Civil Police (Brazil)

In Brazil, the Civil Police (Portuguese: Polícia Civil) is the name of the investigative state police forces.

The Civil Police are agencies of the public administration of the federative units of Brazil, whose function is, in accordance with article 144 of the Federal Constitution of 1988, the exercise of the public security for the preservation of the public order, of the safety of the people and the patrimony.

Each of the states of Brazil has its own "Civil Police Department", which carries out detective work, forensics and criminal investigation, acting as a state bureau of investigation, while the "Military Police" carries out preventive police duties.

It aims at the exercise of functions of judiciary police and the exercise of activities of administrative and security police, which are indispensable to the preservation of the juridical order, to the (promotion of the) harmonic life of the community, and to guarantee citizens' rights and liberty.

The Civil Polices of Brazil had origin in the General Intendancy of Police, created in Rio de Janeiro in 1808.

With the transference of the Portuguese Royal Family to Brazil in 1808, the Police started to be regulated, have structure and important social role.

The Police General Intendancy of the Court and the State of Brazil (Intendência Geral de Polícia da Corte e do Estado do Brasil, in Portuguese) was created by charter of D. João VI on May 10 of that year, centralizing the police attributes of competence belonging to several authorities such as Ouvidor Geral, the alcaydes, the quadrilheiros and the road and assaults captains.

The first Police General Superintendent was Councilor Paulo Fernandes Viana who organized the police administration in Rio de Janeiro city as it used to be in Lisbon.

The Police General Intendancy went through the phase of the Brazilian politic emancipation movement which finally culminated on September 7, 1822.

Civil Police had been gradually developing for all country during the governments Imperial and Republican. Today, the constitutional existence of the Civil Police and its attributions elapse of article 144, IV and 144 § 4°, of the Federal Constitution.

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