On 22nd February a British tourist in his early 70s fell 15 meters at the Levada do Norte, between Camara de Lobos and Garachico.
The man who may have been part of an organised tour suffered a head injury. His condition is unknown.
There have been a number of accidents whilst walking the levadas. On some occasions people are walking alone.
Please see our advice to minimise the risk to you.
On 24th February 2017 a French tourist died while walking up the slight slope in the botanic gardens, he was said to be feeling unwell.
The man 47 years of age, suffered a cardiac arrest, emergency services arrived at the scene but, nothing could be done to save him.
On 27th February in the afternoon a tourist, of German nationality fell the Vereda dos Salgados, in Camacha. He was rescued and is well.
According to a source from the Municipal Fire Department of Santa Cruz, the man fell from a considerable height but was suspended on a tree trunk, having been rescued by two people, with the aid of a rope, before the arrival of the firemen.
The man was conscious and alert, with bruises on his arms and knees. He refused to be transported to the Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça, and continued the rest of the walk.
A lawyer living in Braga was arrested on Monday when she took drugs, syringes and other prohibited objects to a client who was imprisoned in the Vale do Sousa prison.
Manuela Alves was arrested in flagrante delicto by the Nucleus of Criminal Investigation of GNR of Felgueiras. In her possession she had 100 grams of hashish, syringes and accessories for mobile phones.
The Vale do Sousa regional prison is considered to be highly secure
The GNR detained this Monday two men near Campo Maior, in the district of Portalegre, suspected of having stolen a light goods vehicle, belonging to the municipality of Mogadouro.
According to a source from the GNR, the detention of 47- and 61-year-old men and the recovery of the stolen vehicle was carried out by soldiers of the Campo Maior Territorial Post during a road inspection this Monday morning at Estrada Nacional 373, From Portalegre to Campo Maior.
The vehicle of the municipality of Mogadouro, in the district of Bragança, was stolen during the dawn of today, said the GNR source.
The two men, according to the source of the Guard, who were later released, were subject to expiration of identity and residence.
During 2016 the PSP registered 4932 arrests and the GNR 4017 of people without a valid driving licence.
If you have become accustomed to thinking that the validity of the driving license is almost lifelong, it is best to go check the website of the Institute of Mobility and Transport. It is that the date on the back of your document may not be correct for the purpose of revalidation of the licence, since with the entry into force of a decree-law in 2016 the deadlines have changed significantly.
Last year, until October, according to the latest statistics, 906 people were imprisoned for the crime of driving without legal authorization. For the same reasons, and during the same period, the GNR detained 4017 drivers, while the PSP recorded 4932 arrests.
Since driving without legal authorization is a crime, detainees face a criminal process, which, in most cases, ends in the so-called summary process, a more expeditious form provided by law. Convictions can either be punishable by a fine – for example in the case of primary offenders – but can lead up to imprisonment for up to two years for repeat offenders.
The Law
Decree-Law 40/2016 of 29 July dictates new rules for holders of driving licenses issued or revalidated before 2 January 2013. These drivers – of categories AM, A1, A2, A, B1, B, BE , Mopeds and agricultural tractors – will have to revalidate the licence at the age of 50, without presenting a certificate. Then they revalidate again at 60 and 65 years, with presentation of medical certificate. At age 70, they will have to revalidate with a certificate and, from that age, revalidation happens every two years.
Drivers who are entitled to drive after January 2, 2013, will have to check the validity date of the certificate and renew it every 15 years until they reach the age of 60. When they reach this age, a medical examination is mandatory.
From January 1 of this year, just go to the website of the IMT (Institute of Mobility and Transport), register, fill your application, pay by ATM and receive at home your new driving license. It takes about two weeks. By placing your orders online you automatically have a 10% discount (instead of €30, pay €27), but one of the main savings is time. Often you had to miss a morning or afternoon just to deal with a relatively simple change or to issue a medical certificate. You can now scan the certificate and the process is progressing online.
The GNR Pinhel, found, on February 22, a 75-year-old Alzheimer’s patient living in Cótimos – Trancoso, missing since the previous day.
After the disappearance was reported, a total of 35 military personnel were deployed to the place where the searches were carried out during the entire period of the disappearance, resulting in the location of the elderly woman, about 5 km from her residence.
Although conscious, the elderly woman was disoriented, debilitated and hungry, so she was transported by INEM to the Trancoso Health Center.
The National Republican Guard (GNR), in partnership with the Portuguese technological group TEKEVER, will test tomorrow, February 23, in Barreiro, at 09:00 hours, the utility of social networks in the response of public security authorities dealing with emergency situations.
The exercise, which will take place at the Business Park of Baía do Tejo in Lavradio – Barreiro, includes the simulation of an earthquake with several replicas and takes place within the framework of the European project “SOTERIA”
The GNR military on the ground will be called upon to intervene in several emergency situations, including:
The “SOTERIA” Project is part of the European Union’s research and development support projects. Its objective is to research, develop and present recommendations for emergency intervention and to design / develop a tool for social networks in emergency situations. This tool will enable public security-related organizations, from the point of view of safety and security, as well as citizens, to proactively use the new online mass media communication means to communicate before, during and after the occurrence of an emergency.
The aim is to encourage the two-way exchange of useful information between these organizations and citizens in the case of critical intervention in emergency situations, maintenance of public order and tranquillity, and medical care.
Civil Protection technicians from Alentejo and the Algarve met in Mértola on 15 February for a training course on the Spit Fire platform, a project aimed at improving the efficiency of fire prevention, preparedness and response actions In cross-border areas, between Portugal and Spain.
According to the Câmara de Mértola, “several entities from the districts of Beja and Faro participated in the course with the purpose of becoming compatible with this new work tool and defining joint strategies”.
Francisca Van Dunem and Constança Urbano de Sousa give clarification on the escape of Caxias and disappearance of weapons from the PSP, respectively
The parliament today approved the urgent hearing of Justice and Home Affairs ministers regarding the escape of three prisoners from the Caxias jail and the stealing of 50 weapons from the national headquarters of the PSP, respectively.
The requests were made by the PSD to the Committee on Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, which today approved Francisca Van Dunem’s hearing on the Sunday escape of three prisoners from the prison in Caxias and Constança Urbano de Sousa on the subject of the near theft of 50 weapons from the PSP’s national headquarters warehouse.
It was decided that the Minister’s explanations on the theft of Glock 9 mm weapons would be the first point of the hearing of Constancia Urbano de Sousa scheduled for March 7