Portugal safety and Security Report 20^th November 2024

Good morning everyone. From 16 to 24 November 2024, the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) is marked, dedicated this year to combating food waste, with the motto “Food Waste Is Out Of Taste”. The campaign, seeks to raise awareness in the community about the urgency of reducing food waste, addressing its social, economic and environmental impacts.

At European level, one third of the food produced for human consumption is wasted, and in the European Union alone more than 59 million tonnes of food waste are generated each year. This problem worsens food insecurity, wastes natural resources and increases greenhouse gas emissions, damaging the environment and the climate.

Let this be a reminder for all of us to do our part by reducing the amount of wasted food. Buy only what you need. Plan your meals. Make a shopping list and stick to it, and avoid impulse buys. Not only will you waste less food, you’ll also save money! Store food wisely – move older products to the front of your cupboard or fridge and new ones to the back. Put your food waste to use – instead of throwing away your food scraps, compost them. This way you are giving nutrients back to the soil and reducing your carbon footprint. These are a few ways we can all help.

The recent A Terra Treme awareness exercise which coincided with Tsunami Day 5^th November focuses our attention on being prepared for such disasters however seldom they may occur. Much work is being undertaken on tsunami preparedness and what to should one occur. The Algarve is one of the most vulnerable territories on the Portuguese coast due to the high risk of earthquakes. Loulé City Council, is one of several councils that have a signage project for evacuation routes due to the risk of tsunami for its coast and a plan to raise awareness among the population in this regard.

There are now 140 tsunami evacuation route signs that are now spread across Quarteira/Vilamoura, 13 meeting points were created located outside the floodable area, considered safe places as they are located in higher areas, such as the Church of S. Pedro do Mar, the Drª Francisca de Aragão and Drª Laura Ayres Schools or Papa Francisco avenue. The plan also included 6 siren warning posts, which will be heard in the event of an alert.

Another initiative is being undertaken in Vilamoura; the land being essentially flat, the construction of shelters at a height is planned, especially in the Falésia Beach area, as, “In flat areas, the water spreads much further and it is necessary to walk longer distances to reach higher areas to evacuate.” If you use these areas familiarize yourself with these routes.

We are now approaching Black Friday on 29^th November. Black Friday is famous for big sales and shopping frenzy. It’s also a busy time online, with Salesforce.com reporting increased worldwide online sales hitting a record $40 billion in 2023. Yet, alongside this rise in legitimate transactions, there was a notable increase in fraudulent activity, with reported losses from scams associated with Black Friday and Cyber Monday climbing by 22% from the previous year. These statistics don’t just reflect consumer zeal for deals; they also underscore the period’s vulnerability to cyber threats. Experts forecast the top three scams for this year will be Counterfeit or fake products, Fake ‘winning’ notifications and phishing texts and emails.

Watch out for scam emails that may appear identical to real ones. Are the images copied from a web search? Only send an electronic payment to someone you know or trust.  Ensure your device, browser, and app software are up to date to minimise vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit. Remember, scammers are counting on you to be in a hurry this time of year, and maybe a bit stressed and a little disorganized! Take your time while shopping out there and keep an eye out for their tricks. That extra moment can save you far more time and money than you may think!

Our team at Safe Communities wish you a safety and happy week ahead.

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 6^th November 2024

 

Good morning. We hope many of you participated in the A Terra Treme Awareness exercise held throughout the country yesterday.  This was promoted by regional Civil Protection authorities, in partnership with local educational communities, firefighter associations, municipal civil protection services and other civil protection agents, awareness-raising actions on the issue of seismic risk. The 12th edition of ‘A Terra Treme’ took place at 11:05 am in collaboration with several public and private entities, with registrations open to the public on the website www.aterratreme.pt.

Safe Communities Portugal was invited as a guest to the Dr. Garcia Domingues Elementary School in Silves to witness the exercise held there. In addition it was a great pleasure for us at to be invited as an Observer to attend the simultaneous exercise PROCIVALG_24.2 to test the Special Emergency Civil Protection Plan for Seismic and Tsunami Risk of the Algarve took place in the area of Search and Rescue Intervention with 7 different scenarios.

