Silver coast | Safe Communities Portugal

Portugal’s only national registered non-profit civil protection and crime prevention association providing dedicated information and support services to the community

Welcome to Safe Communities Silver Coast

Introduction

The Silver Coast is located about an hour north of Lisbon, situated between Porto and Lisbon. The fascinating region stretches from the majestic mountains of the Serra da Estrela to the stunning beaches of the west coast and includes the historic cities of Tomar and Coimbra. These days the area is becoming more widely considered to be a suitable alternative to the Algarve. Portugal’s Silver Coast boasts a spectacular coastline of around 150km and is frequently referred to as “the real Portugal” by visitors.

The area has a long and fascinating history, having been inhabited originally by Indo-Europeans as well as the Romans in ancient times. Many of its towns still bear the traces of its rich heritage, which adds to the charm of the spectacular landscape.

The area first started gaining popularity in the late ‘90s with overseas buyers when the A8 motorway was built between Lisbon and Obidos, which greatly improved access to the region.

A low crime level and peaceful environment are some of the reasons why there is a growing expat community in the area.

Overview of Safe Communities Silver Coast

Safe Communities Silver Coast is an operating name of Associação SCP Safe Communities Portugal (SCP), the country’s only registered national non-profit association providing a “one stop shop” of crime prevention information available to all members of the community.

Safe Communities would like to thank the PSP and GNR, for their collaboration in providing input to the pages on this website.

The aim of SCM is to promote safer communities, enhance security awareness and reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. It also works closely with the Civil Protection Authority to promote public safety especially in respect of forest fires. It does this through a number of specific objectives covering police/public engagement; communication and awareness; as well as public support in the fight against crime.

For residents living in, or persons visiting the Silver Coast, and certain districts in Portugal, SCP has created specific “safe communities”, detailing the services it provides in those areas. The first of these was the Algarve, the second is Lisbon and the third Madeira.

Services

SCP provides a diverse range of free services to the public which can be found under our How we help you page. These include emergency contacts; keeping kids safe and reporting a crime.

With over 90 downloads the Crime Prevention Advice page has the most comprehensive range of crime prevention material available in Portugal. These range from protecting your home to reducing the risk of pet theft.

Madeira is one of the safest destinations in Europe and in order to keep it so please visit our Safe Tourism page which has crime prevention advice in ten different languages.

Find out more about policing in Madeira we have an overview of the law enforcement agencies in the Region, including the GNR who deal with specialist matters such as SEPNA and GIPPS. Day to day policing is undertaken by the PSP. Please visit the page of the Judicial Police to find out more about their work as well as the border and immigration service SEF in the area.

To keep up to date with various crime arrests, crime prevention seminars, displays and other exhibitions organized by SCP in conjunction with the various government agencies, please visit our Latest News/Events page.

Am emergency can happen at any time and it is important to summon help quickly. Our Emergency Contacts page provides the most comprehensive list of contact details available including various national hotlines. If you see something suspicious then you can report this to the GNR, PSP or Judicial Police using our “Report Suspicious Activities” page. Doing this will help keep the community safe.

SCP’s responsibility in the area of public safety includes creating awareness of issues such as wildfires which are a major risk in Portugal. Visit our Civil Protection page on ways you can help keep the forests safe.

In order to receive the latest updates and news about crime prevention please sign up for free newsletter on this page. This is published fortnightly or more frequently if there are matters that need to be circulated urgently. Crime prevention involves us all.
Find out more about the history of SCP, our team, our supporters and protocols with various authorities.

If you have any suggestions for crime prevention topics that you feel would be of interest to the community, or need advice or help concerning policing and crime prevention issues please contact us.