Year: 2017

Maj. Gen. Rui Moura, operational commander at the GNR, resigned. This senior Army officer had been in the Guard for six years and was responsible for all coordination of the operational activity of this security force, for criminal investigation, information, nature protection, and international missions. Moura informed this week the commander-in-chief, Manuel Couto, who anticipated his passage to the reserve, which should happen only in April. The departure of Rui Moura raises to three the vacancies for general officers in the GNR. At this moment there are two generals to accumulate functions and this year they go to reserve two more. The minister of Internal Administration,

Rui Moura is 55 years old. It was well known how, in the days of the Military Academy, it was the only cadet to reach the maximum mark of 100% in the psychotechnical tests, forcing the team of North Americans, responsible for the tests, to come to Portugal to know the “chrome” And to do new tests, in which they had 100% again.

Rui Moura is 55 years old He holds a bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering and a post-graduate degree in Operational Research and Systems Engineering, at Instituto Superior Técnico. He holds a degree in Systems Engineering, has a post-graduate degree in Operational Research and Systems Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico. Several other courses, such as the Infantry Officer (Basic and Advanced), Rangers and Parachuting, from the United States Army.

According to the Diario de Noticias It was well known how, in the days of the Military Academy, he was the only cadet to reach the maximum mark of 100% in the psycho-technical tests, forcing the team of North Americans, responsible for the tests, to come to Portugal to redo the tests in which he again scored 100%.

The organic law of the GNR provides for 11 command posts for general officers, and eight are now filled. There are two generals to accumulate functions of two commands. Botelho Miguel, the second commander, also performs the functions of Inspector General; Esteves Pereira is the commander of Doctrine and Training and of the Security and State Honors Unit. Rui Moura is provisionally replaced by his deputy Major General Pires da Silva.

EU coordinator for the fight against terrorism was in Lisbon for a discreet meeting with government and police. The Dairio de Noticais interviewed him

The European Union (EU) counter-terrorism coordinator, Gilles de Kerkhove, was in Lisbon yesterday in a discreet visit. He met with the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs, the Secretary General of the Internal Security System and senior officials of security forces and services. In an exclusive interview with the Dairio de Noticais DN, when he was at the airport, he said that he left the country “satisfied” for having verified that “they are all aware of the risks and the measures to be taken” to face the one that considers the greatest threat, at the moment, to the Internal security: the return of the jihadists.

“The return of European jihadis is a major concern for the security of the EU. To what extent are countries mobilized?

We are talking about about three thousand European jihadists, who are still in Syria and Iraq, which is a very significant number. We do not know how many are going to die, (our estimate indicates about 20%), nor do we know where the survivors will go. We are working in various fields. The first is to reinforce, at all levels, the sharing of information, not just with names of suspects, or biometric data, but also with regard to all supplementary information. For example, if someone returns to Portugal after having been in Syria or Iraq, that person’s level of danger must be recorded. Secondly, cooperation with third countries, such as Turkey, has been a gateway to Syria and Iraq and will certainly be one of the ways back from the battlefields. The third is to have an effective risk profile assessment methodology, which can be financially supported by the EU. Fourth, an element of enormous importance, rehabilitation programs. It will be difficult to get evidence that someone has been fighting for daesh or in the army of jabat al nusra. When we have no evidence to judge, the alternative can be a 24-hour surveillance of that person, which requires a lot of resources from the security forces. The other hypothesis is rehabilitation programs, always better than detention because prisons are an incubator of radicalization.

Countries such as Portugal, where the level of threat is reduced, must also adopt strong security measures?

Of course yes. I was this morning (Friday) in a meeting with the ministers of Justice (Francisca Van Dunem) and the Internal Administration (Constança Urbano de Sousa), with the Secretary General of the Internal Security System (Helena Fazenda) and with senior police. All this was discussed and I was impressed by the seriousness with which this issue is being addressed in Portugal. There is a full awareness of the problem and a mobilization to confront it. And the main reason why Portugal has to be prepared is because it belongs to the Shengen area and one cannot imagine a situation where Portugal lost control in the fountains, for example, leading to pressure from migrants wanting to enter the EU.

The EU has been working with an NGO, the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (ICJA) which has collected thousands of evidence of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in Syria and Iraq. Is this work important for the judicial actions that are ongoing in the countries in relation to the jihadists?

