Year: 2019

On 18^th February the GNR Territorial Command of Aveiro, through the Criminal Investigation Nucleus (NIC) of Anadia, have identified three men, all aged 23, in Vila Nova de Gaia for thefts from vehicles.

The identified individuals are suspected of having carried out about 300 such thefts between April 2018 and February of this year, which occurred at various parking lots of catering establishments along the National Highway EN1.

The investigation culminated in the execution of three search warrants, resulting in the seizure of: 14 mobile phones; five portable computers; four tablets; three vehicle keys; a camara and a watch. The three suspects were constituted defendants and subject to expiration of identity and residence.

This police operation was supported by the Criminal Investigation Nuclei of Ovar, Oliveira de Azeméis, Santa Maria da Feira and with the support of the Public Security Police.

The operation included 43 home searches in the areas of Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Freamunde and Custóias, which resulted in 15 arrests including 10 men and five women aged 33-44 years.

On the operation the following were seized: 31,870 individual doses of herion;  about 6,555 individual doses of cocaine; about 416 individual doses of hashish; 123 individual doses of Amphetamines; about  80 individual doses of Liamba, and 8,746 g of “cutting” product; together worth € 100,120. Also seized were 5 motor vehicles; two alarm pistols and objects used in the direct sale of narcotics.

The Operation developed by the Division of Criminal Investigation had the collaboration of the Special Police Unit – Special Operations Group (GOE), Intervention Corps (IC) and Operational Cinotech Group (GOC) – Intervention and Police Surveillance Squad as it was supported by the GNR in its area of ​​jurisdiction.

Many of the 300  vehicles (including luxury vehicles) imported by Papua New Guinea to transport the leaders of the countries that participated in the Asia-Pacific summit last year were not returned.

Papua New Guinea police said on Tuesday 12^th February 2019 that they were trying to locate 284 cars imported and used to transport the leaders of countries attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the country’s capital, Port Moresby, last year.

After the event, the vehicles were not returned to the State Assets Recovery Unit of the government. Among them there are Toyota Land Cruisers, Fords, Mazdas and Mitsubishi Pajeros. However, all 40 luxurious Maseratis and Bentleys, worth more than 86,000 euros each, were subsequently located and recovered.

According to police, nine of the missing cars were stolen. Of the vehicles returned, some had missing parts and others were badly damaged. Police believe six of the nine stolen cars are still in Port Moresby, while three of them are in Mount Hagen.

The importation of the cars to the summit, which took place in November 2018, was one of the most controversial aspects of the event held in Papua New Guinea. At the time, both the media and activists questioned whether that Pacific country – which, according to data from the World Bank’s March last year – is considered the 50th poorest in the world – could host an international event such as the APEC summit.

With the country battling a national outbreak of polio, rising tuberculosis rates, and scarcity of funding for health, education and other services, critics have seen the hundreds of imported luxury cars as symbols of government waste.

Australia, the US and New Zealand sent elements of the Special Forces to ensure the safety of the participants.

The Governing Board of the Internal Administration held a conference on “Urban Safety – Municipalities and the Protection of Public Space” from January 31st until February 2nd at the São Francisco Convent in Coimbra.

The conference brings together over 300 representatives from municipalities, security forces and services, researchers and civil society to discuss relevant issues in the area of ​​Internal Administration with impact at the local level.

On January 31st, the theme of urban security will be developed by specialists in the field who will discuss the various dimensions of crime prevention in urban centres and their relationship with strategies developed by local authorities. David Thomas president Safe Communities Portugal spoke on the subject of “The Role of Community organisation in the support of Police”

The opening session, on January 31, was attended by the Secretary of State for Local Authorities, Carlos Miguel, and the President of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities and the Coimbra Municipal Council, Manuel Machado.

Portugal is considered to be the fourth safest country in the world and the Governance area of ​​the Internal Administration aims to reinforce crime prevention with the involvement of local authorities, key partners in the urban security strategy.

On February 1 there were several working groups which discussed topics such as Urbanism and Urban Space Management, Proximity Policing in Internal Security Strategy, Municipal Police in the Context of Urban Security, Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency, Relevance of New Technologies in Security public, Nightlife in urban space, Participation of private security in urban security and Cities of the 21st Century – Migrations and multiculturalism.

On the 2nd, the Conference discusses Local Security Contracts, with the presence of local councils of the municipalities where the program is being implemented, namely the Chairs of Vila Franca de Xira, Maia, Vila Nova de Gaia, Oeiras and Loulé, and councilors of the Houses of Porto, Lisbon and Portimão.

In the debate, the results of this program were presented, putting into practice, at local level, the institutional cooperation between central administration, local authorities and local partners, in interaction with the community, with a view to reducing social vulnerabilities and preventing juvenile delinquency.

There are currently 27 Local Security Contracts in the Country – 6 in the metropolitan area of ​​Lisbon, 3 in the Porto metropolitan area, 1 in the Alentejo region, 16 in the Algarve region and 1 in the western intermunicipal community, covering 45 territories.

