This article is about the Polícia de Segurança Pública of Macau. For the homonymous Polícia de Segurança Pública of Portugal, see Polícia de Segurança Pública.
Law enforcement agency
Public Security Police Force Corpo de Polícia de Segurança Pública 治安警察局
The Public Security Police Force[2] (Chinese: 治安警察局;[3]Portuguese: Corpo de Polícia de Segurança Pública de Macau,[3]abbreviatedCPSP) is the non-criminal police department of Macau and a branch of the Macau Security Force.[4] Originally known at first as the Macau Police (Portuguese: Polícia de Macau), the force went through several name changes before taking on its current name. The PSP celebrates its foundation on 14 March 1691.[5]
The force is currently headed by Ng Kam Wa since December 20, 2019.[6][7]
History
PSPFM officers restrain a protester during 1 May 2010 protests in Macau.
Law enforcement was first taken by the military stationed in Portuguese Macau, with Portuguese Navy troops at first before the Portuguese Army stepped in to take over internal security duties on 14 March 1691.[5] A small garrison was raised to conduct police work at first, but had the majority of its duties taken over by Portuguese India-based soldiers in 1784. On May 13, 1810, the Prince Regent Battalion was created to be the colony's police force, consisting of four companies of 400 men. Two companies were based at the Customs House while the other two was based at Fortaleza do Monte (Mount Fortress).
On March 3, 1841, a royal decree had approved the creation of a permanent police force, which was staffed by Macanese citizens who were not part of the battalion.[5] A group of night watchmen called the Guard's Bazar was created by Bernardino de Senna Fernandes with some assistance from local Macanese Chinese to patrol residential areas at night, which was recognized as a legal law enforcement body by the Portuguese Macau government. With an initial count of 50 men, it was soon raised with 100 men. In 1861, the governor passed an ordinance that renamed the force from Macau Police to the Macau Police Force (Abbreviation: CPM; Portuguese: Corpo de Polícia de Macau).[5] In 1862, the CPM was given the power to patrol the colony's waters through Ordinance No. 56, November 18, 1862, under 1868 when the role was assigned to the Macau Port Police (Abbreviation: PPM; Portuguese: Polícia do Porto de Macau).[5] Moors were recruited into the ranks in 1873 with a Moor section established on August 9, 1874.
Governor Eugenio Carlos Correa da Silva dissolved the CPM on January 18, 1879, replacing it with the Macau Police Guard (Abbreviation: GPM; Portuguese: Guarda de Polícia de Macau).[5] They were based at the Barracks San Francisco as part of the GPM's establishment. In 1912, Provincial Ordinance no. 106, June 10, 1912, had called for the GPM to be led by a county administrator, being assisted by both staff and police officers alike. Daniel Ferreira, the county administrator in 1914, created the police force's civil branch with a strength of 300 officers. A security police branch was established in 1916, with a strength of 304 officers paid with a salary of 7,810 MOP.[5]
The post of Police Commissioner of Public Security in Macau was made separate from the colony administrator under Executive Order 533 in 1937, with the creation of the PSP (modelled after the Portuguese Homeland PSP) at first under the command of a captain or a lieutenant in the Portuguese Army.[5] The PSP's police band was created in 1951 under Luis Augusto de Matos Paletti to serve as the force's ceremonial unit in official events.[8] A social recovery center was created in 1961 to help take care of troubled people such as orphans, homeless or foreign nationals living in Macau without any permanent residence. By May 1968, the PSP served as a military organization under the Portuguese colonial government. Female officers were first recruited by the PSP on October 7, 1974, when 42 candidates were accepted into service. Decree-Law No. 705/75 of December 27, 1975, placed the PSP under the Security Forces of Macau alongside the Marine Police, Fiscal Police and the Fire Department.[5]
Further restructuring of the PSP took place in 1981 when Decree No. 37/81/M was passed to amend the earlier Decree No. 22/77/M. It established the PSP's divisions consisting of Command, Division of Police Macau Police Division of the Isles, Police Tactical Intervention Unit, Division of Transit Services, Migration and Identity, Music Band, Center for Recovery and Social Welfare.[5] The PSP's Police School was created on July 18, 1982, with Portuguese officers serving as the institution's first instructors. Another round of restructuring took place on February 8, 1986, with the passing of Decree-Law No. 13/86/M, which created additional PSP divisions, consisting of Command, General Staff and Command organs, Divisions of Police and General Support, Organs Support Services and Education.[5]
Ending of Portuguese rule
In 1995, the PSP went through a third phrase of restructuring through the passing of Decree-Law No. 3/95/M, defining its overall structure consisting of Command and Control Bodies, Department of Resource Management, Department Information, Operations Department, Migration Service, Transit Department, Macau Police Department, Islands Police Departments, Police Tactical Intervention Unit, Training Command, Police Academy and the Music Band.[5] Portuguese-born PSP officers began leaving their posts also at the same year, being replaced by Macanese-born PSP officers.
