Portugal Safety and Security report Wednesday 12th February 2025
Good morning everyone. Some very changeable weather over the last few day which impacted in south west Spain and the Algarve. Yesterday strong winds in Ayamonte uprooted trees, lifted butane cylinders, dislodged solar panels and launched a cart that crashed into a house, breaking the wall and destroying the house’s bathroom. In Ayamonte and Aljaraque due to the passage of a tornado this Tuesday afternoon power lines were destroyed and trees were uprooted in its path. “In Pozo del Camino there was damage to streets and roofs of some houses” in the Villa Antonia area.
In the Algarve according to the Civil Protection, the heavy rain that lashed the central part of the Algarve region at the end of the morning, mainly the municipalities of Loulé and Faro, caused “minor flooding on public roads and in garages”. Up 12h30, 17 occurrences were recorded, most of them flooding in the urban perimeter of the cities of Loulé and Faro. Very heavy rain in Vilamoura caused some flooding. The heaviest rain was in Loulé with 39.5mm most of it falling between 100 and 1200 hrs. The yellow level rain warning were raised by the IPMA warning everyone that heavy rain was forecasted. It is important to follow these as well as the advice of the ANEPC. We can expect more of these weather conditions during the winter season.
A reminder on the use of the 112 emergency line. According to the report from the PSP, which coordinates the European emergency number in Portugal, last year, 59% of around 3 million calls to the line were inappropriate – that is, they were not genuine or were related to situations that did not require emergency actions.
Situations that are not emergencies and therefore do not warrant a call to 911 include accidents involving only vehicle damages, vehicle theft, noise and cases in which keys are left inside the house. In these cases, the PSP advises people to call the PSP/GNR station in the area. It is important not to use the 112 line for non-emergencies, as it can result in an increase in waiting time in answering and responding to real emergency situations.
The annual “2024 Corruption Perceptions Index” was published yesterday by Transparency international. It is the worst result ever for Portugal since this ranking began to be published, in 2012, with the same method that is currently used. Portugal’s score in 2024 was 57 compared to 61 in 2023.”100” is very clean and “0” is very corrupt. It share’s its position in 43rd place with Botswana and Rwanda. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories worldwide by their perceived levels of public sector corruption.
The 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows that corruption is a dangerous problem in every part of the world.While 32 countries have significantly reduced their corruption levels since 2012, there’s still a huge amount of work to be done – 148 countries have stayed stagnant or have become worse during the same period.
An earthquake occurring in Morocco on 10th February serves as a reminder of the importance of being prepared and knowing what action to take. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Volcano Discovery and CSEM/EMSC and earthquake measuring at Mag 5.1, occurred in Morocco at a shallow depth of ten kilometres. This earthquake, did not cause any personal or material damage but was felt with maximum intensity III (modified Mercalli scale) in the municipalities of Albufeira, Faro, Loulé, Olhão, Portimão and Silves.
Our team at Safe Communities wishes you a safe and happy week ahead.
News
60 hearts collected: Portugal reaches historic milestone in heart transplants
Last year, 58 hearts were transplanted in the country’s four heart transplant units and two were sent to Spain because no suitable recipients were found in Portugal.
In 2024, Portugal reached a historic milestone in heart transplants, with 60 hearts collected, of which 58 were transplanted in the country and two in Spain, the national transplant coordinator announced to Lusa this Wednesday.
“We are celebrating a historic achievement in medicine in Portugal and in transplant medicine. In 2024 we achieved the highest number of heart transplants ever”, stated Nuno Gaibino.
The doctor highlighted that 2014 had been the best year to date, with a record 55 transplants. However, “due to a series of coincidences”, including the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a reduction in the number of transplants, which has been recovering and increasing annually.
Last year, 60 hearts were collected, 58 of which were transplanted in the four heart transplant units in the country — Hospital de São João, in Porto, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Hospital de Santa Cruz and Hospital de Santa Marta, both in Lisbon — and two in Spain.
Nuno Gaibino explained that the two hearts were sent to Spain because no suitable recipients were found in Portugal.
“In an effort to not waste any available organs, and also as a matter of solidarity, these two hearts were sent to Spain, where they were transplanted. In total, there were 60 transplants with the 60 hearts collected in Portugal”, highlighted the national transplant coordinator of the Portuguese Institute of Blood and Transplantation (IPST).
Although the data on global transplant activity for 2024 will only be presented on April 9, the specialist said that the National Transplant Coordination wanted to share this “very important data” with heart transplant units, but also with the general population.
Europol operation involving 14 countries arrested four Russian hackers linked to ransomware network
Ransomware is a form of digital blackmail in which hackers encrypt the data of victims (individuals, companies or institutions), blocking access to their devices or files in order to extort money from them.
An international operation against cybercrime, involving 14 countries, led to the arrest of four Russian citizens, key figures of 8Base, one of the most active ransomware groups in 2024, Europol announced this Tuesday.
The US Department of Justice also released charges on the same day against two Russians, Roman Berezhnoi , 33, and Egor Glebov , 39, specifying in a statement that they were “detained as part of a coordinated international operation to neutralize their organization.”
Another Russian citizen, Yevgeny Ptitsyn, suspected of being the administrator of the Phobos ransomware, appeared in a US federal court in November, following his extradition from South Korea, the US justice system recalled.
“A coordinated action by international law enforcement authorities last week led to the arrest of four individuals who led the 8Base ransomware group,” Europol said in a statement.
“These individuals, all of Russian nationality, are suspected of using a variant of the Phobos ransomware to extort high-value payments from victims across Europe and beyond,” the Hague-based European police agency added, without revealing their identities or the location of their arrests.
What is ransomware and how does it work?
Ransomware is a form of digital blackmail in which hackers encrypt the data of victims (individuals, companies or institutions), blocking access to their devices or files in order to extort money from them.
Cyber threat intelligence identifies Phobos as one of the “most active ransomware groups of 2024,” according to Europol.
The agency also said that 27 servers linked to the criminal network were taken out of service.