These included 1: Search and Rescue of collapsed Structures; 2: Water level intervention – bridge collapse; 3: Accidents involving hazardous substances; 4: Search And Rescue for collapsed structures; 5: Activation of Tsunami Risk Population Warning System (Sirens) with evacuation from Rock Beach and rerouting emergency routes to safe zones/meeting points and 6: Inoperability of the Silves Health Centre.

Last week Safe Communities was kindly invited by Australian Ambassador McCormack to give a presentation of our work to a group of around 20 Consular officials from various embassies held at the Australian Embassy in Lisbon. The topics covered were: disaster risk reduction, particularly in the case of earthquakes, fires and flooding; improved community preparedness in a crisis scenario and heightened risk awareness to avoid becoming a victim of crime. Following the presentation there was discussion related to these topics focusing primarily on crisis management.

Turning to Spain. Yesterday the Generalitat’s Emergency Coordination Centre declared the end of the yellow warning for rain and storms in the north of the province of Castellón, meaning that there are no longer any alerts in force throughout the Valencian Community. Working in the affected areas by the floods, more than 1,700 firefighters from 42 organisations and 6,700 soldiers were deployed on the ground. Almost 17,000 soldiers, Guardia civil and national police officers were deployed in the areas affected by the DANA in the province of Valencia.

This was a major catastrophe with some 215 lives lost, and the number injured not yet counted. There were 100,000 estimated cars damaged or destroyed as well as those in underground car parks, where it is feared that more bodies may be found.

At one stage nearly 700 mm of rain fell in a 3 hour period, more than a year’s worth in the area of Valencia concerned. This amount would have similar impacts in many cities, in any country, so it is essential to minimize the effects by ensuring that weather forecasting is timely and accurate; and that alerts are given as far in advance as possible so that people are aware and prepared. Early warnings are essential to minimize casualties and loss of life.

Our team at Safe Communities Portugal wish you a good week ahead.

News

PSP’s Community Police Model to be reviewed

The PSP’s community policing model will be reviewed, the Minister of Internal Affairs said today, defending its importance to communities and also promising greater investment from the Government.

“The PSP has had a programme for many years that needs to be revisited, which is community policing. This involves having more trained staff and a dialogue that needs to be held with local authorities, social security and neighbourhood associations. I am confident that this work will be done”, stated Margarida Blasco, stressing: “It is very important that citizens trust their police. The Government trusts the police”.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the first congress of the Police Professionals’ Union Association (ASPP/PSP), which took place this weekend at the Faculty of Law in Lisbon, the minister explained that there are 500 future agents being trained at the moment and that this review also involves strengthening the conditions for police officers.

“We are going to invest in training and, to do so, we need to open competitions for agents, chiefs and officers. We are paying close attention and in this constant dialogue that we have with the unions and the police, one of the programs that we are going to revive is community policing”, she reinforced.

Among the equipment that will be the target of investment are bodycams, tasers and new vehicles for the Public Security Police (PSP), but Margarida Blasco recalled that these issues must go through public tenders before they can reach the agents on the ground.

“Public tenders are slow and we have to comply with the law. Now, we intend to invest in bodycams, tasers and the equipment that is necessary for police action. Obviously, it is registered and we are waiting for the tenders to end”, she stressed, clarifying that the decision on the two public tenders already contested regarding bodycams is in the courts and that the Government is awaiting this outcome.

 

INTERPOL’s largest-ever operation against human trafficking and people smuggling

GLASGOW, United Kingdom – INTERPOL today is releasing preliminary results of its largest-ever operation against human trafficking and migrant smuggling, carried out across 116 countries and territories.

Operation Liberterra II (29 September to 4 October) led to the rescue of 3,222 potential victims of human trafficking and identified 17,793 irregular migrants.

Authorities around the world conducted police raids, reinforced strategic border points, monitored nearly 24,000 flights and deployed officers to known trafficking and smuggling hotspots. Globally, nearly 8 million checks were carried out against INTERPOL’s databases.

A total of 2,517 arrests were made during the week – 850 of which were specifically on human trafficking or migrant smuggling charges.

