Pressure on police to channel fines into the State’s coffers has led one station commander to penalise agents who don’t bring in at least two fines a month, writes national tabloid Correio da Manhã.
The situation at Estarreja GNR station, in the Beira Litoral, has “provoked indignation” among the ranks, with some policemen even going as far as requesting transfers.
Penalties involve men being banned from changing shifts with colleagues – a practice that is commonplace within the service.
Estarreja’s commandant is said to have stuck a document on the bulletins board showing “all the operational activity of men under his command”.
“The names of agents who have not managed this minimum (of two fines per month) are underlined in blue, and the key code leaves no doubts”, writes CM.
Blue means “Not authorised to exchange shifts”.
But the move may be overturned.
President of ASPIG (the GNR association), Commandant-general José Alho, said he believes top brass will force the Estarreja commander to take his notice down “as they have done in other cases and at other stations”.
CM has since been in touch with GNR command which claims not to be aware of the situation, and guarantees it will be looking into it.
Meantime, the document on Estarreja bulletins board shows that in the month of January, the 22 police agents – including the commandant – had issued a total of 54 fines.
