Month: August 2016

On 18^th June the Military Unit Coastal Control (UCC), which are involved in the mission of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (FRONTEX) in Greece (Poseidon Sea 2016), has rescued, near the island of Chios – Greece, 58 people, including 11 women and eight children, who were being carried in two semi-rigid boats.

The rescue occurred during a maritime patrol that was being carried out by the UCC vessel when the military observed the two ships crossing the Aegean Sea between Turkey and the island of Chios in Greece, in order to reach European territory.

After the interception, the military towed the vessels, and later handed over the migrants to a Greek vessel which transported them to the port of Chios.

The people rescued had no injuries and were handed over to local security authorities.

From 1^st April 2016 the GNR have deployed during FRONTEX mission in the Greek islands of Chios and Kos, 32 personnel. The main objective of this operation is to prevent, detect and stop illegal activities related to illegal immigration, human trafficking and drug trafficking and helping to safeguard human lives at sea.

Since the beginning of the operation, the GNR has rescued 577 migrants.

Two young men, in their 20s, were arrested by agents from PSP Cascais for mobile phone thefts in terraces.

The suspects have committed, with “cunning”, at least three thefts in terraces of Cascais, but were eventually located, identified and arrested by police.

Agents of the Police Division of Cascais have succeeded in rescuing three of stolen mobile phones in record time.

The hypothesis of thieves having committed other thefts, by the same method, through distraction.

The suspects will appear before a judge of the Judicial Court of Cascais for application of the respective enforcement measures.

The PSP has advised this summer season, for domestic and foreign tourists to beware their personal property, especially in places of great movement of people.

We have put together a number of appeals being made from various organisations and individuals to help people affected by the fires in Madeira 

Funchal Solidarity Donation Fund opened by Camara Municipal do Funchal

In the face of the dramatic situation caused by the fires of August 2016 in the municipality of Funchal a fund has been formed and account created in solidarity to receive donations that will be applied by the municipality of Funchal in aid to the people affected.

So, all those who have expressed their willingness to support the Funchal people at this time of difficulty, you can send your donation through to the account opened for this purpose in the Santander bank. Details as follows:

Banking Institution: Banco Santander

Title of the account: Funchal Solidarity – Fire August-2016

No account: 0003 42777599020

Iban: Pt50 0018 0003 4277 7599 0201 0

Bic / Swift: Totaptpl

Request for Household items

We have received a communication from a Janice Pemberton

“We are now to resettle families who, not having anything, they need all that an empty house needs: dishes, glasses, cutlery, cooking utensils, small appliances, furniture… if they can donate some of these goods. They should deliver them in the ” Housing development of Santo Amaro, street dr. Gaston of God (Fig. 16, basement (Funchal)”. the person responsible for the receipt will be Mr. Puis. Contact Janice here for details.

Rebuilding the Orchid Gardens

A Richard Turner has set up a Crowd Funding page to help rebuild the Jardim Orchidea gardens. They are aiming to raise £50,000 to help rebuild the 110 year old Orchid Farm destroyed by fire on Madeira Island.

Animal Welfare

David and Gloria Pennman who have lived on the Island in Calheta for many years, enlisted the help of Gloria’s daughter Gina Machin, who is on holiday in Madeira, to also put together a Crowd Funding page  to help Graca and her family rebuild their lives and continue the excellent job of looking after all the animals. If you can help with a donation, or even share the page on social media, which will be a great help.

General donations to those affected

A Richard Griffin has set up a GO FUND ME page to raise money for those affected by the fires, has passed the €8500 mark, about 11,000 euros. He has also set up a bank account for further donations: He says the website he was using would have taken a very small cut of the money as an administration fee whereas if any further donations are paid into a bank account the money will all go directly to those who need it.

Mr Griffin says he felt moved to help after hearing how friend’s relatives in Madeira have been evacuated from their homes and seen their properties burning. He says any money donated will be used to pay for food and water, clothes and other essential items for those who have been temporarily evacuated from their homes and those who have lost everything.

The bank account has been set up through Barclays in Guernsey:

Account name: Mr R Griffin

Sort Code: 20 35 32

Account Number: 10351903

When making a donation please use the reference ‘Help Madeira’. You can hear Richard speak about this here.

In view of the weather forecast for the next few days, pointing to continued hot and dry weather, the National Republican Guard (GNR) will keep active its reinforcement of patrolling and surveillance in forest areas. These actions are designed to detect and deter practices that may contribute to the increased risk of forest fire, particularly in terms of burning and the use of machinery in agricultural / forestry areas.

The GNR is also contacting various organizers of festivals in order to ensure that they strictly comply with the ban on the use of rockets/fireworks and calling for containment of fire use in rural areas.

