon Council, on 30 January 1617, determined that Quadrilheiros should have
1617-574: The legacy of his father Edward and grandfather John I . In 1469, Afonso Vgranted Fernão Gomes the monopoly of trade in the Gulf of Guinea. In 1452, Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas , which granted Afonso V the right to reduce "Saracens, pagans and any other unbelievers" to hereditary slavery. This was reaffirmed and extended in the Romanus Pontifex bull of 1455 (also by Nicholas V). These papal bulls came to be seen by some as
1666-429: The monarch. He was only six years old when he succeeded his father in 1438. During his minority, Afonso was placed under the regency of his mother, Eleanor, in accordance with the will left by his late father. As both a foreigner and a woman, the queen was not a popular choice for regent. When the cortes met in late 1438, a law was passed requiring a joint regency consisting of Eleanor and Pedro, Duke of Coimbra ,
1715-480: The most powerful man in Portugal and one of the richest men in Europe. To secure his position as regent, Pedro had Afonso marry his daughter, Isabella of Coimbra , in 1445. On 9 June 1448, when the king came of age, Pedro had to surrender his powers to Afonso V. The years of conspiracy by the Duke of Braganza finally came to a head. On 15 September of the same year, Afonso V nullified all the laws and edicts approved under
1764-568: The old Criminal Judge for the Bairro do Castelo de S. Jorge , Diogo Inácio de Pina Manique , Intendente-Geral. Instructed in laws at the University of Coimbra, he became a powerful chief: he began by expunging the police services of criminal elements, and took advantage of all laws to arrest all criminals or suspects in the Alfama , Mouraria , Bairro Alto and Madragoa , reorganizing the services and bringing
1813-425: The regency. In the following year, led by what were later discovered to be false accusations, Afonso declared Pedro a rebel and defeated his army in the Battle of Alfarrobeira , in which his uncle (and father-in-law) was killed. Afonso V then turned his attentions to North Africa. During the reign of his grandfather John I , Ceuta had been conquered from the king of Morocco , and now the new king wanted to expand
1862-617: The responsibility. For most, these services were intolerable, with little prestige, at various times resulting in bruises and wounds in the execution of their tasks. Owing to this, by 1418, these constables were not required to circle the town. Later, Afonso V provided the Quadrilheiros , on 10 June 1460, with several social and economic privileges. However, these would disappear over time. Even as Afonso V put into action other laws, regulations, advisories and ordinances, many were ineffective. King Sebastian promulgated laws on 31 January 1559, 17 January 1570, 12 July and 13 August 1571, to reinforce
1911-514: The rest of the municipal police forces of the country, which are made of municipal employees with very limited police powers. As of 2019, the entry level salary for a police officer in the PSP is 789 euros a month. PSP police personnel is divided into three categories: officers, chiefs and agents. The access to the agent category requires the conclusion of a technical course in the Practical School of Police (EPP) at Torres Novas . The access to
1960-510: The same time that the term polícia (police) was commonly used, and the Quadrilheiros were relegated to the evenings. However, this foundation did little to resolve criminal issues, and locks on doors, grades on windows and blunderbusses beside the bed continued to be important. The Intendente-Geral was preoccupied with pursuing those who spoke badly of the King, Government or Pombal himself. Between 1760 and 1780, chaos persisted. By decree, on 18 January 1780, Queen Maria I of Portugal named
2009-491: The strongest physical men, to serve Lisbon. These men were subject to the town council for three years, and required to swear fealty and carry a weapon (a staff), which they would display at their homes, representing a symbol of their authority to arrest and direct criminals to the Corregedores (magistrates). Since these men never received payment for their services, and since these activities were dangerous, most chose to escape
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2058-405: The successive introduction of new liveries which however are usually only applied to new vehicles, with the existing ones keeping the original old ones. The most recent livery for the PSP vehicles was introduced in 2014. The basic version of this livery consists in a white body with diagonal blue stripes, the wording "POLÍCIA" (police) in blue sans-serif lettering in the sides, rear and bonnet and
2107-440: The vehicles acquired after 2014. However, other vehicles carry older or not standard liveries, namely the 2004 livery (similar to the 2014 livery, but with the wording "POLICIA" in serif letters - which are inclined in the sides - and the PSP coat of arms instead of the national colors logo), the 1991 livery (blue body with doors, trunk and bonnet in white and crossed by red stripes), the 1979 livery (blue body with white front doors),
2156-400: The windscreen) and Citroën Berlingo to prisoners transport . The Special Police Unit uses several special vehicles, including MAN tow trucks , Iveco water cannons and armored vehicles, such as two Ford Streit and some Volkswagen Sharan (with flip down wire shield across the windscreen and Federal Signal front push bumper ). PSP vehicles have some lack of uniform appearance due to
2205-463: The word "POLÍCIA" on the doors. Afonso V of Portugal Afonso V ( Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈfõsu] ; 15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African ( Portuguese : o Africano ), was king of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Africa . Afonso
2254-401: The younger brother of the late king. The dual regency was a failure and in 1439, the cortes named Pedro "protector and guardian" of the king and "ruler and defender" of the kingdom. Eleanor attempted to resist, but without support in Portugal she fled to Castile. Pedro's main policies were concerned with restricting the political power of the great noble houses and expanding the powers of
2303-456: Was born in Sintra , the second son of King Edward of Portugal by his wife Eleanor of Aragon . Following the death of his older brother, Infante João (1429–1433), Afonso acceded to the position of heir apparent and was made the first Prince of Portugal by his father, who sought to emulate the English court's custom of a dynastic title that distinguished the heir apparent from the other children of
2352-615: Was meant to refer to both the original Kingdom of the Algarve in southern Portuguese as well as the new territories in Africa. The king also supported the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean led by Prince Henry the Navigator , but after Henry's death in 1460, he did nothing to continue Henry's work. Administratively, Afonso V was a passive king. He chose not to pursue the revision of laws or development of commerce, preferring instead to preserve
2401-681: Was overwhelmed with customs supervision, the Guarda das Barreiras was created, later to be replaced by the Guarda das Alfândegas (Customs Guard). In 1808 the General Loison, at the behest of the Quartermaster-General of the Royal Guard Police, established a Polícia Secreta (Secret Police). In 1823, the Liberal government established the Guarda Nacional (National Guard) and on 23 June 1824,
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