The decree altering the admission requirements for the training course of Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP) officers was published today in the Diário da República and will take effect on Tuesday. This change increases the maximum age for PSP entry from 30 to 35 years.
Bruno Pereira, president of the National Police Officers Union (SNOP), expressed that these changes fall short of the proposal SNOP submitted to the Minister of Internal Administration. The union advocated raising the maximum age to 40 years and to 45 for those with previous Armed Forces experience.
Pereira also noted that in some countries, there is no age limit for joining the police force.
Nevertheless, he mentioned that these changes “will not substantially alter the pool of applications,” but might “help slightly and alleviate the issue in the next two or three recruitment drives.”
“Any alteration will not resolve the underlying issue. The problem of the lack of candidates cannot be solved merely by changing admission criteria. More profound changes are needed,” he stated.
The SNOP president acknowledged a positive aspect of the decree, which is allowing candidates to submit spontaneous applications through the PSP recruitment portal at any time.
Paulo Santos, president of the Police Professionals Association (ASPP/PSP), also commented today that the published decree “will not solve the problem” of insufficient candidates for the PSP, arguing that there should be discussions on “important issues” for the PSP.
“The decree is not the topic,” Santos said, adding that those who initiated the document should be held accountable.
The head of the largest PSP union also expressed willingness to discuss “decrees that could solve the problems” facing officers, such as “undignified remuneration, poor working conditions,” and new recruitment and mobility policies.
The decree, signed by the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, removes the minimum height requirement previously set at 1.60 meters for women and 1.65 for men.
In 2022, revised requirements for PSP entry were implemented, adjusting the minimum and maximum ages from 19 to 18 years (minimum age) and from 27 to 30 (maximum age), and allowing students in the 12th grade to enter the training course.
The review of future officers’ admission requirements is connected to a decline in the number of PSP applicants in recent years.
In the 1990s, there were over 16,000 applicants; in 2012, there were more than 10,000. Currently, the number does not exceed 4,000.
In this year’s recruitment reserve competition for the PSP training course, 3,392 young people applied.
