The PMES was established on April 6, 1835 by local state governor Manoel José Pires da Silva Pontes.

PMES troops perform search and rescue missions, carry out civil defense actions, and are involved in the prevention and fighting of fires and explosions, usually in conjunction with the Military Fireman Corps.

To prevent and combat crime there, the PMES regularly patrols those areas and actively seeks to attend to the necessities of the communities around the city.

The PMES has an integrated emergency system called the "Centro Integrado de Operações e Defesa Social (CIODES)".

This system allows citizens to simultaneously reach the MPES, Fire Corps and the Civilian Police during an emergency by just dialing a single telephone number.