The Investigation and Support Unit for Specific Victims (NIAVE) of the Territorial Command of Castelo Branco of the Republican National Guard investigated 163 crimes associated with domestic violence and abuse situations during the first half of 2026. The specialized unit carried out 16 detentions, of which 15 were for the purpose of subjecting the defendants to initial judicial interrogation for possible application of procedural coercive measures. One suspect was detained for immediate compliance with an effective prison sentence resulting from a final conviction for the crime of domestic violence.
The investigation procedures included the execution of 14 search warrants, both residential and non-residential, within the district territory. These operations resulted in the seizure of 21 firearms and 929 rounds of ammunition of various calibers, as well as 25 computer equipment with forensic relevance for the examination of communications and collection of evidentiary indicia of the reported facts.
The NIAVE's action focuses on dedicated criminal investigation and the follow-up of victims who require enhanced protection, covering assaults against women, offenses against minors, acts against elderly citizens and abuses directed at people in situations of special physical or social vulnerability. The interventions are coordinated with local support networks, health services, protection committees and judicial bodies of the Albicastrense district.
Domestic violence has been a public crime in Portugal since the turn of the century, which determines the mandatory opening of criminal proceedings regardless of formal complaint. The penal regime requires any citizen or entity who becomes aware of the commission of this type of offense to report it to the authorities. The GNR emphasizes that the timely reporting of signs of aggression constitutes an indispensable civic responsibility to stop the escalation of violence within the family environment.