From 11th to 15th February the GNR will carry out, through the sections of Criminal Prevention and Community Policing units, a set of awareness actions aimed at the general population, and in particular the most vulnerable, including children, young and old, with the objective of informing the community of the need to prevent violent behaviour.

Violence can be inflicted in a variety of ways, from physical, psychological, emotional and sexual gratitude. Neglect and abandonment can be considered as violent acts of omission. Physical assaults, acts of vandalism, use of weapons, thefts and robberies tops the list of behaviour that show the most concern.

The GNR, through personal contact in homes, public and private spaces, and especially with the school community, during the following days will address some issues that are of concern in society, namely:

• 11th – Violence between Peers;
• 12th – Domestic Violence;
• 13th – Violence in Sport;
• 14th – Dating Violence;
• 15th – Violence Against the Elderly.

With these awareness actions, the GNR intends to convey a message of concern with this type of crime and a commitment to help eradicate or minimize it, by creating a climate of trust and empathy within the population and increasing the sense of security.

Europol Report:  On 21 January 2019, some 300 hundred officers from the Gendarmerie Nationale (French Gendarmerie) and the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Finance Corps) targeted suspects across both countries believed to be part of an organised crime group behind a large-scale international money-laundering scheme. The criminal cash flows are estimated at €5 to €7 million per month.

The coordinated raids took place simultaneously in Paris, Ivry-sur-Seine, Bagnolet, Montpellier, Marseille, Fréjus, Grenoble and Orvault on the French side, and Florence, Arrezzo, Brescia and Rome on the Italian one.

As a result, 19 suspects were arrested and some €550 000 in cash seized, alongside several luxury watches and vehicles. Authorities in Algeria seized gold with a value of almost €1 million.

The sting follows a two-year complex investigation looking into the activities of this criminal network believed to be very prolific. Money originating mainly from drug trafficking and tax evasion was collected by couriers in different cities in France, before being laundered via two distinct schemes – via the Hawala system, allowing the transfer of money without any physical transportation of cash – and via gold laundering, whereby part of the cash money collected was sent to Italy to buy gold from unscrupulous business intermediaries. The precious metal was then transported back to France and Spain in order to be exported by sea to Algeria, where the masterminds behind this scheme were based.

Europol supported the investigation from the outset by facilitating the exchange of information. On the action day, two Europol experts were deployed on-the-spot in France and Italy to allow for the real-time exchange of information and for cross-checks of the data gathered in the course of the action against Europol’s databases

The Judiciary Police through the National Anti-Corruption Unit, under a DCIAP investigation have carried out an operation in which it has detained five foreigners, aged 39, 43, 46, 51 and 56 and seized material from seven searches, in connection with crimes of criminal association, money laundering and qualified scams, carried out at an international level.

This transnational organized group used the national territory to circulate capital (several million euros).

The detainees constituted front companies and opened accounts at financial institutions in Portugal.

The detainees had, it explained, set up front organisations and opened accounts in financial institutions in Portugal.

The group, of a “transnational nature,” moved millions of euros through Portugal, the Judicial Police states.

Present at the first judicial interrogation at the Central Criminal Court, all detainees were subject to the pre-trial detention order.

The Judiciary Police is pursuing investigations in order to ascertain the nature and extent of criminal activity under investigation

The Judicial Police, through the Department of Criminal Investigation of Leiria, after receiving a complaint initiated the investigation, and collected evidence that led to the arrest of the suspect, for the practice of several crimes of sexual abuse, that occurred in the area of ​​Leiria.

The detainee, a 42-year-old factory worker for more than a year, sexually abused two minors, with whom he maintains a close relationship, taking advantage of the time he was alone with them.

The defendant justified his actions before the victims, with the need to provide them with sex education, thus materializing several important sexual acts.

Present at the beginning of this month to the competent judicial authorities, the measures of coercion of bi-weekly presentations before the area of ​​residence were applied to him as well as prohibition of contacts and approaching the victims.

A fire broke out around 12 o’clock in the Garachico area above Funchal, and rapidly increased in intensity immediately afterwards. Smoke was evident approaching Funchal from the east throughout the afternoon.

At the time, in addition to two firefighting vehicles of the Volunteer Firefighters of Câmara de Lobos, Volunteer Firefighters from Funchal were also mobilised.

About ten firefighters in total fought the fire, which the Diario believed to be very close to homes, in an area where there is much bush.

Two men, of Portuguese nationality, were detained this Wednesday, January 30, in the Algarve, for being associated with the organization “Hells Angels”.

According to a statement from the Judiciary Police, “there are facts that could be included in the practice of the following crimes: criminal association, qualified homicide, attempted robbery, serious physical offenses, qualified physical offenses and possession of prohibited weapons” .

The detainees were presented to the Court of Criminal Investigation of Lisbon, and the following coercive measures were applied by accumulation: periodic presentations at the police station of the area of ​​residence, and other specific prohibitions including participating in motoring cycling events events and exercising the private security profession.

The investigation runs in the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office is assisted by the National Unit Against Terrorism of the Judiciary Police.

In the last Motard Concentration Faro in July 2018, there were suspicions that the event could be used settle accounts between the two groups ie Motard and Los Bandidos. .