Your role is decisive. We are working hard to sustain ways to bring daesh to justice. Evidence has to be collected and preserved. We have ongoing projects to support Iraqi government to collect evidence, but also, in other planes, such as the creation of hybrid courts in the region to try these cases.

 

Is it a special court to try European jihadists?

For all those who have committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. There are several options we are working on, including the involvement of the International Criminal Court, hybrid courts … But coming back to your question, CIJA is doing a fantastic job, supporting it financially, I’ve already seen the evidence database Which it managed to build and is very impressive. I will do everything I can to support the member states in their legal proceedings to bring these jihadists to justice.

Has Portugal been informed about this capacity and is it open to this possibility?

Yes of course. We also discussed this in the meeting, in which the CIJA was also present.

In a recent report, Europol warns of attempts by DHS to infiltrate terrorists into the influx of refugees entering Europe. Portugal is one of the countries that has received more refugees from Syria. What is the real risk?

The cases are very punctual. We know, of course, that some of the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels used this route to enter Europe, but also used false documents. We have worked on mechanisms to prevent this from happening. There is systematic monitoring of EU citizens whenever they cross the EU’s external borders, the detection of false documents has been improved. We have ensured that all member states systematically check names in Interpol databases on the basis of misplaced and stolen documents,in the Shengen information system and we are also improving biometric control.

In addition, all security control of refugee centers in Greece in Italy is reinforced with teams from Europol, Eurojust, Frontex, liaison officers from the various countries. All this to avoid this toxic connection to which he referred, with terrorists wanting to take advantage of this situation. We want to ensure that Europe remains a place where people in danger can find protection”.

 

 

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On 12-13 January 2017, the Counter Terrorism Units of the Spanish National Police in Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia and Gerona, with the collaboration of Europol, have carried out an operation within the framework of an investigation against the illicit trafficking of firearms.

During the course of this action, 5 individuals have been arrested, 6 house searches have been conducted in three Spanish provinces of Bilbao, Cantabria and Gerona and more than 10 000 firearms have been seized, alongside EUR 80 000 in cash.

This organised crime group used a sport shop as a distribution centre which in reality sold firearms, parts and components and ammunition. They acquired a significant amount of the firearms in auctions and from other legal entities.

The crime group sold deactivated firearms which did not comply with the existing deactivation standards and life firing firearms in Spain and other European countries. A sizeable amount of these firearms were assault rifles and hand guns, but there were also other weapons such as anti-aerial machine guns. The suspects also sold essential parts and components with the aim of reactivating deactivated firearms. During the course of this action, an illegal workshop was also dismantled which was used to repair and reactive firearms. The suspects were found in possession of stamps and other items used to forge certificates of reactivation.

Information gathered during the operation will now be analysed by Europol in order to identify potential links with other criminal or terrorist activity across Europe and beyond.

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau’s (NFIB) Proactive Intelligence Team have identified an emerging fraud where social media platforms are being used to attract members of the public to donate money to animal welfare charities overseas that do not exist.

The NFIB has discovered that criminal groups based in Spain or Cyprus and are using social media to target donors from the UK. The money is then laundered from the UK to overseas and rather than be used to tackle animal cruelty it is simply used to support a criminal lifestyle in the sun.

They will canvass for contributions through their existing social networks which will expand over time, attracting more donors.

The NFIB were informed that the people committing this fraud are merely supplementing their income as they are always linked to organised crime groups in the UK and overseas.

Protection advice

Sometimes the article or post on social media may indicate the payments are for charitable organisation or a “worthy cause”. Sadly not in all instances are these genuine, and if any doubt please undertake your own due diligence.

If the collection is for a charity you know is genuine, check the collection is authorised by asking the charity directly, using contact details from the phone book or a website that you know is genuine.

Watch out for poor grammar and spelling.

Send your donation to the charity directly. This may mean going to a little more trouble, but at least you can be sure your donation will get to where it’s intended.

If you have any concerns you can also get further information from Gov.uk.

On 11^th January at 1100 hrs the PSP Metropolitan Command of Lisbon, through the Police Division of Sintra, in the Parishes of Massamá and Monte Abraão, arrested, a  22 year old man, suspected of committing the crimes of false employment fraud and Theft in Residence.

The PSP, who is supporting a couple of citizens who are particularly vulnerable on account of their age (87 and 80 years old), informed the PSP that they had been the victim of a theft of money following visits by a suspect who claimed to be an employee of an energy distribution network.

