Mozambique’s Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) has raided various informal markets and drug hot spots aimed at recovering stolen car parts and tackling drug use in Maputi city, among others.
In other parts of the country, SERNIC has been investigating a range of public-sector crimes, leading
to the arrest of several individuals and demonstrating a serious commitment to combating crime
without fear or favour.
This comes on the heels of a profound institutional reorganisation of criminal investigation in
Mozambique. Until May 2025, SERNIC operated under the tutelage of the Ministry of the Interior.
However, since then, it reports directly to the Attorney-General’s Office (PGR).
Under the previous arrangement, SERNIC occupied a hybrid position: administratively linked to the
Ministry of the Interior, but functionally dependent on the Attorney-General’s Office to conduct
criminal investigations. In the new institutional framework, SERNIC becomes an auxiliary body of the
judicial authorities, with a stronger focus on scientific investigation and on combating complex
crimes such as corruption, money laundering, drug trafficking, trafficking of protected species, and
cybercrime.

Comment

The transfer of its supervision to the PGR aims to align the country with models in which the criminal
investigation police work directly under the guidance of the prosecutor’s office. But the institutional reorganisation has sparked debate within the State apparatus itself. Interior Minister Paulo Chachine stated recently that the Mozambican Police (PRM) had been “weakened” following SERNIC’s migration to the PGR. According to the minister, the separation between the two institutions exists mainly “on paper”, since in practice the police continue to depend on criminal investigation for information gathering and for advancing criminal cases.
The reform of SERNIC raises a central question: is Mozambique consolidating a genuine judicial
police, or is it entering an institutional tugofwar over control of criminal investigations?
Legal experts consulted by Mozambique Insights argue that transferring SERNIC to the Attorney-
General’s Office is consistent with the principle that “criminal investigation should be subordinated
to the entity responsible for prosecution.” In their view, the reform brings Mozambique’s system
closer to models used in several countries that draw a clear distinction between publicorder forces
and judicial police.
From a legal standpoint, the shift appears consistent with the principles that underpin modern
criminal procedure systems. In many jurisdictions, the Public Prosecutor’s Office directs criminal
investigations, while the judicial police serve as its operational arm. This separation is intended to
strengthen the independence of investigations and reduce the influence of highly hierarchical or
militarised police structures.

In this sense, placing SERNIC under the supervision of the AttorneyGeneral’s Office can be seen as a
meaningful step toward reinforcing the technical autonomy of criminal investigation in
Mozambique. International cooperation and investment in forensic capacity also point to an effort
to modernise investigative methods and confront increasingly complex forms of crime.
Yet the Interior Ministry’s reaction shows that the reform is not unfolding in an institutional vacuum.
The public order police continue to play a central role in crime prevention and immediate response,
and the separation between policing and investigation inevitably creates operational challenges.
When the boundaries of each institution’s mandate are not clearly defined, or when cooperation is
weak, the result can be competition for information, influence, and visibility. Rather than
strengthening the criminal justice system, such tensions risk fragmenting the State’s response to
crime.
Moreover, building an effective judicial police force requires far more than legal adjustments. It
demands a profound transformation of institutional culture, with highly specialised investigators,
strong scientific capacity, and a clear focus on tackling organised crime, corruption, and economic
offences.
If SERNIC succeeds in establishing itself as a highly specialised body—capable of dismantling complex
networks and producing robust evidence in court—the reform could mark an important milestone in
the evolution of Mozambique’s criminal justice system. If not, the risk is that the change will amount
to little more than an administrative reshuffle, with no real impact on the effectiveness of
investigations.
Ultimately, the success of this reform will not be measured by the change in institutional oversight,
but by the justice system’s ability to deliver independent, effective and credible
investigations—capable of confronting the increasingly sophisticated forms of criminality that
challenge the State today.
Meanwhile, SERNIC’s actions are to be lauded – the arrests of prominent individuals and the raids
demonstrate a visible effort by the authorities to respond to citizens; real concerns regarding
organised and urban crime, drug trafficking, and the circulation of stolen goods.

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