Prevention and prosecution of crime in the urban space: The Civil Police of Lisbon (1867-1910)

  • María Joâo Vaz Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
Keywords: Police, crime, Lisbon, criminal stereotypes, criminal investigation

Abstract

This article analyses the action and strategies implemented in Lisbon to prevent and prosecute crime in a period of modernization and growth of the city. Since 1867, the members of a new police force, the Civil Police of Lisbon, patrolled the streets and intervened in the daily life of the population with the function of maintaining order and the security of individuals and property. The police regulations established a very diversified set of activities to be carried out by the police officers, with special emphasis on the prevention and prosecution of crime. Until 1910, the Civil Police developed its own organisational dynamics, increasing the number of its personnel and setting up specialised units, particularly in criminal investigation. This process was similar to that undertaken by police forces in other European and American cities. After the fall of the monarchy, the Civil Police experienced several reforms and was renamed «Civic Police». Using a wide range of sources, statistical data of the time, police and judicial documents, press and literature, this article describes and interprets the formation and consolidation of the Civil Police of Lisbon as the main force for the prevention and repression of crime. It considers its internal dynamics, the constraints on its performance and the relationship of its members with the population, which often resisted their interventions.

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Published
2026-01-14
How to Cite
Vaz M. J. (2026). Prevention and prosecution of crime in the urban space: The Civil Police of Lisbon (1867-1910). Historia y Política, 54, 35-67. https://doi.org/10.18042/hp.54.02