The Public Security Police Force (;https://www.ssm.gov.mo/docs/414/414_99a608ac6d9e4c035e0e4eb47ab1f62cfc7a0c38_000.pdf pt, Corpo de Polícia de Segurança Pública de Macau,

abbreviated An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...

) is the non-criminal police department of

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

and a branch of the

Macau Security Force The Macau Security Force (, ) is Macau's public security body under the Secretariat for Security, responsible for handling government activities ranging from law enforcement to public safety. History In 1975, the MSF was created to take the plac ...

. Originally known at first as the Macau Police ( pt, Polícia de Macau), the force went through several name changes before taking on its current name. The PSP celebrates its foundation on 14 March 1691. Due to the one country, two systems perspective, it is organisationally separate from the

mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

authorities. CPSPM is organisationally independent from the jurisdiction of the mainland's Public Security Ministry. The force is currently headed by Ng Kam Wa since December 20, 2019.

History

8661 Procissão em Macau em 1 de Maio de 2010

Law enforcement was first taken by the military stationed in Portuguese Macau, with

Portuguese Navy The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Port ...

troops at first before the Portuguese Army stepped in to take over internal security duties on 14 March 1691. A small garrison was raised to conduct police work at first, but had the majority of its duties taken over by Portuguese India-based soldiers in 1784. On May 13, 1810, the Prince Regent Battalion was created to be the colony's police force, consisting of four companies of 400 men. Two companies were based at the Customs House while the other two was based at Fortaleza do Monte (Mount Fortress). On March 3, 1841, a royal decree had approved the creation of a permanent police force, which was staffed by Macanese citizens who were not part of the battalion. A group of night watchmen called the Guard's Bazar was created by Bernardino de Senna Fernandes with some assistance from local Macanese Chinese to patrol residential areas at night, which was recognized as a legal law enforcement body by the Portuguese Macau government. With an initial count of 50 men, it was soon raised with 100 men. In 1861, the governor passed an ordinance that renamed the force from Macau Police to the Macau Police Force ( Abbreviation: CPM; pt, Corpo de Polícia de Macau). In 1862, the CPM was given the power to patrol the colony's waters through Ordinance No. 56, November 18, 1862 under 1868 when the role was assigned to the Macau Port Police ( Abbreviation: PPM; pt, Polícia do Porto de Macau). Moors were recruited into the ranks in 1873 with a Moor section established on August 9, 1874. Governor Eugenio Carlos Correa da Silva dissolved the CPM on January 18, 1879, replacing it with the Macau Police Guard ( Abbreviation: GPM; pt, Guarda de Polícia de Macau). They were based at the Barracks San Francisco as part of the GPM's establishment. In 1912, Provincial Ordinance no. 106, June 10, 1912 had called for the GPM to be led by a county administrator, being assisted by both staff and police officers alike. Daniel Ferreira, the county administrator in 1914, created the police force's civil branch with a strength of 300 officers. A security police branch was established in 1916, with a strength of 304 officers paid with a salary of 7,810

MOP A mop (such as a floor mop) is a mass or bundle of coarse strings or yarn, etc., or a piece of cloth, sponge or other absorbent material, attached to a pole or stick. It is used to soak up liquid, for cleaning floors and other surfaces, to mop ...

. The post of Police Commissioner of Public Security in Macau was made separate from the colony administrator under Executive Order 533 in 1937, with the creation of the PSP (modelled after the Portuguese Homeland PSP) at first under the command of a captain or a lieutenant in the Portuguese Army. The PSP's police band was created in 1951 under Luis Augusto de Matos Paletti to serve as the force's ceremonial unit in official events. A social recovery center was created in 1961 to help take care of troubled people such as orphans, homeless or foreign nationals living in Macau without any permanent residence. By May 1968, the PSP served as a military organization under the Portuguese colonial government. Female officers were first recruited by the PSP on October 7, 1974 when 42 candidates were accepted into service. Decree-Law No. 705/75 of December 27, 1975 placed the PSP under the Security Forces of Macau alongside the Marine Police, Fiscal Police and the Fire Department. Further restructuring of the PSP took place in 1981 when Decree No. 37/81/M was passed to amend the earlier Decree No. 22/77/M. It established the PSP's divisions consisting of Command, Division of Police Macau Police Division of the Isles, Police Tactical Intervention Unit, Division of Transit Services, Migration and Identity, Music Band, Center for Recovery and Social Welfare. The PSP's Police School was created on July 18, 1982 with Portuguese officers serving as the institution's first instructors. Another round of restructuring took place on February 8, 1986 with the passing of Decree-Law No. 13/86/M, which created additional PSP divisions, consisting of Command, General Staff and Command organs, Divisions of Police and General Support, Organs Support Services and Education.

