29 December 2020
Decree-Law No. 21/2014 of 6 August and the 1st Amendment to Decree-Law No. 15/2014 of 14 May Organic Scientific and Criminal Investigation Police (PCIC/PSIK) describe PCIC as the supreme body of the criminal police, which operates under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, but with administrative, financial and executive autonomy. The Law establishing PCIC also defines the use and carrying of firearms by its members: according to Article 20, criminal police, criminal investigation personnel and auxiliary criminal investigation personnel have the right the use and carry service firearms, of a calibre and type approved through ministerial diploma of the Minister of Justice.
Based on the provisions in Article 20, the Ministry of Justice on 24 May 2017 released Ministerial Diploma No. 33/2017 defining the firearms to be used by PSIK personnel.
An ongoing debate since 2017 has weighed the pros and cons of providing firearms to PSIK, including the mechanisms for their use and the accompanying risks, the Government has proceeded to purchase firearms to provide to PSIK. The result is that firearms are in practice already in the hands of PSIK. Therefore, the recently established control mechanisms must be implemented when firearms are being used during policing actions.
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