General Directorate of Security (Portugal)

General Directorate of Security
Direção-Geral de Segurança
Badge of the DGS
Agency overview
Formed1969
Preceding agency
Dissolved1974
Superseding agency
TypePolice
JurisdictionPortugal
HeadquartersLisbon
Parent agencyMinistry of the Interior

The General Directorate of Security (Portuguese: Direção-Geral de Segurança; DGS) was a Portuguese criminal police body active between 1969 and 1974, during the last years of the Estado Novo dictatorship.

Although their duties included, in addition to state security, the supervision of foreigners, border control, and the fight against illegal trafficking of migrants, historically the DGS was essentially a secret police responsible for repression, without judicial control, of all forms of political opposition to the Estado Novo.

The DGS was created in 1969 to succeed to the International and State Defense Police (PIDE), by Decree-Law no. 49 401, of November 24, 1969,[1] of the government of Marcello Caetano.[2] It was disbanded in the continent and islands in 1974, following the Revolution of April 25 that ended the Estado Novo, by Decree-Law no. 171/74 of April 25. In overseas territories it continued to exist until 1975, under the designation of "Military Intelligence Police".

  1. ^ ecree-Law no. 49 401, of November 24, 1969
  2. ^ Darren Palmer, Michael M. Berlin, Dilip K. Das (2012); Global Environment of Policing, page. 88