António Costa says PJ police will have resources to “continue doing what it has always done”
Portugal’s prime minister announced on Monday that 1,100 more permanent officers will be joining the Judicial Police force (PJ) until 2026, strengthening the force’s divisions of inspection and criminal investigation, specialist forensic police and special security.
António Costa made the announcement in the final part of his speech during a ceremony to welcome 97 new PJ inspectors in Lisbon.
“We have to ensure continuity and predictability in the management of the PJ. On Tuesday, an ordinance will be published by the minister of justice and the minister of finance (Fernando Medina) defining the multiannual framework of admissions to the PJ until 2026,” Costa said.
Following this step, according to the prime minister, “750 more staff will enter the criminal investigation and inspection career by 2026.”
“In the career of forensic police specialists there will be 250 more staff and in the special security career there will be 100 more staff,” added António Costa, after hearing the general prosecutor of the Republic, Lucília Gago, and the interior minister, José Luís Carneiro, among other heads of security, defence and intelligence institutions.
As a result of this reinforcement, the prime-minister said that it was possible to conclude that the PJ “will continue to be equipped with the human resources it needs to continue doing what it has always done, with more or less resources, with greater dedication and with greater shared effort among all”.
In his speech, António Costa pointed out that, since 2019, until now, “there has been a reinforcement of 355 staff members in the criminal investigation career of the PJ alone”.
“It is absolutely essential to continue investing in internal security and, specifically, in the PJ. This investment is in legislative tools, improvements in facilities, better resources for forensics, for the laboratory and in the investigation systems,” he said.
However, immediately afterwards, the leader of the executive left a warning: “But none of this works without a central element that has to do with the human resources of the PJ”, he added.
Source: Lusa
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