THE PROCESS of territorial reorganisation of Portugal’s two main police forces, the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) and Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), is to be concluded by the end of the month.
The policy aims to streamline the nation’s police forces, cutting costs and waste through unnecessary doubling up on manpower and services.
In some areas, PSP police agents will be transferred to the GNR and vice versa rather than having two separate tiers of forces carrying out almost identical roles.
This month, the last phase of the rationalisation, will see police amalgamations in Lisbon, Porto and Setúbal. Each police force is being internally restructured with many posts and stations being abolished.
The current shake-up to the nation’s police forces is the largest since the 1974 Revolution and forms part of the PS government’s overall strategy to slim-line and streamline the public administration.
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