Military Police of São Paulo State

The Polícia Militar do Estado de São Paulo is a law enforcement agency of the military kind in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is the largest state police force in the country, with over 100,000 personnel in its ranks, distributed across several battalions all over the state as well as within the Greater São Paulo region which itself comprises 40 cities and towns.

Despite being called "Military Police", it should not be confused with the Military Police for the Armed Forces, which are the Army Police, the Air Force Police and the Police Company of the Naval Battalion. Its role is rather more similar to the state defense forces and National Guard in the United States.The first militarized police in Portugal was the Royal Guard of the Lisbon Police, established in 1801, which followed the model of the National Gendarmerie of France, created in 1791.