From the measures taken it was possible to verify that a new visit of the said suspect to the residence of the couple was scheduled for a supposed “technical inspection”. The PSP  Massamá then monitored the visit and evaluate properly the events.

In the house, the patient was then arrested, using an employee identification card and a vesting device to conduct the new “technical inspection”, this time in the presence of the police.

It should be noted that the suspect also presented a card from a company providing services to the electricity distribution network operator. However it was found by the PSP that there was no record of any intervention or official visit of the company to that residence.

The detainee said that he had acquired goods with the money stolen, and a home search was launched at his residence, where items were recovered: a Mobile phone; a Laptop; a Smartwatch; and a pair of tennis shoes.

The detainee appeared before the Judicial Court of the District of Lisbon West, Sintra Nucleus for first judicial interrogation, and the measure of coercion and preventive custody.

The Regional Health Administration of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo recommended special care to Social Security institutions, nursing homes and continuing care units regarding the cold wave.

The Regional Health Administration of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo (ARSLVT), through the Department of Public Health, recommends strengthening preventive measures, taking into account the predictions of a cold wave with the possibility of negative temperatures and that should extend For a week (according to forecasts of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere – IPMA).

ARSLVT recommends the population to stay protected from the cold, avoiding intense physical exertion outdoors

“The ARSLVT also warns the entire population about the convenience of taking basic measures of prevention and protection of health,” reads a statement released Friday, in which reminds that in case of need people should call the line Health 24 (808242424) or go to the nearest health center, avoiding hospital emergencies.

Warning for the health consequences of exposure to severe cold, particularly for several consecutive days, ARSLVT recommends the population to stay protected from the cold, especially if they have any health problems, avoiding intense physical exertion outdoors.

Attention to ventilation in the case of the use of fireplaces, braziers, salamanders or gas heating equipment

In the communiqué, it is recommended that house temperatures be maintained between 18 and 21 degrees, that attention should be paid to ventilation in the case of the use of fireplaces, braziers, salamanders or gas-fired heating equipment, if several layers of More frequent and hot meals.

The forecasts of the IPMA point to very low temperatures during the whole next week that in some days can oscillate between the two and the 10 degrees in the region of Lisbon. In regions such as Bragança, temperatures can drop to minus five degrees, with two negative degrees already on Saturday.

Complaints by health professionals who are  victims of violence in the workplace are rising. According to the report of the Directorate-General for Health, in 2015 there were 582 notifications, 9.6% more than in the previous year. In 51 cases there was a complaint made to the police. The main targets of aggression were mainly nurses and doctors: most of the situations are discrimination / threat, insults and moral pressure. The perpetrators are mainly ill, but there are also situations in which other health professionals are involved.

According to areport in the Diaro de Noticias (DN) the number of online notifications that have reached the Directorate General of Health (DGS) has increased since 2007, but the great jump was from 2013 to 2014, when the number of complaints more than doubled. The trend, shows the new report Violence Against Health Professionals, was kept in 2015 . “However, it is impossible to distinguish whether there are more notifications of this type of incident because the professionals are more alert to the notification or if there are more cases of Violence, “the DGS points out in the document.

From the analysis it is possible to conclude that most of the violence happens in the public services, more in the hospitals, soon followed of the health centres. In 551 reports, there was identification of where the aggression occurred. First are external consultations, followed by emergencies, adult medicine services, psychiatric internment, care services, and administrative services.

According to the 2015 data, the perpetrators are mostly patients (307), family members of patients (129), health care workers at the health unit (109) and patients’ caregivers (19). As for the sex of the aggressor, there are no great differences between men and women. And except for all the others serve them where the sick are the main offenders, but hospital consultations “predominate health care unit health workers as aggressors,” the report says.

As for the victims of aggression, the vast majority (309) are nurses, followed by doctors (145). And how did they manage the situation? They asked for treatment, were temporarily absent from the service, received support, reported an accident at work and gave rise to an investigation. It should be noted that “423 reports indicate that violence is common in the health unit” and “346 report that the episode of violence could have been prevented.” The same notification may refer to both cases, which is why the sum is higher than the total number of notifications.

The DN reports that Guadalupe Simões of the Portuguese Nurses’ Union (SEP) believes that the number of notifications registered in the DGS does not reflect what is happening in reality and it is not surprising that nurses are the main targets of violence. “Waiting times are long, there is a shortage of material as we have denounced, nurses are few in services, they are the first to receive people. In 2015 it is good not to forget that people’s economic conditions were different, the perspective of the future Was smaller, cuts in health were substantial. People were already tense and there were also, “he says.

