Year: 2017

Five people were assisted on site by inhalation of fumes

A fire destroyed a rural tourism unit on Sunday 24th December in Alandroal county, in the Évora district, where 55 people had to be removed by the authorities, a Civil Protection source told Lusa.

According to the same source, five people were assisted at the site from inhalation of fumes, and there was no need to transport them to the hospital.

Civil Protection indicated that it was a building divided into apartments that “burned in full” and reported that guests were taken to another tourist unit owned by the same owner.

The fire alert was given at 16:18 and the fire came to a resolution at 18:25. The case is being investigated by police authorities.

At the site were five fire brigades (with 13 vehicles), the GNR and the municipal services of Civil Protection of Alandroal.

ASAE has seized 16 bottles of “Barca Velha” wine from the 1981, 1985, 2000 and 2004 harvests, as well as two bottles of “Pêra Manca” from 2008, which could total around 10,000 euros.

These Portuguese wines, ranked among the best in the world, were counterfeit and were being sold online and bottled auctions in Lisbon and Leiria.

The investigations also detected fakes of “Barca Velha” from 2000 and 2004, whose average market value is around 600 euros per bottle, and from 1981 and 1985, with values ​​of 400 euros per bottle. Fake packaging was mixed with genuine bottles.

The Food and Economic Security Authority, through its National Information and Criminal Investigation Unit, has been carrying out investigations, throughout this year, in view of the authenticity of “Barca Velha” (Sogrape) and “Pêra Manca” wine bottles (Eugénio de Almeida Foundation) that are being sold and in circulation in the market. The investigations were directed to the Crimes of Merchandise Fraud, Sale and Circulation of Counterfeit Goods.

 

The Vila Real Territorial Command, through the Transit Detachment of Vila Real, on December 22 and 26, will carry out joint patrols with the Civil Guard of the Traffic Association of Verin, on the border of Vila Verde da Raia – Chaves.

The aim of the operation is to prevent road accidents, to ensure traffic flow and to support all road users, in order to provide them with safe transportation in entering Portugal.

The area is, the northern part of the district, and roads A24 and A75, which will have an increase in traffic, as a result of the movement of a high number of people in the celebration of the Christmas season.

The GNR  Intervention Unit Protection and Relief Group (GIPS) of the Intervention Unit was awarded on 18^th December at 10:30 am, in Praça do Comércio in Lisbon, by His Excellency the Prime Minister, Dr. António Costa, with the Distinguished Public Safety Services Gold Medal.

GIPS has as its specific mission the implementation of first-line prevention and intervention actions, throughout the national territory, in an emergency situation of protection and relief, particularly in cases of forest fires or hazardous materials, catastrophes and major accidents.

In order to carry out its mission, 584 military personnel have been deployed in 22 Air Force Centers, which carried out around 7,000 patrols and covered more than 700,000 kms during 2017. GIPS also carried out 4,403 helicopter based initial attacks of forest fires, having achieved a success rate of 98.03% and 449 extended land attacks, in a total of 1473 hours of intervention.

The military ceremony included a Military Parade and an exhibition of means of the various specialties of that Subunit.

The Distinguished Public Security Services Gold Medal intends to distinguish the subunit by the fulfilment of varied missions, with a high degree of complexity and visibility. These in many ways contribute to project the image of the Republican National Guard beyond borders, bringing honour and recognition to the country, and has thus has been publicly recognised

The mega case of corruption involving the issue of driving licenses ended in Bragança , the majority of the 111 defendants were convicted in a case resulting in a loss of almost five million euros to the state.

The trial was concluded on Wednesday 13^th December, more than two and a half years after it started with 111 defendants, a result of the operation of the Judiciary Police that became known as the “White Letter”.

The court applied 11 prison terms to examiners and owners of driving schools of between five years and three months and eight and a half years. Five of these defendants were also sentenced to surrender to the state a total of almost five million euros, results of the alleged illegal activity, in addition to other assets seized during the process.

Among those convicted are four examiners who are barred from pursuing the activity for periods of three and five years.

At least 25 defendants were convicted, but they were suspended, on the condition that they pay sums to solidarity institutions, with a total value of around 150 thousand euros.

Among the nearly 60 applicants accused of paying to get the driving license, some were acquitted but more than 30 people were given suspended sentences , and were stripped of their licences to drives vehicles because they were was obtained illegally.

In the process was also sentenced a defendant to pay a fine of 2100 euros who took the examination by another candidate and two doctors who falsified certificates will pay fines of 7200 euros and 5400 euros.

The court read only the penalties of the judgment since the full document would take days to read, as stressed by the presiding judge, in the one that is classified as a complex process and the greatest one ever undertaken in Bragança.

Lawyer Miguel Brochado, who represented six defendants at the trial, between driving schools and landlords, said he would appeal the decision, although he will still review the ruling.

The GNR has dismantled “one of the largest drug supply networks in the district of Porto.”

The operation, carried out this Thursday 14^th December, mobilized more than 200 elements of the GNR, including the Intervention and Special Operations Group and involved dozens of searches in Gondomar, Valongo, Felgueiras and Porto. Fifteen men and three women, aged between 18 and 48, were detained.

The investigation was developed by the Criminal Investigation Nucleus of the GNR de Gaia, which targeted a group suspected of engaging in the sale of various types of narcotics in an organized manner. Some of the individuals, according to the JN, had already registered for the same type of crime and also for armed robberies and other crimes against property.

Suspicion that certain suspects possessed firearms meant that the operation was surrounded by strong security measures, including elements of the special forces of the GNR and PSP, which usually operate in higher risk scenarios. Although eight firearms (four shotguns, a rifle, two revolvers and a pistol) were seized, the operation passed without incident.

