National Republican Guard (Portugal)

Source:[8]

• GNR General Headquarters in Largo do Carmo, in Central Lisbon;

Reporting directly to the Commandant-General are the following:

• Direção de Justiça e Disciplina (DJD, Directorate of Justice and Discipline);
• Divisão de Planeamento Estratégico e Relações Internacionais (DPERI, Strategic Planning and International Relations Division);
• Divisão de Comunicação e Relações Públicas (DCRP, Communications and Public Relations Division);
• Comando Operacional (CO, Operational Command);
• Comando da Administração dos Recursos internos (CARI, Command of the Administration of Internal Resources);
• Comando da Doutrina e Formação (CDF, Training and Doctrine Command).

The old four-brigade structure was replaced by a system of territorial commands, each covering a district or an autonomous region. Each territorial command – commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel – includes detachments – commanded by majors, captains or junior officer, Sub-detachments – led by junior officers – and posts – led by sergeants. Each territorial command usually includes a traffic detachment (from the former Traffic Brigade) and a detachment of intervention. The territorial commands of the Azores and Madeira play, essentially, just a coastal monitoring and fiscal actions, respectively, under the functional dependence of the UCC and UAF. The current territorial commands correspond essentially to the previous territorial groups of the old territorial brigades. With the extinction of the territorial brigades by the end of 2008, the territorial commands were placed in direct dependence on the central structure of command of GNR;

The territorial commands are as follows:

• Azores Territorial Command (Comando Territorial dos Açores)
• Aveiro Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Aveiro)
• Beja Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Beja)
• Braga Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Braga)
• Bragança Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Bragança)
• Castelo Branco Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Castelo Branco)
• Coimbra Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Coimbra)
• Évora Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Évora)
• Faro Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Faro)
• Guarda Territorial Command (Comando Territorial da Guarda)
• Leiria Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Leiria)
• Lisbon Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Lisboa)
• Madeira Territorial Command (Comando Territorial da Madeira)
• Portalegre Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Portalegre)
• Porto Territorial Command (Comando Territorial do Porto)
• Santarém Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Santarém)
• Setúbal Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Setúbal)
• Viseu Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Viseu)
• Viana do Castelo Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Viana do Castelo)
• Vila Real Territorial Command (Comando Territorial de Vila Real)

Special Units fall directly under the Operations Command (Comando Operacional).[8]

• Coastal Control Unit (Unidade de Controlo Costeiro, UCC) – Essentially a coast guard service but without dedicated Search & Rescue and other functions, is commanded by a major-general (or a rear-admiral, if a naval officer), is responsible for surveillance and interception at sea and coast, including the operation of the Integrated Surveillance, Command and Control System (SIVICC), distributed along the Portuguese coast. This unit replaced the former Maritime Service of the Fiscal Brigade ;
• Fiscal Action Unit (Unidade de Ação Fiscal, UAF) – commanded by a colonel, is responsible for carrying out the mission of taxation, tax and customs attributed to the GNR. It succeeded the previous Fiscal Brigade;
• National Transit Unit (Unidade Nacional de Trânsito, UNT) – the national Highway Patrol, is commanded by a colonel, is responsible for standardization of procedures and training under the supervision of traffic. This unit replaced the central structure of the former Traffic Brigade, losing its territorial subunits transit, which went to the dependence of the various command authorities;
• Security and State Honor Unit (Unidade de Segurança e Honras de Estado, USHE) – commanded by a major-general, is responsible for tasks of representation and security of the organs of sovereignty. Includes the Presidential Squadron (Esquadrão Presidencial), Horse Band (Charanga a Cavalo), the Guard Marching Band (Banda da Guarda), the State Honors and Security Group (Grupo de Segurança e Honras de Estado). This unit replaced the old Regimento de Cavalaria (Cavalry Regiment) and part of the old Regimento de Infantaria (Infantry Regiment);
• Intervention Unit (Unidade de Intervenção, UI) – commanded by a major-general, is responsible for the missions of maintaining and restoring public order, management of critical incidents, tactical operations, security of sensitive installations, inactivation of explosives, protection and relief and projection of forces for international missions. Includes the Public Order Intervention Group (Grupo de Intervenção de Ordem Pública, GIOP), the Special Operations Intervention Group (Grupo de Intervenção de Operações Especiais, GIOE), the Intervention Group for Protection and Rescue (Grupo de Intervenção de Proteção e Socorro, GIPS), the Canine Intervention Group (Grupo de Intervenção Cinotécnico, GIC), the Center for Ordnance Disposal and Underground Security (Centro de Inativação de Explosivos e Segurança em Subsolo, CIESS) and the International Missions Force Training and Readiness Centre (Centro de Treino e Aprontamento de Força para Missões Internacionais). This unit was organized with several subunits of the former Infantry Regiment.

