The Home Secretary said on Tuesday that “as a precautionary measure” SEF inspectors will remain for at least another year monitoring the sea and air borders assigned to the GNR and PSP.
“We understand that while we recognize that both PSP and GNR are already capable of guaranteeing first line air, sea and land border controls, we understand that as a precaution it was important to retain 100% of the inspectors for the SEF year,” stated Jose Luis Carneiro to journalists after the inauguration ceremony of the director of the Higher Institute of Police Sciences and Internal Security (ISCPSI), Luis Fariña.
The government official was questioned following criticism from unions of SEF inspectors who accused the government of a “cosmetic operation” given that current border inspectors would remain.
According to a proposed order last week from the ministers of the Interior and Justice, 80 inspectors from the Aliens and Border Guard Service would be assigned to the National Republican Guard and 324 to the Public Security Police “to perform the functions of monitoring the maritime border and the air border.” control”.
José Luis Carneiro stated that these inspectors who will remain at the borders “can leave earlier because the PSP already has the conditions and capabilities to maintain the first line of border control”, but they will remain 100% for another year “on one issue” . caution”, and the next year increased to 50%.
“Everything is going according to plan,” he assured, emphasizing that “the country has worked hard for these changes.”
According to the minister, this “change is the responsibility of the Portuguese state”, and the PSP, GNR, the entire internal security system, the armed forces, the judicial police and the European border control agency Frontex contribute to this.
The SEF transition regime establishes that inspectors will be transferred to the judicial police and non-police staff to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) and the Institute of Registration and Notary (IRN) with a “transitional regime of functional assignments”. , which allows SEF inspectors to perform duties for up to two years in the GNR and PSP at air and sea border posts.
As for non-police personnel, 59 people are moving to IRN and the rest, about 600, to a new agency headed by Luis Gus Pinheiro.
The liquidation process of the SEF is scheduled for October 29, and the powers of this security service will be transferred to seven organizations.
The police powers of the SEF will be transferred to the PSP, GNR and PJ, and the administrative functions related to foreign citizens will be transferred to the new Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) and the Institute of Registration and Notaries (IRN). .
As part of this process, there will also be a new configuration of the Portuguese border control system with the creation of the Borders and Foreigners Coordination Unit, which will act under the responsibility of the Secretary General of the Internal Security System in addition to some inspectors, as well as being transferred to the tax authorities, etc. for the presence ( pre-retirement) status.
SEF employs approximately 900 inspectors.
The restructuring of the SEF was decided by the previous government and approved by the Assembly of the Republic in November 2021, but was delayed twice.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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