The Public Security Police released on its website the list of candidates approved for the PSP agent course after undergoing the selection process, including physical, knowledge, and psychological assessment tests, a medical examination, and a professional selection interview.

3,392 applicants applied for this competition, which opened at the beginning of the year, meaning that 2,759 failed.

This course for 800 new agents was announced by former Minister of Internal Affairs, Margarida Blasco.

The president of the Police Professionals' Union (ASPP/PSP), Paulo Santos, told Lusa that these numbers demonstrate the lack of attractiveness in the police force, which "is compromising operational service" and affecting the departure of officers who have already reached pre-retirement age.

For Paulo Santos, the criteria for hiring new officers have been changed, such as age, but the answer "for the lack of attractiveness has nothing to do with the age criterion."

The union leader considered that the low number of PSP applicants is related to the PSP's image, as an institution with poor working conditions and low salaries.

"Police officer salaries are still very low for the specific nature of the profession and the demands of the service," he said, emphasising that in recent years, the PSP has been unable to fill the expected vacancies.

The Independent Union of Police Officers (SIAP) also warned of the shortage of new officers serving the PSP, considering the 633 candidates admitted "significantly below the required number and symptomatic of a much deeper problem."

“Alarm bell”

"This result should be read as a serious alarm bell about how the police career is being perceived by young people. The profession's lack of attractiveness is now impossible to ignore. And what's more serious is that not even the loosening of admission criteria—a desperate attempt to increase the number of candidates—has managed to fill the available positions. This departure of young people from the PSP is directly related to the opportunities offered: salary conditions are modest for the demanding and risky role. Career progression is slow and often demotivating," SIAP further states.

This month marks the end of a new officer course, which was initially planned for 600 vacancies but ended with 500 and is now ending with 459 officers, with 41 having already dropped out.