Year: 2016

Given the increasing number and severity of forest fires this year’s Safe Communities Portugal launches today a new initiative aimed at creating greater awareness of the risk of fires, as well as the various weather conditions that increase the risk to public safety.

Entitled “Daily Safety Checks” it encourages people to check each day to ascertain, where there are fires, the daily fire risk, any flooding or other occurrences as well as the UV and weather alerts, so people can adjust their activities accordingly.

This is aimed at all communities and visitors to help gain access through a “one stop shop”, to the main government sites that contain information that people need to know in order to keep safe.

This can be accessed from the home page on the Safe Communities Portugal website, through a set of lights. It then takes visitors to the page where access to all the relevant safety information can be accessed through the appropriate link.

David Thomas President of Safe Communities Portugal said “It is very important that people get into the habit of making daily checks, particularly if venturing into the country areas, in order to ensure they are not putting themselves at increased risk, through example forest fires in summer and flooding in winter. This also helps the emergency services as in the event of forest fire for instance the number of potential victims can be reduced.

These areas can be avoided by simply checking the conditions beforehand. Likewise it is important that people especially visitors understand the dangers of prolonged exposure to high levels of UV”. The aim of this initiative is to support government efforts to create awareness and help the community gain access easily to public safety information.

On the same page is a direct link to all the emergency numbers and hotlines in case of emergencies.

The information can be found along with our public safety advice on www.safecommunitiesportugal.com

It was reported last night (6th September 2016) that the area of Paradela “has been completely evacuated, as well as Cabeceiras de Basto, Soure and Pena Ribeira as fighting the flames was are too complicated.

About two dozen people in the place of the Várzea, Soajo, Arcos de Valdevez, and Ponte da Barca, and military GNR are held in that town because of a forest fire, according to Civil Protection.

The councilor of the municipal civil protection Arcos de Valdevez, Olegario Gonçalves, said that “the people and the GNR were stranded because the fire took hold of the access road that place.” “They’re waiting for the first opportunity to be able to leave,” he added.

The councilman said, however, that the removal of residents in Várzea “is for now in ‘standby’, as firefighters try to control the flames.”

Olegario Gonçalves told Lusa that the area of ​​the Peneda Geres Park (PGNP) “there were dead animals”, without specifying the number and “some inhabitants of that place were at risk of life because they have been surrounded by the flames.”

The commander of Arcos de Valdevez fire operation, Delfim Mota told SIC Noticias that there are several fires along the housing and which has several teams to fight the blaze on site. Several people suffered smoke inhalation when they try to protect their homes and had to be assisted.

A couple of Paradela, place already evacuated Soajo, Ponte da Barca, was transported by INEM to hospital with burns on his face, said Councilman Civil Protection. Olegario Gonçalves did not know the extent of the burns victims who were hit while fighting a fire near his home. Also he did not mention age.

Robalo Simões, second operational commander of the Civil Protection of Viana do Castelo, he added that another person was taken to the Hospital of Lima by inhalation of fumes.

Delfim Mota added that the strong wind and high temperature make “a small fire into a large fire.” The commander said that there is “lack of air support.”

According to the information given on the site of the Civil Protection, the site is about 54 operational supported by 21 vehicles and an air environment.

Delfim Mota added that “the situation is already getting back to normal in the town of Paradela.” Although the fire has already passed this village, there are no conditions for people to return to their homes.

The villages of Paradela and Lugar da Várze, in Arcos de Valdevez municipality, were evacuated due to this fire. According Olegario Gonçalves, the place of Paradela “has been completely evacuated.”

More and more records of incidents involving drones on the perimeter of the airport Humberto Delgado in Lisbon.

The last one took place on Wednesday and involved an aircraft of the Portuguese Air Force. According to the Express military aircraft was about to land on runway 35 Portela when a drone went about three meters from the apparatus. The collision was narrowly averted. The military unit was taken off the air base 4 on Terceira Island in the Azores. The report states that the plane was about to touch the ground with the landing gear when crossed with the drone.

This Friday the target of one of these small flying devices was a TAP plane. The incident occurred during landing in Lisbon when a laser beam fired from a drone penetrated the cockpit hit the co-pilot in the eye. The crew reported pain in her left eye several hours. The apparatus of the national carrier came from Rome in Italy, and was carrying 150 passengers.

The cases are different and increasingly frequent. In April this year, there was another instance at Lisbon airport involving an airliner coming from Madrid. It was in 2014 that the first cases involving unmanned aerial vehicles along the tracks from Lisbon airport were reported.

These events merited the attention of the National Institute of Civil Aviation, but still lacks specific legislation regulating the use of drones.

On 30^th August at about 3:40 a.m., in Oporto, police officers from Porto intercepted four suspects in a stolen car who minutes beforehand had stolen a number of items from an establishment in Porto.

