Montenegro says it is necessary to give the population an “additional sense of security”

This Friday, the Prime Minister said there was a need to give the population an “additional sense of security” at a ceremony in which he thanked the dedication of the former PSP national director but spoke of a “new stage” of development. that power.

Luis Montenegro presided over the inauguration ceremony of the National Director of the Public Security Police (PSP), Superintendent Luis Carrillo, which took place at the Ministry of the Interior in Lisbon.

“Security is objectively a factor in the social and economic competitiveness of Portugal. This is a huge task, involving many aspects, which should immediately give the Portuguese population an increased sense of security,” he said.

“We can be objectively safe and feel insecure, adding a sense of security is a very important task these days, as it contributes to the peace of people and the country,” he emphasized.

In this regard, he said he shared the position expressed by the new PSP national director to “increase the number of contactless policing in the coming years.”

“We need to demonstrate to our population a more active as well as a more proactive presence of our security forces and the PSP in particular,” he said.

In his inauguration speech, the new PSP national director said his goal was to make the police “closer to citizens, more modern and play a primary role in ensuring national security and its assertion in the international context.”

To this end, he explained, he will focus on “strengthening the sense of security” of citizens and those visiting Portugal, “strengthening contactless policing throughout the PSP area of ​​responsibility, investing in initial and ongoing training within the institution, assessing social value.” -Professionally, all people working “in the police” “increase internal cohesion, intensify national and international cooperation.”

“The public security police is a vital instrument of domestic policy, as well as a powerful instrument of foreign policy,” he emphasized.

At the beginning of the inauguration, which was attended by the ministers of the interior and justice, as well as the cardinal-patriarch, the prime minister asked the latter in a good-natured tone if he could “bless this ceremony and the mandate that begins.”

Luis Montenegro also left “words of recognition and gratitude to Superintendent José Barros Correia for his work throughout his career and in recent years at the PSP,” emphasizing his “dedication and commitment to respecting” the values ​​of this police force.

The Prime Minister congratulated the new Director of the Public Security Police, noting his long career in Portugal and in international organizations.

“You are recognized for your great capacity for dialogue, your great missionary spirit, your high sense of responsibility, which are also a guarantee of the trust that we place in you in this new stage, in this new cycle of the PSP,” he emphasized. .

Luis Carrillo, current commander of the Special Police Unit (UEP) and with an international career, notably at the United Nations, will replace José Barros Correia, who was fired on Monday by Minister Margarida Blasco.

The minister justified the investment in a “new man” to head the Public Security Police by citing the “deep restructuring” the government wants to carry out in the PSP, but has not yet explained the reasons for the dismissal of José Barros Correia, who has held the post since September 2023.

Asked about the replacement, but responding more generally, the Prime Minister on Tuesday said it was natural for the leadership positions in the new government to rotate.

“We have begun a new cycle of government, within this cycle it is natural that there will be replacements in senior positions of responsibility related to the implementation of the government program and the performance of duties that have political control. This should be said naturally, without drama,” Luis Montenegro said then, answering questions from journalists.