Month: March 2017

The Public Security Police announced on 31st March that it destroyed 3,123 firearms and blank weapons on 30th March, totalling more than 6,000 guns destroyed this year by the security force.

In a statement, the PSP said that the destroyed weapons were declared as lost in favour of the State in the context of criminal, administrative or administrative proceedings, after having been seized in police operations carried out by the police throughout the country.

According to PSP, they also integrated the batch of destroyed weapons, those voluntarily delivered to the State by the owners.

This year marks the second time that PSP has carried out a destruction action in the Lisbon area, with a total of 6,252 firearms and blank weapons.

The PSP will continue the national plan for the management of the seizure of weapons seized or voluntarily delivered, carrying out, on April 12, in Oporto, the third action of destruction, involving the commands of the Public Security Police of the north of the country.

The annual Internal Security Report (RASI), approved on 30^th March by the Homeland Security Council, which brings together all police, and enforcement agencies, reveals the lowest number of crimes, especially violent ones in the last 15 years.

Less than 7.1% in general crime, 11.6% in the most serious, crimes compared with last year. In 2016 there were 330,872 crimes, of which 16,761 were severe and violent.

Looking at the charts with the main types of crime, practically all of them have been reduced. In general crime those that increased were only “theft by opportunity” (12.1%) and “domestic violence against spouse” (1.4%) increased.

In violent and serious crime, only three categories increased: “extortion” (53.7%), and “serious physical offense” (11.1%). The largest volume of increases were in computer crime up 21.5% with 801 investigations opened.

The document states that in 2016 there were decreases in motor vehicle theft, theft of non-precious metals, counterfeiting, counterfeiting of currency, false currency passage, driving of vehicle with alcohol rate equal to or greater than 1.2 grams / liter and burglary, burglary, or false keys that collectively have less 13,558 participations compared to 2015.

By districts, Porto registered a decrease of 4,943 participations, followed by Lisbon (less 4,599), while Setúbal registered less 2,207 and Santarém less 2,078. Leiria obtained at least 1,878 registrations and Aveiro less 1,688 participations than in 2015.

In broader terms, RASI points to a sustained decline since 2008 which has seen overall crime drop from 421,037 crimes (2008) to 330,872 in 2016 (21% reduction).

The number of hashish and ecstasy seized in Portugal rose almost 200% last year, while heroin and cocaine decreased 41.1% and 82.7%, respectively, according to the Annual Internal Security Report (RASI) 2016.

Compared with 2015, there was an increase of 192.7% in the amount of hashish seized, with ecstasy registering an increase of 197.4% in quantity. There was also an increase in ecstasy (+ 56.7%), hashish (+ 12%), cocaine (+ 4.5%) and heroin (+ 1.5%).

In total, 5,861 people were arrested for trafficking in narcotics, the majority being male and 483 female.

In terms of nationalities, 664 of the detainees have foreign nationality, which, according to the RASI, demonstrates the “transnational character of the phenomenon.”

Compared to 2015, there was a 5.3% increase in the total number of detainees.

Regarding the drug routes seized, the report says that there were no significant changes compared to previous years, with heroin continuing to reach Portugal through other European countries.

“Hashish continues to be mostly from Morocco and cocaine from South America,” the report said.

On the other hand, data from the crime reported indicate that crimes related to narcotics increased by more than 614 participations, which means a variation of 9.2% more than in 2015.

Overall, there was a reduction of 7,1% in general criminality, which means that 330,872 crimes were committed against 356,032 in 2015, as the Justice Minister announced at the end of the meeting of the Higher Council of Internal security

Serious and violent crime decreased by 11.6% in 2016, resulting in a reduction from 18,964 cases to 16,761, or 2203 occurrences. Source Jornel de Noticais

 

ASAE has dismantled an illegal casino operating in the center of Barcelos. The operation took place close to midnight on 25^th March and led to the arrest of 10 individuals between the ages of 40 and 65.

In the illegal casino, which had been operating for several years in an apartment in the Torre Ampal on Avenida Alcaides de Faria, “illegal poker” was taking place, ASAE said in a statement.

The information note also states that the investigation was started four months ago. In the course of a search warrant, the individuals were arrested  “caught in the act”, and the players and the person in charge of the apartment were accused.

All the material found in the place was seized, highlighting a table, a box of playing chips and a deck of cards.

“There were a lot of complaints from residents about the noise and what the casino looked like to the building,” an investigation source told Jornel de Noticais. “There were days, when the casino worked almost all night,” he added.

The operation was supported by PSP.

The Minister of Internal Administration has determined that a “rigorous inventory” will be carried out on all weapons and ammunition in the PSP, GNR and SEF

The measure resulted from the investigation into the disappearance of 57 Glock pistols from the PSP National Directorate in Lisbon.

“Security Forces and Services shall also inform the IGAI of all procedures relating to the control, registration, distribution and storage of all armaments with a view to harmonizing and strengthening the security, supervisory and control mechanisms and procedures,” Added a note from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The same communiqué states that “disciplinary proceedings have been initiated in the hierarchical chain of the Department of General Support of the National Directorate of the PSP” and initiated procedures for the termination of the service commission of the former director of the Department of General Support of the National Directorate as liaison officer of the MAI in Guinea Bissau

As reported in the Diario de Noticias, the CDS party will move forward with a “package” of measures against terrorism.

The CDS will present a bill that allows the withdrawal of Portuguese nationality to citizens condemned by terrorism, but only for those who have dual nationality. This decision could reach some of the Portuguese jihadists, should they ever be tried in Portugal. This is one of six measures of the “package” to combat terrorism, which will be announced today (29^th) in parliament, with which centrists intend to counter what they consider “government inaction in the area of ​​security.”

