Portuguese police abuse scandal continues to grow

Two senior police chiefs were among 15 officers detained in the Portuguese capital Lisbon as part of an ongoing investigation into brutality at two police stations in the city.

The scandal began last summer when two officers in their 20s were arrested. In January, they were charged with torture, rape, and abuse of power, amid allegations that the behavior had been filmed and shared with other police personnel. A further seven detentions were made in March. And in the latest development, 15 more police officers and one civilian have been detained, although it is currently unclear if they are suspected of involvement in the abuse, or of knowing about it and failing to act.

Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha has reported that the investigation is expected to draw in as many as 70 officers, some from the highest ranks.

It is believed the abusive behavior, mainly toward vulnerable people, including those who are homeless, drug addicts, and undocumented migrants, took place in 2024 and 2025 at two specific police stations in the city, with no suggestion that it went on anywhere else.

The country's Home Affairs Minister Luis Neves told national television that these were "particularly serious crimes", and "it's one thing for someone who had access to the images and remained silent, and quite another for someone who took part in the violence".

The Lisbon Metropolitan Command of the Public Security Police, or PSP, said it "strongly repudiates any behavior that constitutes a flagrant violation" of policing principles, and is keen to point out that it had reported the facts known so far to the Public Prosecutor's Office. At the same time, PSP National Director Luis Carrilho insisted there was a zero-tolerance approach to such behavior, and that the public could continue to trust the police.

"The PSP is an institution with around 20,000 men and women who do their best, every day, so that Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world," he said. "We shall continue to do this."

According to the website of cable news television channel SIC Noticias, out of more than 3,300 applications to join the PSP last year, only 630 people were admitted, with at least 85 excluded over what it called 'radical behavior'.

Quoting from an interview in newspaper Publico, it said the National Union of Police Officers wanted greater access to applicants' personal data during the recruitment processes, to reveal details such as their educational background and financial situation, as well as whether they have a criminal record.