• Serviço de Protecção da Natureza e do Ambiente- SEPNA (Nature and Environment Protection Service)

• NRG Basic School (Escola da Guarda, EG) – commanded by a major-general, is responsible for technical and professional training of military personnel of the GNR. Includes training centers in Figueira da Foz (CFFF) and Portalegre (CFP).

Cavalry of the Royal Guard of the Police of Lisbon, 1812

Infantry of the Royal Guard of the Police of Lisbon, 1812

The Royal Guard of the Police of Lisbon (Guarda Real da Polícia de Lisboa) was created in 1801 by Prince Regent John on the initiative of the Intendant-General of the Police of the Court and the Kingdom, Pina Manique. It took as a model the French Gendarmerie (1791).

Following the creation of Lisbon's Royal Guard of the Police, a similar Guard was created in Porto. After the transfer of the Portuguese Court to Rio de Janeiro, after the invasion of Portugal by the Napoleonic forces in 1807, a similar Royal Guard of the Police of Rio de Janeiro was created, this being the origin of the present military police of that state and of the other member states of Brazil.

At the end of May, 1834, as a result of the Civil War, King Peter IV, assuming the regency in name of his daughter Queen Mary II, disbanded the Royal Police Guard in Lisbon and Porto, creating the "Municipal Guards" of Lisbon and Porto on the basis of similar conditions.

In 1868 both of the Guards were put under a unified Commandant-General, installed in the Carmo Barracks in Lisbon, which today still is the Headquarters of the GNR. The Municipal Guard was considered part of the Army, but was dependent on the Ministry of Internal Affairs for all matters regarding public security.

After the 5 October 1910 revolution, which replaced the Constitutional Monarchy with the Republic, the new regime changed the name of the Municipal Guard to the Republican Guard (Guarda Republicana), keeping the same organization. At this time, plans were already underway for the transformation of this Guard into a National Republican Guard, covering all the territory of Portugal.

In 1911, the Republican Guard was transformed in the National Republican Guard (GNR): this was to be a security force consisting of military personnel organised in a special corps of troops depending, in peace time, on the Ministry of Internal Administration, for the purpose of conscription, administration and execution with regards to its mission, and the Ministry of the National Defense for the purpose of uniformization and normalization of the military doctrine, as well as for its armament and equipment. In case of war or situation of crisis, the forces of National Republican Guard will, in terms of the respective laws and for operational effect, be subordinated to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

In 1993 the National Republican Guard absorbed the independent Fiscal Guard (Guarda Fiscal) that became the Fiscal Brigade of the GNR. In 2006 a new GNR unit was created with the purpose of firefighting and was named GIPS.

A unit of the GNR was deployed in Iraq during the NATO mission MNF-I within the Italian led Multinational Specialized Unit.

A small contingent of GNR forces were deployed in Timor-Leste in 2006.

Former GNR highway patrol Porsche.

GNR forest rescue vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

GNR patrol car (Volkswagen Passat)

GNR patrol car (Nissan Almera) and GNR van (Mercedes-Benz Sprinter)

GNR Nissan Patrol

GNR forest rescue vehicles (Mitsubishi Pajero and Mitsubishi L200)

GNR Mitsubishi Outlander

GNR patrol car (Škoda Octavia)

GNR Land Rover Defender

GNR Škoda Octavia

Police services in Portugal have always used a wide range of firearms in 9×19mm to equip their personnel.

At the start of the 21st century they chose the Glock 19 as the standard law enforcement handgun, which came only to replace the old Walther PP and Walther P38. In recent years, new batches of Glock 19 pistols have been purchased in order to replace older pistol models, for example the Browning Hi-Power, Heckler & Koch P9S, Heckler & Koch VP70M, SIG Sauer P226, Walther P5 and Star Model B.[13] Any other handgun in a caliber above .32 ACP will remain in service.

