Republican National Guard (Portugal)
The Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR ) to German " National Republican Guard ," is the Portuguese state police and officially part of the Portuguese armed forces. It serves the maintenance of public order and security and the protection of private and public property throughout the Portuguese territory. It is a paramilitary organization ( comparable to the Gendarmerien and the National Guard of other states ) and is - used mainly in rural areas - on the continental territory of Portugal.
On the Portuguese islands ( Azores and Madeira) only operates the Customs Brigade of the GNR. Otherwise there almost exclusively, as in the Portuguese cities, the Polícia de Segurança Pública ( PSP) responsible.
An object of the GNR is also the building protection and the guard of honor at official functions of the state. So troops ( Palácio Necessidades ) are respectively the Presidential Palace ( Palácio de Belém ), the parliament ( Palácio de São Bento ) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs represented.
Organization
The GNR is (now there Administração Interna Interior Minister, Ministro ) subordinated in peacetime in the field of recruitment, administration and the exercise of police activities to the responsible police minister. For the weapons, uniforms, etc. it is the competent military minister (now defense minister, Ministro da Defesa Nacional ) was assumed. In times of war the troops are led by the military command.
Basically GNR is divided into five " units " divided:
- 2) Unidades Territoriais ( " Territorial Units") with the Brigade No. 2 ( based in Lisbon, in charge of Lisboa e Vale do Tejo ), No. 3 ( based in Évora, Alentejo and Algarve responsible for ), No. 4 ( seat in Porto, responsible for Northern Portugal) and No. 5 ( based in Coimbra, central Portugal in charge of ) )
- 3) Unidades de Reserva ("Reserve Units"), comprises the garrison companies, the operations battalion and fast protection and security force GIPS
- 4) Unidades Especiais ("special units"), which includes customs Brigade ( Brigada Fiscal ) and the Transport Brigade ( Brigada de Trânsito )
- 5) Outras unidades ( " Other Units"), includes the Police Academy of the GNR based in Queluz and Aveiro and Portalegre, the GNR band ( in Lisbon ) and the nature and environmental protection service SEPNA based in Lisbon
History
The Guarda Nacional Republicana is the direct successor of the Guarda Real da Polícia ( "Royal Police Station "), which had its origins in the early 19th century.
Initially founded by King João V of Portugal 1801, the Guarda Real da Polícia de Lisboa (GRP; "Royal Police Station to Lisbon " ) under the direction of Intendente - Geral the court and imperial police, Pina Manique. As an example, the French Gendarmerie should have served that had been ten years earlier, founded in 1791. Following the establishment of the GRP João also had offices in Porto and Rio de Janeiro - Brazil at that time was still part of Portugal - set up. The Brazilian GRP is the forerunner of today Polícia Militar.
End of May 1843 - as a consequence of Miguelistenkrieg - sparked King Pedro IV the Guarda Real on two police stations and created with the name Guarda Municipal de Lisboa ( " Municipal Guard of Lisbon" ) and Guarda Municipal do Porto ( " Municipal Guard of Porto " ). In its function, the guards resembled their predecessors. 1868 received both guards a common General Command with headquarters in the Carmo Barracks ( Quartel do Carmo ) in Lisbon, which is still the seat of the GNR. The Guarda Municipal was then part of the Portuguese armed forces, but was from the Royal Ministry ( Ministério do Reino ) dependent.
After the abdication of King Manuel II and the subsequent dissolution of the monarchy in the name of the Guarda Municipal in Guarda, Republican ( " Republican Guard " ) was changed. A year later, on 3 May 1911 it was renamed again, since she is, until today Guarda Nacional Republicana ( " National Republican Guard "). In its main features the GNR has been preserved from 1911 to today. Since 1993 part of the former Customs Service, the Guarda Fiscal, under the name of customs Brigade, Brigada Fiscal, as the GNR on.