Military Police (Brazil)

Military Police
Polícia Militar
Insignia of the Military Police used since 1957.[1]
Insignia of the Military Police used since 1957.[1]
AbbreviationPM
Agency overview
Formed1809
Employees385,883 active personnel (2020)[2]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionBrazil
General nature
Operational structure
Agency executive
  • Governors of the States, Commander
Parent agencyMilitary Reserve Force
of Brazilian Army
Notables
Person
Significant operation
Anniversary
  • 21 April

Military Police[a] are the uniformed preventive state police of the states and of the Federal District of Brazil. The Military Police units are the main ostensive police force at the state level and are responsible for policing and maintaining the public order. Their formations, rules and uniforms vary depending on the state. Investigative work and forensics are undertaken by the Civil Police of each state.

All state Military Police and Military Firefighters Corps are classed as reserve troops and ancillary forces of the Brazilian Army.[3] In time of war (or other emergencies) the military police forces can be pressed into federal service. But they remain distinct from the provosts belonging to the other services within the Brazilian Military: the corps Army Police (Portuguese: Polícia do Exército, PE) for the Army, Police Company of the Naval Battalion (Companhia de Polícia do Batalhão Naval) for the Navy, and Air Force Police (Portuguese: Polícia da Aeronáutica, PA) for the Air Force.

The Military Police was founded in 1809 by the Portuguese Crown with the Military Division of the Royal Police Guard in Rio de Janeiro, based on the model of the Gendarmerie created in France: a public security force that combined police and military functions. After the Proclamation of the Republic, these police forces were subject to state authorities, where they had a role not only in policing, but also in warfare, to face the various revolts and rebellions during the period of the Old Republic. These "small state armies" had larger contingents than the federal military forces themselves — the Public Force of São Paulo, for example, had artillery and military aviation divisions — and occasionally these state armies clashed with federal forces in some incidents.[4] The name "Military Police" was only standardized in 1946 under the regime of Getúlio Vargas, with the new Constitution of 1946 after the Vargas Era of the Estado Novo (1937-1945). All federated units adopted the term, with the exception of Rio Grande do Sul, which still maintains the name Military Brigade (Portuguese: Brigada Militar) in its police force.[5]

In 2004 the National Public Security Force (Portuguese: Força Nacional de Segurança Pública) was created to handle major security crisis. The unit, which is composed of the most qualified Military Police personnel from all federal states, can only be deployed through the express command of a state governor.

  1. ^ Emblem adopted at the First National Convention of the Military Police in 1957.
  2. ^ Rodrigues, Alex (July 2022). "Brasil tinha 544 mil policiais militares, civis e bombeiros em 2020". Agência Brasil. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  3. ^ Article 144 of Constitution of Brazil.
  4. ^ https://www.snh2019.anpuh.org/resources/anais/8/1563901366_ARQUIVO_ARTIGOExercitosestaduais.pdf
  5. ^ "Polícias militares têm origem no século 19".


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