In order to escape the suspects rammed a police car, as well as a second vehicle at the scene, forcing police officers, face the risk to their physical integrity, firing shot at the vehicle, wounding a suspect.

The suspect was immediately transported to hospital and the two police officers who were injured as a result of the collision. Unfortunately, the individual shot aged 16 years, died of his wounds in the hospital.

At the site, another was arrested aged 19, and another two managed to escape.

In addition to the recovery of stolen vehicle, several packs of cigarettes and the vending machine, which were stolen were seized.

The occurrence was reported to the Public Ministry and the General Inspection of the Interior, who will undertake a subsequent investigation of the incident.

On 25^th August the Lisbon Metropolitan Command of the Public Security Police, following an investigative initiated by the Criminal Investigation Police Division of Sintra, arrested a man aged 21 years for an aggravated robbery in the Cacém area.

The suspect, with a criminal record, has been previously convicted of the offense of aggravated assault, drug trafficking and possession of a prohibited weapon. He has appeared before a Judicial Court of the District of Lisbon West Center of Sintra, for 1st Judicial Interrogation, and was placed in remand in prison.

On 29^th August the PSP Metropolitan Command of the Public Security Police, no 3 Division, arrested a person aged 51 years at Rua 12 do Bairro Calçada dos Mestres – for drug possession.

During the inspection of a motor vehicle by PSP agents, it was found that his driver had a nervous attitude, and suspecting that could have something illegal, the agents conducted a search and found the person in possession of the following material:

407 product doses of narcotic suspected Hashish; and

14 product doses of narcotic drug suspected to be heroin.

Following investigations carried out, a house search was conducted and the following found and seized:

1 alarm gun with six rounds of ammunition;

1 batoon;

1 precision scale;

4 bladed weapons;

5 product doses of narcotic drug suspected to be cocaine;

4 doses of a narcotic suspected Hashish; and

1.38 grams of product suspected Cannabis.

The suspect was present during the day in DIAP of Lisbon, 1 for judicial interrogation, and has been order to make weekly reporting to police.

Since the 21st August a number of thefts of items from campervans have taken place at the Parque da Ria, Aveiro. At least six thefts from campervans owned by tourists have been reported to the PSP.

According to media reports the victims have reported that they believe their movements were being watched before the thefts took place.

The Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) intercepted on 24th and 25th August at Lisbon Airport, two persons  involved in international drug trafficking.

In the first case, the arrested individual aged 20 years, who had as Madrid destination, came from a flight from Brazil. He admitted upon arrest to carrying drugs in the hold baggage that would be distributed in Spain, indicating not know how much of it, but only that it would involve cocaine. In conjunction with the Tax Authority and Customs (ATA) he confirmed the existence of alleged narcotic product, it is estimated that the weight thereof is about 18 Kg, including the weight of the bag itself.

On 25^th August SEF intercepted another foreign national, aged 26, from Brazil en-route to Madrid. The passenger admitted he carried close to the body a few kilograms of narcotic substances.

Both individuals were handed over to the competent authorities for further proceedings

The Lisbon Metropolitan Command of the Public Security Police, in its area of ​​responsibility, continuing the goals of preventing and deterring crime and offenses in general, during the period from 07:00 on the 19th and 07:00 on 26 August, performed 221 operations and police proceeded to arrest 187 people for various crimes:

• 52 For driving under the influence of alcohol;
• 33 For Narcotic Trafficking;
• 24 For Driving without legal requirements;
• 16 By Resistance and Duress on Employee;
• 12 For Arrest Warrant;
• 11 For illegal possession of weapon;
• 9 For Theft;
• 7 For Disobedience;
• 5 For Theft;
• 3 Illegal immigration;
• 3 Theft by pickpocket, and
• 12 For Other Crimes.

Operational activity, it was possible to apprehend the following material:

• 16 Weapons:
• 12 Cold arms;
• 03 Handguns;
• 02 Weapon 6.35mm, and
• 01 defense Aerosols.
• 185 Ammunition;
• 20 Product Doses narcotic drug suspected to be heroin;
• 519.45 Product Doses narcotic suspected Hashish;
• 65 Product Doses narcotic drug suspected to be cocaine;
• 1009 Product Units narcotic suspected Ecstasy, and
• 18 g of product narcotic suspected Amphetamines.

The GNR Braga Criminal Investigation Unit arrested on 23rd August, in Povoa de Varzim, five individuals for the crime of theft and recovered 38 car radiators, whose estimated value amounts to 6,000 euros.

The action was developed in the context of an investigation by robbery, and individuals were intercepted while transporting the said stolen items in two cars.

The arrested, aged 25 and 38, indicted by the practice of two other similar thefts.