The union also receives complaints of aggressions such as that of a nurse who was assaulted in a health center by a user who wanted to receive methadone. “There is a mix of revolt and some blame on the victim,” says Guadalupe Simões, who also speaks of violence among professionals. “For us to withdraw rights to force a child to not have flexible hours because of younger children is an assault. In some family health facilities there is pressure for nurses to do 40 hours when the time is 35. It generates tension among colleagues and that too Reflected in care. “

According to a report in the Jornel de Noticias, the National Medical Emergency Institute (INEM) received more than 1.3 million emergency calls in 2016, which resulted in the activation of more than 1.2 million emergency responses, such as ambulances, motorcycles or helicopters.

According to a note note from the Ministry of Health, INEM received in 2016 more 67,391 calls than in the previous year.

The calls made to the European Emergency Number (112) are answered by the PSP and GNR, which sends them to the INU Urgent Patient Advice Centers (CODU) whenever the reason for the call is related to emergencies or medical emergencies.

In this medical center of the INEM, the professionals “evaluate all the requests for help received, with the objective of determining the necessary and adequate resources for each occurrence”, recalls the note of the institute.

In 2016, the service of the more than 1.3 million emergency calls gave rise to the activation of almost 1.29 million means of emergency, among the different types of ambulance (emergency medical, relief, immediate support of life, Pediatric hospital), emergency bikes, emergency medical and resuscitation vehicles and helicopters.

The institute explained that the means are selected based on the clinical situation of the victims, the proximity of the place of occurrence and the accessibility to the place of occurrence.

Paulo Rebelo, INEM operator, underlines the importance of whoever calls for INEM to say “in a simple and clear way” the exact location and, whenever possible, with indication of reference points, the telephone number you are calling, the type of situation (illness, accident, childbirth), the number, sex and apparent age of the persons needing help and the main complaints and the changes they observe.

“The questions asked by CODU professionals are very important for INEM to act, since they aim to determine the severity of the emergency and the most appropriate means of relief to respond to the situation in question,” he said.

Source Lusa: One of four detained by the GNR in an operation carried out in Alto Minho is accused of carrying out at least 23 thefts from homes.

The arrested man “is heavily accused of carrying out 23 burglaries to homes, but could be responsible for another two dozen assaults carried out in the last two months, in the districts of Viana do Castelo and Braga, namely in the municipality of Barcelos,” said a source from the GNR territorial command in Viana do Castelo.

The man, who at the time of the crimes lived in Vila Praia de Âncora, in the municipality of Caminha, was approached on 12^th January in Vila Nova de Cerveira. After searches carried out at that residence, the police force managed to recover “several stolen objects”.

The investigation of this case, which in total included nine searches, four domiciliary and five non-domiciliary in several locations in the Alto Minho, allowed GNR to hold three more men, one of them indicted for drug trafficking, having seized more than 140 doses of drugs .

The alleged trafficker, also living in the municipality of Caminha, was detained on Wednesday, “during the preparation of the operation that culminated in the arrest of the suspected theft of the residence.”

The other two suspects were indicted in the context of the robbery of houses, indicted for illegal possession of weapons and released in the meantime.

The four suspects are between the ages of 26 and 39.

 

The two Algerians who fled Thursday afternoon from Lisbon airport, after jumping the fence, were picked up at dawn in Gare do Oriente by agents of the PSP’s criminal investigation department, the DN knows.

Speaking to Lusa, spokesman for the national command of the PSP, Hugo Palma, said that the two Algerians were detained in the Parque das Nações around 00:30.

“Following the flight, a criminal investigation team at the East gare terminal approached two individuals, requested identification and confirmed that it corresponded to the two individuals who had escaped from the airport.

The two men had fled when a group of five Algerians (four men and one woman) boarded a flight bound for Algiers and “managed to advoid the protection network at Lisbon airport,” said the statement from the PSP.

This is not the first time similar cases have occurred at Lisbon airport, involving Algerian citizens as well.

In October 2016, SEF and PSP prevented the flight of three passengers arriving at Lisbon airport on a flight from Morocco in an action that led to the arrest of six citizens of North Africa who were traveling on a flight from Casablanca, Morocco , To Algiers, the capital of Algeria, with a stopover in Lisbon.