In 1999, Lieutenant Colonel Manuel António Meireles de Carvalho passed on command of the PSP to its new commander, Superintendent General Jose Proença Branco. With the transfer of sovereignty on December 20 of that year, the PSP changed its emblem, replacing the former Portuguese coat of arms with that of the Emblem of Macau. Contemporary media reports recorded that PSP personnel substituted their new cap badges for the former Portuguese
insignia precisely at the moment of handover.
The PSP's Police School moved its location from its old headquarters at the Center for Social Recovery and began work on the Academy of Security Forces at Coloane after the People's Liberation Army Macau Garrison was created in Macau in May 2000.
Superintendent General Jose Proenca Branco was replaced by Superintendent Law Siu Peng after former Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah on September 17, 2001, passed Decree No. 66/2001.
SAR control
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2019)
In 2017, the PSPFM established the Tourism Police unit.[9]
On April 8, 2019, the force announced that Vong Vai Hong, the Assistant Commissioner was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner.[10] On October 9, 2019, Assistant Commissioner Leong Heng Hong was made the Deputy Commissioner.[11]
Controversies
The PSPFM's credibility suffered in the 2007 Macau labour protest when a bystander was injured from a bullet fired by PSPM officers as warning shots to break up protests.[12]
The PSPFM announced that several of its officers, including a retired officer, were arrested during an anti-extortion operation.[13]
The PSPFM is currently organized according to the following structure as of 2021:[14]
Resources Management Department
Human Resources Division
Material Resources Division
Financial Resources Office
Information Department
Research and Information Division
Commissioner of General Issues
Operations Department
Operations and Communications Division
Public Relations Division
Migration Service – acts as immigration services
Immigration Division
Frontier Control Division
Traffic Department
Traffic Control Commission
Traffic Commission for Macau Peninsula
Traffic Commission for the Islands
Police Department for Macau Peninsula
Police Department for the Islands
Airport Division
Police Tactical Intervention Unit
Special Operations Group
Police School
Support Division and Services
Rank structure
Senior Command
The PSP is commanded by a superintendent-general, who is assisted by two superintendents.[14]
Other positions or offices in the PSP organization includes:
Legal Advisor
Discipline Counsel
Support Office Command
Individual departments are often headed by a commissioner.
Ranks
The various categories, ranks and respective main functions are:[14]
Command and Management (Cargos de comando e direcção)
Superintendente-geral (superintendent-general)
Commander of the CPSP and Represent CPSP,
Superintendente (superintendednt) Deputy Commander of the CPSP,
Officials (Oficiais)
Intendent (intendente): commanding officer of level I units,
Sub-Intendent (subintendente): commanding officer of level II units,
Commissioner (comissário): commanding officer of level III units,
Sub-commissioner (subcomissário): commanding officer of level IV units,
Chief (chefe): commanding officer of level V units,
Agents (Agentes)
Sub-Chief (subchefe): coordinator of complex tasks;
Principal constable (guarda principal): coordinator of simple tasks,
Constable first class (guarda de primeira): executor of operational, technical or administrative tasks,
Constable (guarda): executor of operational, technical or administrative tasks.
Rank insignia
The rank insignia of the CPSP follows the generic model of the Portuguese Public Security Police. Insignia is placed in dark blue epaulets for all ranks, except those of superintendent and superintendent general which use instead red epaulets.
The insignia for basic ranks consist in silver chevrons: two for constable, three for constable first class and four for principal constable. The insignia for sub-chief consists in a silver stripe. The insignia for chiefs and commissioners consist of a laurel branch and a number of PSP stars (six points silver stars with the "SP" monogram in the center): one for chief, two for sub-commissioner and three (in inverted triangle) for commissioner. The insignia for intendents and superintendents consist of two crossed batons surrounded by laurel wreaths and a number of PSP stars: two for sub-intendent, three (in inverted triangle) for intendent and superintendent and four for superintendent general.
The standard issue sidearm for regular Macau police officers is the Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver.
Policemen who work for special units such as the Police Intervention Tactical Unit (UTIP; Portuguese: Unidade Táctica de Intervenção da Polícia) or the Special Operations Group (GOE; Portuguese: Grupo de Operações Especiais ) are issued with the Glock 19 semi-auto pistol. The GOE may also equip officers with firearms such as the SIG Sauer P226, SIG Sauer P228, Heckler & Koch MP5 depending on the situation.
Officers in the Tourism Police Unit are issued with the Glock 19 semi-auto pistol as a special forces group within the CPSP along with the special patrol group.
^"Formalidades" [Formalities]. Forças de Segurança de Macau (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
^ abcdefghijkl"História" [History] (in Portuguese). Corpo de Polícia de Segurança Pública. Archived from the original on 2 July 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
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