In addition to the 21 kilograms of heroin – most were found in one of the houses in Gondomar – the GNR seized an additional 16 kilograms of narcotic drugs (hashish, cocaine and liamba), as well as amphetamines and material to mix with the drug.

The operation also included the seizure of more than 94 thousand euros in cash, 17 motor vehicles, four motorcycles, a water jet, 50 mobile phones, 433 packs of tobacco, a cannabis greenhouse and other material.

The detainees are taken this Friday to the Court of Criminal Instruction of Porto, to determine coercive measures

The GNR has detected 491 drivers with excess blood alcohol last week during which they performed 27,059 BAC tests.

In a statement, the GNR reports that between 11 and 17^th December, they conducted intensified road checks in the driving of vehicles whilst under the effect of alcohol and psychotropic substances.

A total of 27,059 drivers were tested, of whom 491 were caught with excess alcohol and 178 with a rate equal to or greater than 1.2 g / l, a criminal offence punishable by up to one year in prison.

Of the 105 drivers tested on psychotropic substances, three were tested positive.

The GNR’s more than 3,000 military personnel also performed 99,926 speed checks, having detected 2,311 speeding offences and 53 people driving without legal authorization.

The operation “Alcohol and Drugs” was carried out within the framework of the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL), which brings together all traffic police in Europe, in which the GNR is the national representative.

The suspects forcibly broke into high-value cars and falsified the documents needed to sell them to third parties

The Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) has accused 40 defendants of high-value car theft and forgery of documents for subsequent sale at home and abroad between 2011 and 2016, the District Attorney General of Lisbon (PGDL) said on 18^th December.

According to the PGDL, the 40 defendants are accused of crimes of criminal association, qualified and simple fraud, document falsification, destruction of objects, qualified theft, aggravated robbery, procession of a prohibited weapon and a qualified physical offense.

Although focusing on the Greater Lisbon area, activity also spread throughout the country, as well as Spain, France and Italy.

Of the 40 defendants, two are in pre-trial detention, seven are required to remain in the dwelling with electronic surveillance, and the remaining 40 are compulsory daily periodic presentation at the police station in the area of ​​residence and / or Term of Identity and Residence (TIR).

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Research and Action (DIAP) of Lisbon with the support of the PSP.

1. SITUATION

Following the contact with the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) carried out by the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC), it is expected that the temperature and wind will drop for the next 48 hours; weather factors that will accentuate the thermal discomfort:

During the night of today until tomorrow (15 to 16-12-2017) it is forecasted that:

• Temperatures will decrease to a minimum of -2 and 2ºC in the interior regions of the north and central areas
• The wind blowing from the moderate north quadrant (up to 35 km / h) in the coastal areas and stronger (up to 40 km / h) in the central and southern highlands;
• The formation of ice or frost in the northern and central interior regions.

During the night from Saturday to Sunday (16 to 17-12-2017) it is forecast that:

• Temperatures will decrease to a minimum of ​​between -4 and 2ºC in the interior regions of the or north and centre; and from 1 to 3ºC in the northern and central and southern interior regions;
• The wind blowing from the moderate east quadrant (up to 30 km / h) in the Algarve and in the highlands (until mid-morning on Sunday);
• The formation of frost in the interior regions (repeating the same on the night from Monday to Tuesday).

Follow the weather forecasts on www.ipma.pt

2. EXPECTABLE EFFECTS

In view of the situation described above, there may be:

• Gas inhalation poisoning due to inadequate ventilation of heated dwellings using fireplaces and braziers;
• Fire in dwellings as a result of the misuse of fireplaces and braziers or of electric faults and electrical circuits;
• Formation of ice on wet sections of roads;

3. PREVENTIVE MEASURES

The ANPC recommends that the possible impact of these effects can be minimized through the adoption of self-protection measures and appropriate behaviour, such as the following:

• Avoid prolonged exposure to cold and sudden changes in temperature;
• Wear several layers of loose clothing and adapted to room temperature;
• Protect the parts of the body, such as the head, feet and hands, with a cap, scarf, gloves and warm socks;
• Drinking soup and hot drinks and avoiding alcoholic beverages;
• Workers engaged in outdoor activities should wear suitable clothing and avoid excessive exertion during the tasks they perform;
• Pay special attention to combustion equipment (fireplaces and fireplaces), which can cause intoxication and lead to death, due to the accumulation of carbon monoxide;
• Ensure adequate ventilation of dwellings;
• Avoid using heating devices just before bed, taking care to disconnect them before bedtime;
• Adopt defensive driving and pay special attention to road locations where ice is suspected;
• Assist family and neighbours who may need help and support, including older and/or more isolated people;
• Pay particular attention to the most vulnerable groups of the population, such as children, the elderly and people with chronic diseases, as well as the homeless;
• Be aware of meteorological information and the advice and recommendations of Civil Protection and Security Forces.

Get to know the recommendations of the Directorate-General of Health on the care to be taken during the cold and dry weather (www.dgs.pt).

Cases have been brought to our attention recently where travellers, who have previously reported their passport  missing or stolen in their own country, but subsequently found and used it to travel to Portugal, have had it seized by immigration upon arrival.

Once you have declared your travel document as lost or stolen to your national authorities, it is cancelled and considered invalid. The details of the document are passed on to INTERPOL and entered into their stolen or lost travel documents (SLTD) database.

Border officials in INTERPOL’s member countries can screen passenger information directly against the SLTD database.

If you try to travel with an invalid document, entry or boarding is denied. The travel document is seized to prevent its future use and you cannot travel.

If you have reported your passport lost or stolen, but subsequently find it you should report this to the issuing authority and apply for a new one. Do not attempt to travel with a document that you have reported as lost or stolen.