Operational coordination units were set up in Argentina, Senegal, the Philippines and North Macedonia to assess intelligence and facilitate cooperation between countries within their respective regions and beyond. The operation also saw an unprecedented level of support from 15 specialized units from INTERPOL’s General Secretariat, partner organizations, national agencies and NGOs.

 

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said: “In their relentless pursuit of profit, organized crime groups continue to exploit men, women and children —often multiple times over. While still preliminary, the results of this operation highlight the vast scale of the challenge facing law enforcement, underscoring that only coordinated action can counteract these threats.”

INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services, Stephen Kavanagh said: “Beyond providing a snapshot of global trafficking and migration trends, the operation served as a vital capacity building opportunity for countries, fostering relationships between specialized units, and enhancing cross-agency collaboration.”

Trafficking-fuelled fraud

The week-long operation uncovered dozens of cases in which trafficking victims were deceived and coerced into committing fraud, marking a clear departure from traditional trafficking patterns, where human exploitation is the sole criminal objective.

Targeting online scam centres using human trafficking victims has been an operational priority since INTERPOL issued an Orange Notice warning its membership of this growing and globalizing trend. In many of these cases victims are lured with false promises of employment and are kept there through intimidation and abuse.

In the Philippines, for example, officers raided a warehouse where more than 250 people, mostly Chinese nationals, were running romance scams on an industrial scale. Officers are now combing through seized devices and carrying out interviews to separate the potential victims of trafficking from members of the criminal enterprise.

On the other side of the world, in West and Central Africa, officers uncovered eight separate cases, involving multiple victims forced into exploitative pyramid schemes. Once recruited, they were transported across borders and held against their will, often suffering physical and psychological abuse.

In one instance, 24 Togolese victims were safeguarded in Mali. The women had been promised employment in locations as far away as North America, but instead, they were charged “recruitment fees” of up to USD 6,000 to operate a multi-level marketing scheme. They were then forced to target family and friends to join as well. So far, 10 arrests have been made.

 

Safe Communities Portugal Safety and Security Report Thursday 31^st October 2024

 

Good afternoon everyone. We start with the tragic news of the loss of almost one hundred lives in Spain due to the catastrophic flash floods that have killed at least 95 people. This was caused by a destructive weather system in which cold and warm air meet and produce powerful rain clouds, a pattern believed to be growing more frequent due to climate change.

The phenomenon is known locally as DANA, a Spanish acronym for high-altitude isolated depression, and unlike common storms or squalls it can form independently of polar or subtropical jet streams. When cold air blows over warm Mediterranean waters it causes hotter air to rise quickly and form dense, water-laden clouds that can remain over the same area for many hours, raising their destructive potential. The event sometimes provokes large hail storms and tornadoes as seen this week, meteorologists say.

Eastern and Southern Spain are particularly susceptible to the phenomenon due to its position between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Warm, humid air masses and cold fronts meet in a region where mountains favour the formation of storm clouds and rainfall. This week’s DANA was one of the three most intense such storms in the last century in the Valencia region, Ruben del Campo, spokesperson for the national weather agency Aemet, said.

“Forecasts were in line with what happened. But in an area between Utiel and Chiva, in the province of Valencia, rainfall exceeded 300 millimetres. In that area, storm systems formed and regenerated continuously,” he explained.

DANA has now moved its centre and it’s over the mainland Portugal and we will continue to receive its influence hence the yellow warnings for rain. But here the situation is forecasted to be very different. Because the CAPE (potential energy for thunderstorms) is much lower, it can be 2 to 3 times lower, and even lower at times! This leads to situations, which do not have the violence that we have been seeing in Spain, especially in the Valencia area.

Unfortunately it does not appear to be over. Heavy rains again severely affect the province of Valencia. Red warnings have already been issued due to heavy rainfall that will remain extremely intense until tomorrow. Between 200/350 millimetres of rain may be recorded in the next 36 hours. We would advise not to travel to Valencia unless you really need to do so – in which case take extra care. If you are in or about to travel to Spain carefully check the weather and in particular the weather warnings that may be in place.

