The Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) has had a negative opinion since October 2024 regarding the controversial order by Carlos Moedas for the Lisbon Municipal Police to carry out arrests.
When the Mayor of Lisbon publicly announced the order in September 2024, the MAI requested an internal opinion, which was received on October 8 and refuted the legality of the order. Another opinion was subsequently requested, which also concluded the same in July of the following year.
Both opinions from the Consultative Council of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), endorsed by the MAI, state that municipal police officers are neither security forces nor criminal police bodies. Thus, these officers can only make arrests in cases of flagrante delicto for crimes punishable by imprisonment and must immediately hand over the detainee to a judicial authority or a criminal police body.
The MAI has understood since October 2024 that the order issued by Carlos Moedas to the Municipal Police is “devoid of legality.”
The reason the then-Minister of Internal Administration, Margarida Blasco, requested a second opinion remains unknown.
“I will continue to encourage the Municipal Police to do everything to maintain safety”
Carlos Moedas has reacted to the news and assures that he will continue to encourage the Municipal Police to do everything to ensure the safety of Lisbon residents, clearly disregarding the PGR’s opinion on the orders previously given to this authority.
“I will continue to encourage the Municipal Police to do everything, everything, everything to maintain the safety of Lisbon residents. I will stand with the police officers, never leading demonstrations against them,” stated the mayor on the social network X, this Monday, August 25.
Continuarei a incentivar a PM a fazer tudo, tudo, tudo para manter a segurança dos lisboetas. Eu estarei ao lado dos polícias, nunca estarei a liderar manifestações contra os polícias.https://t.co/JCc8t2lMaf
— Carlos Moedas (@Moedas) August 25, 2025
PGR counters Moedas on Municipal Police
In early July, the conclusions of what is now known as the second opinion from the Consultative Council of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) on the competencies and duties of municipal police forces were disclosed.
The document confirmed that these forces cannot make arrests, contradicting the position of the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, who in September of the previous year, ordered them to arrest crime suspects in the city.
The opinion, requested by former Minister of Internal Administration Margarida Blasco in September 2024, is dated March 27. According to current Minister Maria Lúcia Amaral, the document was received by the ministry on April 4 and endorsed by the Government on July 21.
The PGR’s Consultative Council deems that municipal police forces are restricted to cooperative roles in maintaining public tranquility and protecting local communities and operate as “municipal services” under the dependency of the municipal president.
“Municipal police officers [only] have the power to arrest suspects in cases of public or semi-public crimes punishable by imprisonment, caught in the act, and are responsible for drafting the corresponding police report and arrest, then immediately handing over the detainee to the judicial authority or criminal police body,” the opinion states.
An opinion from the PGR confirmed that municipal police forces have “restricted” competencies and, therefore, cannot make arrests, contradicting an order from the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, from September of last year.
Notícias ao Minuto with Lusa | 08:50 – 06/08/2025
In response to the opinion, Carlos Moedas advocated for “a small change” in the law to allow police to arrest crime suspects caught in the act.
“This is an issue that needs clarification, and apparently, it was not addressed in this opinion, so the law must be changed […] I urge the Government to change the law,” said the social democrat to Lusa, considering it “a dramatic situation that diminishes municipal police, who are not second-rate police because they are PSP allocated to the municipal police.”