In anticipation of the executive, the centrists are also moving forward with a bill to allow the security forces access to the traffic data of the communications (metadata) of suspected terrorist crimes, espionage, sabotage and transnational organized crime. As the DN has already reported, the government is preparing to approve a proposed law “soon” in Council of Ministers, although the specific date has not been indicated.

This reinforcement of powers of information services, was approved by a two-thirds majority (PSD, PS and CDS) in the previous legislature, but defeated by the Constitutional Court. The  judges considered that metadata amounted to wiretaps and could only be allowed in a criminal (closed to secret) investigation and with the same judicial control.

In order to avoid further unconstitutionality and to subject spies to judicial control such as that of police, the CDS proposes that this access to the metadata should be authorized by a special criminal section, composed of a panel of judges, which would be set up in the Supreme Court of Justice. This will also be the model that the government will suggest.

The Diario de Noticais continues that in all, the “package” against terrorism integrates these two bills (nationality and metadata), two requests / questions to the government and two draft resolutions with recommendations. The questions before the Minister of Internal Affairs: are one on the situation of national critical infrastructure security plans, and another on the relationship between the Navy and the GNR in their maritime external border security systems (Costa Segura and the Integrated Surveillance System, Command and Control – SIVICC).

The recommendations include airport security and police training in the prevention of terrorism. Regarding the first, the CDS gives the government 90 days to say what is done, taking into account, justifies Telmo Correia, “the times the Minister has already said that the respective security plans were being changed, without Know any conclusion “. The second is intended to be extended to “all elements of security forces assigned to policing in the vicinity” who are trained in the area of ​​prevention, detection and combating terrorism. “The police on the ground have to be prepared for this reality. The attacks are avoided by anticipation and this can only be achieved by proximity,” says Telmo Correia.

The deputy recognizes that the loss of nationality “will be the most complicated” to approve with the current left majority, but recalls that “some European countries have already adopted it.

 

The Judiciary Police of Madeira is investigating the violent murder of a 79-year-old woman at her home on the Fonte do Til Road in the Arco da Calheta.

The woman was found on 26^th March with several stab wounds. Her 45-year-old son  had recently returned from London, England, where he was emigrated. The man now lived with his mother.

In the house, the authorities found blood in several rooms, and when they reached the old woman, she no longer had vital signs.

The alert had been given around 3:45 p.m. The investigation proceeds. Until this evening (26th March0, the Judicial Police of Madeira had not yet made any arrests.

Four people stabbed to death in the parish of São Veríssimo, in Barcelos.

The victims are a couple of 80 and 84, a woman of 60 years and another woman aged 37, who was seven months pregnant.

The bodies were found in different places. Three in two separate houses and one on the public road, on the Travessa de São Sebastião.

The suspect for the four murders has confessed to the crimes, said the commander of the detachment of the GNR de Barcelos. “The confessed perpetrator of the crimes has already been identified,” said Adelino Silva, adding that “the killings were stabbed by the attacker in the victims’ neck area.”  Lieutenant-Colonel Vaz Lopes, from the command of the GNR of Braga, advanced informed the Diario de Noticais that the victims had cuts in the neck. They were beheaded.

A gun was later thrown by the person who is aged 62, to the roof of a neighbouring house. The Judiciary Police are at the scene. According to the Correio de Manha, the man was serving a suspended sentence of three years after he was convicted of domestic violence against his ex-wife and ex-mother-in-law.

Around 50 concentrated in the immediate vicinity of the crime scene and the GNR has created a security perimeter.

This is being reported as the highest number of murders in a single incident in recent history.

 

 

A Moroccan defendant, detained in Germany and handed over to the Portuguese authorities, was questioned on 23^rd March by Judge Carlos Alexandre on suspicion of joining and supporting the international terrorist organization Daesh and recruiting and financing terrorism.

The man is being held in custody. “The Public Prosecution Service presented to the judge of the Central Court of Criminal Investigation a person of Moroccan nationality who had been delivered to the Portuguese authorities.

After the interrogation, the judge decided, on the request by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, to apply to the defendant an arrest warrant preventive, “the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement to the media.

According to the Judiciary Police, the Moroccan citizen is 63 years old – Police source says the detainee is called Abdessalam Tazi. The suspect had been imprisoned in Germany for crimes of economic nature since early summer. The Attorney General’s Office says that DCIAP is investigating “the practice of crimes of support to the international terrorist organization (Daesh-ISIS) and recruitment and financing of terrorism.”

The PJ, through the National Counter Terrorism Unit, has developed an investigation since 2015 in which it gathered evidence linking two men of foreign nationality to international terrorism, one of whom has now been detained and will now be questioned by a judge for enforcement Measures.

The Aliens and Borders Service announced Tuesday 21st March that it had inspected nightlife establishments and massage parlors in the district of Aveiro, having identified several foreign women and detained one of them.

After receiving denunciations of illegal immigration, illegal labor and pimping, the SEF carried out a surveillance operation for two nightlife establishments in the municipalities of Águeda and Vagos, with the support of the Inspecção de Finanças (ATA).

During the course of the police action, several foreign women were identified, one of whom was detained for falsification of documents and illegal stay in Portugal and another was notified that she has 20 days to leave the national territory.

Two other women were notified to attend the SEF, to determine the contours of their stay in the country.

The two night establishments were notified by the authorities for the collection and use of illegal foreign labour, whose fines vary between four thousand and 20 thousand euros.