Between the Military and the Police: Public Security Police and National Republican Guard Officer’s attitudes to Public Administration Policies

Abstract

The main goal of this paper (20) is to assess the Public Security Police (PSP) and the National Republican Guard (NRG) officer’s attitudes in the context of the recent changes of policies in the Portuguese public administration occurring in these two institutions. This moment assumes significant interest due to the fact that Portugal is redefining security and national defence strategies. From the theoretical point of view, this paper emphasises the importance of knowing a settled opinion of the police officers, as well as their attitudes/behaviours, in the institutional context, especially when exogenous factors cause organisational shifts. On the other hand, considering the complexity of socioeconomic reality, we tried to identify, understand and highlight how the police forces have distinct ways of looking and dealing with these changes of policy. On an empirical level, this paper contributes to an enrichment of literature review, emphasising the moderator role that officer’s perceptions play for the policy restructure of public administration, in the relation between the predicted variables analysed and their attitudes to their institutional changes. In the police policy level, suggestions and recommendations useful for adopting future strategies were also included for policymakers to consider.