Manuel de Almeida / Lusa
Former Internal Affairs Minister Margarida Blasco
In October last year, the government already knew that the orders Carlos Coins gave to his municipal police were illegal. Still, former Minister Margarida Blasco decided to ask for a second opinion to PGR. The conclusion was the same.
In, the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Coinsgave orders to the municipal police officers to make arrests of anyone who commits crimes.
However, earlier this month it was known that the Advisory Board of the Attorney General’s Office warned for.
Now, the Diário de Notícias reveals that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (May) Since October the negative opinion on illegal order of currencies had.
The government learned of the document’s conclusions on October 8, 2024, but hid them and, 1 days later, asked for the elaboration of another opinion.
The opinion was requested by the former Minister of Internal Affairs, Margarida Blascoin September 2024, to clarify the scope of the Municipal Police from a technical-legal point of view, Carlos Coins, to have ordered the Municipal Police to stop suspects of crimes in the city.
The Advisory Board of the Attorney General’s Office clarified that the Municipal Police are not security forces nor criminal police organs, so cannot make arrestsexcept in cases of crimes in the act of punishable crime with prison sentence. In such cases, they will have to deliver the detainee to a judicial entity or a criminal police body.
Even the PSP agents who are integrated into the Municipal Police are considered administrative police, and cannot make arrests.
The second opinion required again by Margarida Blasco again concluded that municipal police have Administrative and not security skills.
After the approval by the government of this second opinion, Carlos Coins requested a change in the law to extend competences to the Municipal Police.