Ending of Portuguese rule

In 1995, the PSP went through a third phrase of restructuring through the passing of Decree-Law No. 3/95/M, defining its overall structure consisting of Command and Control Bodies, Department of Resource Management, Department Information, Operations Department, Migration Service, Transit Department, Macau Police Department, Islands Police Departments, Police Tactical Intervention Unit, Training Command, Police Academy and the Music Band. Portuguese-born PSP officers began leaving their posts also at the same year, being replaced by Macanese-born PSP officers. In 1999, Lieutenant Colonel Manuel António Meireles de Carvalho passed on command of the PSP to its new commander, Superintendent General Jose Proença Branco. With the transfer of sovereignty on December 20 of that year, the PSP changed its emblem, replacing the former Portuguese coat of arms with that of the

Emblem of Macau The current devised Emblem of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China came into use on 20 December 1999, when the sovereignty of Macau (Macao) was transferred from Portugal to the People's Republic of China. Th ...

. Contemporary media reports recorded that PSP personnel substituted their new cap badges for the former Portuguese insignia precisely at the moment of changeover. The PSP's Police School moved its location from its old headquarters at the Center for Social Recovery and began work on the Academy of Security Forces at Coloane after the

People's Liberation Army Macau Garrison The People's Liberation Army Macao Garrison is a garrison of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), responsible for defense duties in the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) since the sovereignty of Macau was transferred to China in 1999. ...

was created in Macau in May 2000. Superintendent General Jose Proenca Branco was replaced by Superintendent Law Siu Peng after former Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah on September 17, 2001 passed Decree No. 66/2001.

SAR control

In 2017, the PSPFM established the Tourism Police unit. On April 8, 2019, the force announced that Vong Vai Hong, the Assistant Commissioner was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner. On October 9, 2019, Assistant Commissioner Leong Heng Hong was made the Deputy Commissioner.

Controversies

The PSPFM's credibility suffered in the 2007 Macau labour protest when a bystander was injured from a bullet fired by PSPM officers as warning shots to break up protests. The PSPFM announced that several of its officers, including a retired officer, were arrested during an anti-extortion operation.

Vehicles

All marked vehicles employed by the PSP have an all blue finish with the seal of the force. Previously, all of them had a white finish. Some of the vehicles used or are currently in use: * Honda Civic – patrol car *

Hyundai Santa Fe The Hyundai Santa Fe ( ko, 현대 싼타페) is a sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai since 2000. It is named after the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and was introduced for the 2001 model year as Hyund ...

– patrol car *

Mazda 3 , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one mi ...

– patrol car * Toyota Corolla – patrol car *

Suzuki Carry The is a kei truck produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki. The microvan version was originally called the Carry van until 1982 when the passenger van versions were renamed as the . In Japan, the Carry and Every are '' kei cars'' but the Su ...

– lorry *

Toyota LiteAce The Toyota LiteAce and TownAce are a line of light commercial and derivative passenger vans produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota. These vehicles originally utilized the cab-over-engine configuration, although since 1996 a semi-ca ...

light van * Honda VFR800P motorcycle * BMW R-series RTP motorcycle *

Toyota Hiace The (pronounced "High Ace") is a light commercial vehicle produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. First launched in October 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of body configurations, including a minivan/M ...

van * Toyota Townace Van *

Mitsubishi Outlander The is a mid-size crossover SUV manufactured by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors. It was originally known as the when it was introduced in Japan in 2001. The original Airtrek name was chosen to "describe the vehicle's ability to transpo ...

SUV File:CPSP MTW ME-06-72@1.jpg,

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle (van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dod ...

van File:CPSP StW MF-05-27@1.jpg,

Toyota RAV4 The is a compact crossover SUV produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. Considered the first ever compact crossover SUV, it made its debut in Japan and Europe in 1994, and in North America in 1995, being launched in January 19 ...

patrol car

Organization

The PSPFM is currently organized according to the following structure as of 2021: * Resources Management Department ** Human Resources Division ** Material Resources Division ** Financial Resources Office * Information Department ** Research and Information Division ** Commissioner of General Issues * Operations Department ** Operations and Communications Division ** Public Relations Division * Migration Service – acts as immigration services ** Immigration Division ** Frontier Control Division * Traffic Department ** Traffic Control Commission ** Traffic Commission for Macau Peninsula ** Traffic Commission for the Islands * Police Department for Macau Peninsula * Police Department for the Islands ** Airport Division * Police Tactical Intervention Unit ** Special Operations Group * Police School * Support Division and Services

Rank structure

Senior Command

The PSP is commanded by a superintendent-general, who is assisted by two superintendents. Other positions or offices in the PSP organization includes: * Legal Advisor * Discipline Counsel * Support Office Command Individual departments are often headed by a commissioner.

