Portuguese Republican National Guard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Republican National Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana or GNR in Portuguese) is a Portuguese security organization of the Gendarmerie type, whose soldiers, unlike the officers of the Polícia de Segurança Pública (Public Safety Police - PSP), are subject to military law and organization. The GNR is responsible for Honour guard and changing of guards ceremonies in public buildings like the Assembly of the Republic (São Bento, Lisbon), the President’s Palace (Belém, Lisbon), the Foreign Office Palace (Necessidades, Lisbon), etc. On a more pragmatic basis, they are also responsible for patrolling and enforcing the law in the countryside and small towns (large urban centers are patrolled by the PSP), being a highway patrol, a border and fiscal guard. There are also two military reserve regiments: an Infantry Regiment and a Cavalry Regiment.
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[edit] Organization
The National Republican Guard includes:
- 1) General-Command (Headquarters in Lisbon);
- 2) Territorial Units:
- No 2 Brigade (Headquarters in Lisbon, covers the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region),
- No 3 Brigade (Évora, Southern Region),
- No 4 Brigade (Porto, Northern Region),
- No 5 Brigade (Coimbra, Central Region);
- 3) Reserve Units:
- Infantry Regiment (located in Lisbon, includes a public order and special operations Battalion and Garrison Companies),
- Cavalry Regiment (located in Lisbon, includes a Horse Group, a Motorized and Armoured Squadron and a Presidential Guard);
- 4) Special Units:
- Fiscal Brigade (Headquarters in Lisbon, responsible for the customs and border patrol, includes a maritime service and covers all the Portuguese territory, including Azores and Madeira),
- Highway patrol (Headquarters in Lisbon, responsible for the highway patrol, covers all the continental Portuguese territory);
- 5) School of the Guard;
- 6) Music Band of the GNR.
The National Republican Guard is commanded by a Lieutenant General and the Brigades are commanded by Major Generals. The Brigades include Groups (commanded by Lieutenant Colonels), Detachments (commanded by Captains), Sub-Detachments (commanded by Junior officers) and Posts (commanded by Sergeants or Corporals).
[edit] History
The National Republican Guard is one of the two direct descendants of the Royal Guard of the Police created in the beginning of the 19th century. The other descendant is the Public Security Police (P.S.P.)
Royal Guard of the Police (Guarda Real da Polícia) - The Royal Guard of the Police of Lisbon was created in 1801 by Prince Regent John under a proposal of the Intendant-General of the Police of the Court and the Kingdom, Diogo Inácio de Pina Manique. It took as a model the French Gendarmerie (1791). Following the creation of the Royal Guard of the Police of Lisbon the Royal Guard of the Police of Porto and the Royal Guard of the Police of Rio de Janeiro were created. The latter subsequently provided the origin of the states military polices of Brazil).
Municipal Guard (Guarda Municipal) - In the end of May, 1834, as a result of the Civil War, King Peter IV, assuming the regency in name of his daughter Queen Mary II, disbanded the Royal Guards of the Police of Lisbon and Porto, creating the Municipal Guards of Lisbon and Porto with similar characteristics. In 1868 both of the Guards were put under a unificated General-Command, instaled in the Carmo Barracks in Lisbon, that is still today the Headquarters of the GNR. The Municipal Guard was considered part of the Army, but was dependent of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs for all matters regarding the public security.
Republican National Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana) - After the coup of the 5 October 1910, that substituted the Constitutional Monarchy by the Republic, the new regime changed the name of the Municipal Guard to that of Republican Guard (Guarda Republicana). In 1911, the Republican National Guard was created, in place of the Republican Guard, as a security force consisting of military persons organized in a Special Body of Troops depending, in peace time, of the Ministry of the Internal Administration, for the purpose of conscription, administration and execution of the decurrent service of its general mission, and the Ministry of the National Defense for the purpose of uniformization and normalization of the military doctrine, the armament and the equipment. In case of war or situation of crisis, the forces of National Republican Guard will be subordinated the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, when in the terms of the law these will be placed in its dependence for operational effect. In 1993 the Republican National Guard absorbed the independent Fiscal Guard (Guarda Fiscal) that became the Fiscal Brigade of the GNR. A small unit of the GNR have also gone into Timor-Leste in 2006 (see video below).