Handguns

•  Austria: Glock 17 (special operations)
•  Austria: Glock 19 - Standard issue sidearm
•  Germany: Heckler and Koch USP Compact (special operations)
•  Germany: SIG Sauer GSR - chambered in the .45 ACP
•  Germany: SIG Sauer SP 2022
•  Germany: Walther P99 (special operations)

Shotguns

•  Italy: Fabarm SDASS Tactical
•  Italy: Benelli M3
•  Italy: Benelli M4

Submachineguns

•   Switzerland: Brügger & Thomet MP9[14]
•  Germany: HK MP5A4, HK MP5K A1 (special operations)
•  Germany: Heckler & Koch MP7 (special operations)
•  Germany: Heckler & Koch UMP (special operations)

Machine guns

•  Germany: Heckler & Koch MG4 (special operations)
•  Belgium: FN MAG (special operations)
•  United States: Browning M2 (special operations)

Rifles

•  Germany: H&K 416A5 (special operations)
•  Germany: H&K 417A2 (special operations)
•  Germany: H&K G28 (special operations)
•  Germany: H&K G36C, G36KV (special operations)
•  Germany: H&K G3A3
•  Germany: MSG-90
•   Switzerland: Brügger & Thomet APR (special operations)
•  UK: Accuracy International AW50 (12.7×99mm) (special operations)

Others

•  Germany: H&K GMG (special operations)
•  Germany: Heckler & Koch AG36 (special operations)
•  United States: Taser X26
•  United States: Team Wendy Ballistic helmet
•  United States: Paraclete Bellator Ballistic shield
•  Norway: NFM Group Mor Thor Bulletproof vest
•  France: Flash-ball 44mm Less-lethal launcher
•  France: Cougar 56mm Less-lethal launcher
• ASP Street Defender Pepper spray
• ASI 2000 Pepper spray

Patrol cars

• Audi A4 B8 3.0 V6 (unmarked car, highway patrol)
• Audi TTS 8S and Audi TT 8N (highway patrol)
• BMW 535d (unmarked car, highway patrol)
• BMW 5 Series (F10) (1 unit, special vehicle)
• Citroën C-Elysée (527 units)
• Lexus IS 220d (unmarked car, highway patrol)
• Mitsubishi Lancer
• Nissan Almera
• Nissan GT-R (1 unit, special vehicle)[15]
• Porsche Panamera[16]
• Skoda Octavia (hundreds of units)
• Škoda Superb (99 units)
• Subaru Impreza STI (some unmarked cars, highway patrol)
• Toyota Avensis (hundreds of units)
• Toyota Corolla
• Toyota Yaris
• Volkswagen Passat (hundreds of units)
• Volkswagen Sharan

Patrol jeeps

• Audi Q7 (1 unit, special operations)
• BMW X6 (1 unit, special operations)
• Dacia Duster
• Land Rover Defender (hundreds of units)
• Mitsubishi L200
• Mitsubishi Outlander
• Mitsubishi Pajero
• Nissan Navara
• Nissan Patrol (hundreds of units)
• Toyota Hilux 2.4D
• Toyota Land Cruiser KDJ150L 3.0 D-4D (2 units, Serra da Estrela rescue unit)

Motorcycles

• BMW G310 GS
• Honda ST1300
• Yamaha FJR1300

Vans, trucks and buses

• Citroën Berlingo 1.6 BlueHDI 100cv (K-9 units)
• Citroen Jumper 33 BlueHDi 130
• Fiat Ducato 2.3 Multijet 130cv (mobile station)
• Volkswagen Crafter (1 unit, with coast radar)
• Iveco Daily 50C18 (Command Post)
• Iveco EuroCargo ML75E16 tow truck (4 units)
• Iveco EuroCargo ML150E28 WM (8 units, with coast radar)[17]
• Iveco Eurotech 6x6 tow truck (3 units)
• Iveco Trakker 330E5 (HAZMAT units)
• MAN TGM 13.290 4×4 BB
• MAN TGS 35.460 8x8 BB
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
• Mercedes-Benz Vito
• Mitsubishi Fuso Canter FE74B 4X4
• Scania P230 (1 unit)
• Renault Kangoo
• Renault Trafic (60 units)

Armoured and water cannon vehicles [18]

• Iveco VM 90P Protetto (21 units, special operations)
• MAN TGM 18.290 4X2 BL (1 unit)

Bicycles

• Órbita GNR

Boats

• Bojador-class offshore surveillance (1 unit)
• Ribamar-class surveillance and interception boats (12 units)
• Zodíaco-class inland waters control boats (8 units)
• High Speed Speedboat (5 units)

Others

• Manitou MT625H Forklift
• MAN 18.370 HOCLA-II Bus
• Polaris RZR[16]

• Tekever AR4 Light Ray[19]
• UAVision SPYRO