Law Enforcement Veteran Luís Neves Takes Over as Portugal's Internal Security Minister

The Portugal Government has appointed Luís Neves, the outgoing head of the country's Judicial Police (PJ), as the new Minister of Internal Administration in a February 2025 cabinet reshuffle—a strategic move that shifts the security portfolio from an academic jurist to a career law enforcement veteran with three decades of crisis-response experience. The appointment, confirmed by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, marks a decisive pivot in how Lisbon plans to handle everything from wildfire season preparation to border security overhauls.

Neves, 60, was sworn in at Belém Palace on Monday, 23 February, at 10:00 a.m., filling the vacuum left by Maria Lúcia Amaral, who resigned earlier that month after sustained criticism of her handling of Storm Kristin—a weather event that exposed systemic weaknesses in Portugal's emergency response architecture.

Why This Matters

• Security reboot: A frontline investigator, not a theorist, now controls the ministry overseeing the National Republican Guard (GNR), Public Security Police (PSP), and Civil Protection—a profile change the government hopes will restore public confidence.

• Wildfire clock ticking: With the 2025 fire season less than four months away, Neves inherits incomplete reforms to the Civil Protection system and the troubled SIRESP emergency communications network.

• Union flashpoint: Ongoing labor disputes with police unions over pay parity could either be defused by a colleague from within law enforcement—or escalate if salary grievances aren't addressed rapidly.

• Border pressures: The European Entry/Exit System is set to restart at Lisbon Airport in April, and Neves will have to manage the chaos that accompanied its earlier trial runs.

From Crime Scenes to Cabinet

Luís António Trindade Nunes das Neves entered the Judicial Police in 1995 after a brief stint in private legal practice, quickly gravitating toward violent and organized crime investigations. Over three decades, he built a resume that reads like a chronicle of Portugal's most high-stakes cases: dismantling ETA cells, arresting right-wing extremist Mário Machado, tracking down fugitive banker João Rendeiro in South Africa, and leading the investigation into the Tancos military arsenal theft—a scandal that shook the armed forces and the previous Socialist government.

As PJ director since 2018—a post to which he was reappointed for a third term by the Socialist administration—Neves modernized forensic capabilities, absorbed personnel from the defunct Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), and supervised one of the agency's largest-ever deployments: dispatching over 100 detectives to Madeira in a sweeping probe of regional government corruption. This deployment was politically sensitive because Madeira, as an autonomous region with its own government, typically handles its own investigations—central government intervention at this scale raised questions about the extent of the corruption uncovered. The probe ultimately ensnared the mayor of Funchal and implicated the island's president, Miguel Albuquerque, signaling deep institutional problems in the region.

He also commanded the National Counter-Terrorism Unit (UNCT) and the now-dissolved Central Directorate for Combating Banditry (DCCB), units that handle hostage situations, bomb threats, and transnational mafias. Spanish authorities twice decorated him for cross-border cooperation, and the Vatican awarded him a medal for investigative work.

What This Means for Residents

The cabinet reshuffle carries immediate, tangible consequences for anyone who interacts with Portugal's security and emergency services:

Police Pay Parity: The Critical Union Issue: Before diving into operational matters, residents should understand the powder keg Neves is inheriting on the labor front. The previous minister left behind a frozen negotiation with PSP and GNR unions over a salary disparity that has inflamed morale across uniformed services. Officers are furious that PJ inspectors received a risk allowance that pushed their salaries significantly higher, while uniformed police did not. Neves's own agency benefited from that raise, and union leaders are watching closely to see whether he'll advocate for parity or defend the status quo. The Professional Association of the National Republican Guard (APG/GNR) told reporters they were "surprised" by the appointment and warned that if statutory pay reforms don't materialize, protests will resume. For residents, this matters because police morale directly affects response times and service quality during emergencies.

Fire Season & Civil Protection Reform: Prime Minister Luís Montenegro had promised a Civil Protection overhaul by the end of 2025; that deadline slipped, and he now says it will come "after the fires." Neves starts the job with less than 120 days until wildfire risk peaks in June. The Portuguese Firefighters League (LBP) is urging him to fast-track creation of a National Firefighting Command separate from the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC)—a structural change firefighters say could be implemented by March, independent of broader reforms.

SIRESP Network Troubles: The emergency radio system has been plagued by coverage gaps and reliability issues during major incidents. Neves will have to decide whether to patch the existing infrastructure or pursue a deeper technological reset.

Airport Delays & Border Tech: In April, Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport is scheduled to reactivate the EU Entry/Exit System, which previously caused multi-hour queues when tested last year. Neves, who oversaw border-related investigations as PJ director, will now manage the operational side—a test of whether he can coordinate SEF successor agencies, airlines, and EU systems effectively.

Immigration & Crime Narrative: Neves has consistently rejected attempts to link immigration and crime, publicly rebutting what he calls "fake news" that tries to create panic. In a 2025 parliamentary hearing, he stated that violent crime rates among immigrants are lower than among Portuguese nationals. That stance places him at odds with the harder-line rhetoric of some political factions, including Chega, which had pressed the government on security during recent debates.

Broader Political Context

The appointment comes after a chaotic fortnight in which Storm Kristin battered the mainland with heavy rains and high winds in late January, triggering accusations that Maria Lúcia Amaral was absent from the public eye and slow to coordinate rescue efforts. Her defenders noted that much crisis work happens "in the office, not on camera," but the former Ombudsman and constitutional law scholar was widely perceived as lacking the operational command presence the job requires. Sources close to the government told journalists that her profile—distinguished in academia, weak in crisis management—was a mismatch from the start.

By contrast, Neves is seen as a "solution-oriented cop"—blunt, operational, and unafraid of political friction. The Livre party called his nomination "a positive choice," praising his defense of democratic values and his willingness to diverge from government talking points on sensitive issues like race and migration. The Firefighters League applauded the pick, noting that Neves already sits on the National Civil Protection Commission and understands the sector's grievances. Even the skeptical APG/GNR acknowledged his competence, though they warned that if pay equity doesn't materialize, "we will enforce our right to protest."

The Road Ahead

Neves faces a sprawling to-do list that spans operational emergencies, systemic reforms, and labor peace:

Immediate (Next 30 Days):

• Finalize Civil Protection command structure and resource allocation for wildfire season.

• Restart stalled talks with PSP and GNR unions on pay and working conditions.

• Brief on SIRESP status and identify quick fixes for the upcoming summer.

Mid-Term (April–August 2025):

• Oversee the EU Entry/Exit System relaunch at Lisbon Airport without a repeat of last year's multi-hour delays.

• Present the government's long-promised Civil Protection reform package.

• Navigate the peak wildfire season, coordinating ANEPC, GNR, firefighters, and aerial resources.

Longer-Term (Through 2026):

• Advance the frontiers security model reconfiguration, balancing EU mandates with domestic enforcement capacity.

• Implement firefighter career statute reforms and a potential standalone firefighting command.

• Sustain public confidence in Portugal's security institutions amid rising political polarization.

The new minister's track record suggests he thrives under pressure—his career highlights include a 2001 standoff in which a man barricaded himself in a RTP bathroom demanding compensation and threatening suicide; Neves negotiated a peaceful surrender hours later. More recently, he coordinated the months-long international manhunt that ended with João Rendeiro's arrest in Durban, proving he can manage complex, high-stakes operations.

Whether that operational excellence translates to political survival in a ministry where his predecessor lasted only eight months will depend on his ability to deliver visible results before the next crisis lands on his desk—and in Portugal, that timeline is measured in weeks, not months.