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I was en route from my hotel to a cafe at 3.30pm in the heart of Lisbon, when I walked up this alley (the link I provided is the exact spot) when I saw 3 cops and 5 kids in an ongoing crime scene - 4 kids were facing the wall on the left side while being watch on by one cop whilst 2 cops were questioning another kid on the right side of the street.

I stopped to watch but got quickly ordered to leave by one of the cops. He said this is how it works in Portugal - and I had a feeling I'd get arrested if I didn't leave. So I left.

Was the cop right - does he have the authority to order me to leave a public crime scene?

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    Seems more like a legal question than a travel question. Travel advice: if a cop in a foreign country asks you do something, you just do it, unless you have a really good reason not to.
    – Hilmar
    Jan 17, 2019 at 16:07
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    @NinoŠkopac That is not exactly right. EU impose regulations and directives, and member state implement them as the nation's own laws. This does not mean all the nations' laws converge simply because they are in the EU.
    – B.Liu
    Jan 17, 2019 at 16:12
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    In general , there is no overall EU "law"...just regulations adopted by each member nation. Each country has it's own laws that are enforced there. By binding agreements other Eu nations might recognise those as offences. So you can't break one countries laws and expect to escape by going over a border.
    – Paulie_D
    Jan 17, 2019 at 16:12
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    There are a few direct EU regulations. Most of the EU "law" is directives, which are then transposed in national legislation. But it does not cover all aspects of the law, by far. There is also european case law, due to previous cases which have gone to the CJEU or ECHR and have set a precedent, but again, that covers a fraction of actual law.
    – jcaron
    Jan 17, 2019 at 16:48
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    It may well be that he has to tell you to move on to protect the kids they are questioning. If they are minors, they should not be on public view while being questioned.
    – Willeke
    Jan 17, 2019 at 16:55

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