The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) will hold on November 5th, at 11:05 am, the 12th edition of the Public Awareness Exercise for Seismic Risk – A TERRA TREME (www.aterratreme.pt). It is important that as many people as possible participate, as it helps create greater awareness on the action to take during an earthquake, which can occur without warning at any time in any place. Knowing instinctively the correction action to take can reduce casualties.

A little piece of good news. The strike by ticket inspectors and workers at CP — Comboios de Portugal, which was running until November 3, has been suspended after the company reached an agreement with the union, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing announced. CP — Comboio de Portugal reached an agreement with the Commercial Itinerant Review Railway Union (SFRCI) after “a negotiation period that allowed a consensus to be reached”, the ministry overseen by Miguel Pinto Luz announced today, in a statement sent to the Lusa news agency.

With that our team at Safe Communities wish you all a safe week ahead.

 

News:

A Terra Treme Exercise – Preparation Action for Seismic risk

The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) will hold on November 5th, at 11:05 am, the 12th edition of the Public Awareness Exercise for Seismic Risk – A TERRA TREME (www.aterratreme.pt).

This is a national exercise promoted annually by ANEPC, in collaboration with various public and private entities, which aims to enable the population to know how to act in the event of an earthquake. Knowing what to do before, during and after an earthquake, in particular knowing the preventive measures and self-protection behaviours to be adopted, is the purpose of this journey that we propose to all citizens.

The exercise involves carrying out 3 simple gestures that can make a difference for those who practice them in the event of an earthquake. The action takes place for one (1) minute, in which participants, individually or collectively (families, schools, companies, public, private or associative institutions), are invited to perform the 3 self-protection gestures: Download, Protect and Wait.

The initiative has had significant support from the school population, also thanks to the involvement of the Directorate-General for Education (DGE) and the Directorate-General for School Establishments (DGEsTE). Together with these partners, ANEPC, with the support of Silves City Hall, promotes a main exercise event at Escola Básica Dr. Garcia Domingues, in Silves, located at Praceta, Largo Gil Eanes 1, 8300-118 Silves.

At the end of this action, a LIVEX Exercise (Live Exercise) will take place, with the movement of real resources on the ground, as a sectoral test of the Special Civil Protection Emergency Plan for Seismic Risk and Tsunamis in the Algarve, in the Search and Rescue Intervention area. Rescue, with 7 different scenarios – PROCIVALG_24.2, in the municipalities of Portimão and Silves, in the Barlavento Algarvio.

In Praia da Rocha, in partnership with the Municipal Civil Protection Service of Portimão, the sirens of the pilot project of the population warning system, installed in that bathing area, will be activated, with subsequent evacuation of people and animals from the identified risk areas, through signposted routes to meeting points, carrying out emergency procedures following a tsunami warning.

Throughout successive editions, the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority has sought to expand reflection and debate around the topic of seismic risk and knowledge about what to do before, during and after an earthquake for all sectors of society civil, notably within the scope of the inclusion of people with disabilities, in order to achieve greater individual and collective resilience among the population.

In this sense, and under the United Nations motto “No One Left Behind”, ANEPC will promote, in partnership with the Municipal Civil Protection Service of Nazaré, at CERCINA – Education, Rehabilitation, Training and Inclusion Cooperative of Nazaré, at the minute pre-defined for the Exercise, the 3 protective gestures in the event of an earthquake, as well as the evacuation of users to a Population Concentration and Support Zone, set up at the Nazaré Sports Gym, Municipal Sports Complex, Areal. With this initiative, it is expected to be able to learn lessons in order to prepare both civil protection agents and residential social responses for existing risks and specific action in an emergency context with a population that presents vulnerabilities.

Across the country, the Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Commands (CREPC) and the ANEPC Sub-regional Emergency and Civil Protection Commands will promote, in partnership with local educational communities, Fire Departments, Municipal Civil Protection Services and the other civil protection agents, awareness actions on the topic of seismic risk and self-protection measures to combat it, as well as carrying out the exercise A TERRA TREME.

ANEPC invites citizens to participate and register at www.aterratreme.pt, reinforcing its commitment to safety and preparedness for seismic risk. This edition of A TERRA TREME coincides with World Tsunami Risk Awareness Day, highlighting the importance of an informed and resilient society in the face of natural disasters.

All information at www.aterratreme.pt