Ranks

The various categories, ranks and respective main functions are: ; Senior ranks # Superintendent-General (''superintendente-geral''): commander of the CPSP, #

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

(''superintendente''): deputy commander of the CPSP, #

Intendent An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...

(''intendente''): commanding officer of level I units, # Sub-Intendent (''subintendente''): commanding officer of level II units, # Commissioner (''comissário''): commanding officer of level III units, # Sub-commissioner (''subcomissário''): commanding officer of level IV units, # Chief (''chefe''): commanding officer of level V units, # Sub-Chief (''subchefe''): coordinator of complex tasks; ; Basic ranks # Principal constable (''guarda principal''): coordinator of simple tasks, # Constable first class (''guarda de primeira''): executor of operational, technical or administrative tasks, # Constable (''guarda''): executor of operational, technical or administrative tasks.

Rank insignia

The rank insignia of the CPSP follows the generic model of the Portuguese Public Security Police. Insignia is placed in dark blue epaulets for all ranks, except those of superintendent and superintendent general which use instead red epaulets. The insignia for basic ranks consist in silver chevrons: two for constable, three for constable first class and four for principal constable. The insignia for sub-chief consists in a silver stripe. The insignia for chiefs and commissioners consist of a laurel branch and a number of PSP stars (six points silver stars with the "SP" monogram in the center): one for chief, two for sub-commissioner and three (in inverted triangle) for commissioner. The insignia for intendents and superintendents consist of two crossed batons surrounded by

laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a round wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen, or later from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cherry laurel (''Prunus laurocerasus''). It is a s ...

s and a number of PSP stars: two for sub-intendent, three (in inverted triangle) for intendent and superintendent and four for superintendent general.

Firearms

The standard issue sidearm for regular Macau police officers are issued the

Smith & Wesson Model 10 The Smith & Wesson Model 10, previously known as the Smith & Wesson .38 Hand Ejector Model of 1899, the Smith & Wesson Military & Police or the Smith & Wesson Victory Model, is a K-frame revolver of worldwide popularity. In production since 1899 ...

revolver. Policemen who work for special units such as Police Intervention Tactical Unit (UTIP) or the Special Operation Group (GOE) are issued with the

Glock 19 Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was th ...

semi-auto pistol. The GOE may also equip with

SIG Sauer P226 Sig used as a name may refer to: *Sig (given name) *Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River *Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon *Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra sig (lo ...

SIG Sauer P228 Sig used as a name may refer to: *Sig (given name) * Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River *Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon * Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra sig ( ...

Heckler & Koch MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, ...

if meet certain requirements. For long arms, the standard sub-machine guns of Macau Police are

Brügger & Thomet MP9 The Brügger & Thomet MP9 (Maschinenpistole 9mm, German for "machine pistol") is a submachine gun chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge that is designed and manufactured by Brügger & Thomet. The MP9 is a selective-fire submachine gun. ...

Remington 870 The Remington Model 870 is a pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, LLC. It is widely used by the public for shooting sports, hunting and self-defense, as well as by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide. D ...

shotguns along with Federal M201-Z

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...

launchers are also one of the regular equipment. The Tourism Police unit are issued the

semi-auto pistol as a special forces group within the CPSP along with the special patrol group. The UTIP and GOE would use small arms unique to the Portuguese FBP m/948, such as the SIG SG 552 short assault rifle,

Franchi SPAS-15 The Franchi SPAS-15 is a dual-mode 12 gauge combat shotgun manufactured by the Italian company Luigi Franchi S.P.A. Design The weapon is based on the SPAS-12, and has similar pump-action/ semi-automatic firing modes. In semi-automatic mode, ...

semi-automatic shotgun and the

SIG-Sauer SSG 3000 Several brother companies that design and manufacture firearms use the brand name SIG Sauer . The original company, ''Schweizerische Waggon-Fabrik'' (SWF), later ''Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft'' (SIG), went through several selloffs, ...

sniper rifle. They also use

Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" in 1856 ...

-made 37 mm gas launchers, long batons and

Flash-ball Flash-Ball is a registered trademark for a less-lethal hand-held projectile launcher developed by French hunting firearms manufacturer Verney-Carron. Flash-Ball is intended to be used by riot police as an alternative to lethal firearms, bean bag ...

and

taser A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed darts intended t ...

for less-than-lethal to control riots.

References

External links

Official Site
{{Border guards Law enforcement agencies of Macau Border guards Immigration services 1691 establishments in the Portuguese Empire 17th-century establishments in Macau