A 44-year-old man in Montemor-o-Novo, a quiet town in Portugal's Alentejo region, has been formally named a suspect for pretending to be an inspector of the PJ — Portugal's Polícia Judiciária, the criminal police force. He has not been arrested, but he has been identified by the authorities and now faces the charge of impersonating a public official.
The GNR's territorial command in Évora, working through the Montemor-o-Novo criminal investigation detachment, says the case has been running since June. What investigators pieced together is that the man passed himself off as a PJ inspector while driving a vehicle kitted out with strobe lights and an electronic siren — in other words, a convincing enough setup to make people believe they were being pulled over by police.
Officers seized the props that made the act plausible: a blue eight-LED strobe light, an electronic siren and a remote control for operating the equipment. The case has been handed to the Montemor-o-Novo judicial court.
Under Article 358 of the Portuguese Penal Code, impersonating a public official carries up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 240 days. Whether this man sees jail time may hinge on what actually happened when — or if — he ever stopped anyone. Racing around Alentejo with flashing lights is one thing; approaching people under a false police identity could push the penalty higher. So far, reports have not explained what the disguise was used for.
For travellers, the story is a useful nudge rather than a cause for alarm. Incidents of fake police stopping motorists are rare in Portugal, but they are a known scam pattern across Europe, and drivers on unfamiliar rural roads — exactly the kind you find in the Alentejo — can be caught off guard. Genuine Portuguese officers will be in marked vehicles or uniform, and if you have any doubt about a stop, you can keep driving slowly, put on hazard lights and pull over only in a well-lit, populated spot. You can also call 112 to confirm that a real police operation is under way. Should anyone ask to inspect your wallet, cash or passport on the roadside, that's the moment to be firm: real police don't need to handle your money.
Montemor-o-Novo itself is a low-key Alentejo town worth knowing for its castle ruins, whitewashed streets and easy position between Évora and the Atlantic coast. None of this changes the picture for visitors — it's just a reminder that even in Portugal's calmest corners, a little street smarts go a long way.
