“I give a very positive note to the effort that has been carried out by all the entities involved, demonstrating operational capacity and coordination capacity,” said the Minister of Internal Affairs, Eduardo Cabrita, stressing “the need to improve coordination mechanisms” considered as ‘a decisive element’.

These statements were made following a tactical police exercise carried out by the special operations groups of the GNR and PSP, which culminated in five arrests and the release of dozens of hostages at the Coina train station in Setúbal.

“It is vital that Portugal, which is considered one of the safest countries in the world, continues to be. And for that, we cannot fail to prepare for eventualities, benefiting from the experience of those who have already suffered them, but also sharing our experience, which is very valid and recognized in the international scene, “said the Minister.

Eduardo Cabrita also recalled that this safety exercise in the railway area, which is part of the Portuguese participation in the European Rail Safety Network (Railpol), involved the GNR under the coordination of the Secretary General of the Internal Security System, and involved “a wide cooperation of entities, security forces and services, armed forces, health facilities, the three hospitals in the Setúbal peninsula, the municipal civil protection units of Barreiro and Seixal, and firefighters.

“In all these types of operations, it is essential that Portugal is well prepared to learn from international experience, but also to share experiences and to prove that it is prepared, in the circumstances, as close to reality as possible, to train all agents security forces and civil protection so that if we are ever faced with a real situation, everyone knows what they have to do, “said the Minister.

Eduardo Cabrita emphasized the participation of the United States rail security services, who travelled to Portugal to follow this exercise.