During 2016, the GNR identified 298 people and detained ten for arson. They also participated in court proceedings 3,008 news the same type of crime.

The GNR has activated Operation “Zero Ignition”, which aims to raise awareness and monitor the cleaning of land next to houses and roads, in compliance with the legislation governing this issue (Decree Law 124/2006 – National Defence System Forest Fire).

In 2015, GNR inspected 470,565 land, an amount that has increased significantly this year, having already been inspected 3,088,483 lands/properties Some 20,618 were identified with potential infringement situations. For these situations, it was possible to subsequently determine that most owners proceeded in time to the removal of materials that could constitute a risk, having been raised notices of administrative offense in other situations.

Since 2014 the GNR has raised over 6000 notices of administrative offense for failure to maintain the fuel management/land cleaning.

The Mayor of Funchal, Paulo Cafôfo, has stated on Thursday 11^th August that, in addition to the loss of human life, the material damage to private property and public in the county caused by the fires that broke out on Monday is estimated ar €55 million

The mayor spoke at the press conference regarding the fires in Funchal, which consumed n area greater than 500 hectares, mentioning that will present this first survey of damage in the meeting to be today with the Prime Minister, António Costa.

According to him, this first survey involving the parish councils there are 208 public and private buildings were affected by the fires in the county, with 105 totally destroyed and 103 with partial damage.

He added ” We estimate that EUR 32 million is needed for the rehabilitation of buildings [private] affected,” recorded damage to equipment and property of the municipality, such as water supply, roads, cliffs, Funchal Ecological Park and equipment of the fire, which is estimated at 23 million euros.

Paulo Cafôfo pointed out that extraordinary circumstances require “extraordinary solutions”, so will ask for help from Antonio Costa in relation to the total amount of damages.

“And we will certainly ask for help to the Government of the Republic but also the European Union. All sources of funding and money that can be channelled for recovery and normalization of people’s lives, we demand them and claim them” he said.

The mayor argued that this aid should be channelled “as soon as possible”, so it will require that “request does not get lost in the offices, in the bureaucracy, because life must go on.”

Paulo Cafôfo stressed that the financial situation of the city of Funchal “is difficult”, so it cannot respond to all the needs arising from this tragedy.

The GNR Coastal Control Detachment Lisbon seized on 4^th August in Lisbon and Samouco, 4.3 tons of bivalves in three catches, all with the estimated value of more than €30,000.

The surveillance operation was aimed at the detection of offenses related to professional fishing, catch of prohibited species and harvesting and illegal transportation of bivalves.

During the inspection at the estuary of the Tagus River, the GNR detected several offenses related to professional fishing, and seized 300 kilograms of clams, which is forbidden to catch in the river Tagus.

In the area of ​​Samouco, the GNR seized a shipment of 4 tons of bivalves from a man who was not licensed to practice harvesting of bivalve, nor had any documents attesting to its origin.

Bivalves because they are alive were returned to their natural habitat.

On 10^th August the PSP arrested four men, between 17 and 21 years in connection with 27 robberies.

The group always attacked together and chose young, fragile and isolated victims. They are believed to have carried out at least 27 robberies with threats of aggression, knives and even syringes. The crimes occurred in trains, stations on the Cascais line and near schools. The robbers threaten victims not to make complaints to police.

According to information provided the attacks started at the start of the year. The first complaints came to the PSP in February and following the viewing of video surveillance at train stations, and the accounts of victims and witnesses.

On 10^th August at 7:00 a.m., the PSP conducted five searches in Cascais neighbourhood and arrested four suspects. It is not ruled out that there is at least one other who has not been caught. Knives were seized, daggers, a saber and a bat and hashish. They still had a camera and a mobile phone that is suspected to have been stolen.

According to the PSP, the thefts occurred “mainly on trains and railway stations on the route to Cascais, as well as at schools in the vicinity.” The victims were chosen not to offer resistance. The thieves threatened the victims with bladed weapons, aggression and reached the point where syringes, which said that infected were involved. They stole money, mobile phones and goods they could sell quickly.

Feeling persecuted, the robbers later approached some of the victims, trying to force them to withdraw complaints in PSP.

Detainees are under detention and will appear in court in Cascais today.

The National Republican Guard (GNR) has engaged at this time 500 personnel of the Protection and Relief Intervention Group (GIPS) in actions to combat forest fires, divided into the following various areas.

So far in August some 462 GIPS personnel have been airlifted by helicopters to combat 195 fires. Since the beginning of the year there were 1716 helicopter missions to combat and extinguish the early stage of 894 fires.

It has been confirmed that three people have died in the Madeira fires.

At least 37 homes in the historic area have been burned.