Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 23rd November 2022
By David Thomas
Good morning – We welcome the news yesterday announced by the Minister of Internal Administration that with regards to the GNR, in addition to the effort to gradually improve the salary conditions of its soldiers, the reinforcement of personnel of the security forces and services will take place.
This includes the admission of around 1,500 new guards during the year 2022, and with the expectation of admitting more than 1,000 guards in 2023″, the minister explained yesterday, at a ceremony presided over by the Prime Minister, António Costa. José Luís Carneiro also advanced that “an investment of more than 600 million euros in planned modernization of the infrastructure, materials and technology, providing better conditions of dignity, fundamental to the operational success” of the GNR.
This is really required in Portugal, with police (GNR and PSP) often working in poor conditions, in buildings not designed as police stations, with salaries well below the European average for police and shortages in the number of staff to meet current challenges and duties required of them.
Yesterday the Public Security Police (PSP) have launched a national operation that aims to raise awareness throughout society of domestic violence and the importance of early reporting, an initiative that will involve more than 1,300 police officers. The operation will run until Friday, when the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is marked.
According to the PSP, this operation will involve “individual contacts with victims of domestic violence and their families”, carry out awareness-raising actions on the subject, “organize or participate in forums or seminars, promote awareness about the problem and the need to report this crime, in its different types”, such as physical, psychological, sexual or deprivation of liberty.
The latest data from the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality indicate that the PSP and the GNR had received 8,887 complaints of domestic violence by September of this year, 1,277 more than in the same period of 2021. Unfortunately in 2021 Domestic Violence was the highest reported crime In Portugal.
Domestic violence is a “public crime” which means that it can be reported by anyone not just the victim. Sometimes people are aware that a friend or relation is a victim of domestic violence but are reluctant to intervene. However failure to do so can result in the victim continuing to receive such abuse leading to injury or even worse.
Safe Communities Portugal works closely with APAV (Victim Support Organisation) on the this subject and earlier this year organised a seminar in Loulé, aimed various vulnerable groups such as the Nepalese, Indian and Bangladeshi communities living and working in Portugal.
Finally a reminder that in the lead up to Christmas we can expect more on-line scams including phishing attacks. Yesterday CTT – Correios de Portugal warned of “phishing schemes” (fraud) that are circulating on the Internet and social networks using, in an abusive way, the name and image of the company. We received one from a reader yesterday. It is important to look out for these and always check the senders URL/address carefully. It may look similar but a full stop wrongly placed can make all the difference.
Having been on holiday for a short break in Spain I thank our team for all their work, not only on Facebook, but all that goes on behind the scenes, in running Safe Communities and the various services we provide
Have a good week ahead
News
New GNR commander repudiates “any act of racism
The new general commander of the GNR repudiated, this Tuesday, “any act of discrimination, racism, xenophobia or any other form of behaviour that violates human dignity”, advancing that this police force has internally developed measures that promote human rights.
“For a few years now (…) that the GNR has been guided by the care and protection of human rights and fundamental rights, repudiating any act of discrimination, racism, xenophobia or any other form of behaviour that violates the dignity human life”, said Lieutenant General José Santos Correia, in his inauguration speech, in a ceremony that took place at the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI).
Santos Correia, who was second in command of the GNR, stressed that the National Republican Guard is “always attentive to successive social transformations”.
In this sense, he stressed, this corporation has “developed and consolidated its level of skills training with the introduction of all initial training courses for the promotion and specialization of curricular units on rights, freedoms and guarantees, respect for differences, use of coercive means, citizenship rights”, in addition to addressing “the themes of human rights, multiculturalism, prohibition of discriminatory practices and peaceful conflict resolution”.
The new commander of this security force also reported that the GNR has implemented other measures “promoting human and fundamental rights”, such as the Plan for the Prevention of Manifestations of Discrimination in the Security Forces and Services, prepared by the General Inspectorate of Internal Administration (IGAI), Commission for Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Guard and the figure of the GNR human rights officer.
Almost 12,000 speeding drivers during enforcement campaign
The inspection and awareness campaign “Travel without haste” detected nearly 12,000 speeding drivers in more than 2.4 million vehicles inspected by radar between the 14th and 21st of November.
According to a note released today by the Public Security Police, of the 11,803 speeding violations recorded by security forces nationwide, 6,406 were detected by the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) radars and 5,397 were detected by the National Road Safety (ANSR) radars. PSP and the National Republican Guard (GNR), in a total of 2,463,271 inspected vehicles.
In the period in question, 2,935 accidents with victims were reported, which caused seven deaths (four males), 41 serious injuries and 772 minor injuries. The accidents occurred in the districts of Aveiro, Faro, Lisbon, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo and Viseu, with deaths resulting from five being run over, a collision and a car skidding.
Comparing with the same period of 2021, there were more accidents (61), but there was a reduction in the number of deaths (less two), serious injuries (less 13) and minor injuries (less 95).
The initiative, part of the 2022 National Inspection Plan, aimed to raise awareness of the risks of driving at excessive speed, which represent one of the major causes of road accidents, and was also based on ANSR awareness-raising actions at the same time as inspection operations.