The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 26th October 2022
by Mike Evans
Good day to you all and with the weather having taken a turn for the worse, or some would say the better with regards to the water situation in the Algarve, it is noted that although we had very much less rain than in previous years the orange production in the Algarve was nearly 20% up on the previous year. Obviously when we get torrential rain it does cause other issues with localised flooding but so far this scenario has been rather limited here in the Algarve. Also in a survey conducted recently, it was found that Fire and Drought are the main issues which Portuguese feel strongly about. You can read more on this further in the report.
Here are some news stories from across the region which we hope you will find of interest.
GNR Detained 77 People Last Week Across The Region
Last week, the GNR detained a total of 77 people in various operations in the district of Faro, including those aimed at preventing and combating violent crime, road inspection and drug trafficking . According to the report on weekly operational activity released by the Faro Territorial Command of that security force, in police actions, between 17 and 23 October, 26 people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, nine for driving without a legal licence. and 10 for drug trafficking. During that period, 440 traffic violations were detected, 111 for speeding, 53 for lack of mandatory periodic inspection and 31 for signalling and lighting anomalies, 16 for lack of compulsory insurance, 15 for lack or incorrect use of the seat belt and/or child restraint system and 13 for misuse of mobile phone.
According to the GNR, among other products, 864 doses of cannabis, 166 of hashish, 42 of cocaine, six lemongrass and four weapons, including a carbine and a revolver, were seized.
With regard to accidents on the Algarve roads, 132 accidents were recorded, with five seriously injured and 22 minor. On the other hand, 60 awareness-raising actions were carried out within the scope of the Idosos em Segurança and Escola Segura programs.
Known Drug Trafficker Arrested In Albufeira
The GNR detained on suspicion of drug trafficking, in Albufeira, a 25-year-old man who had in his possession 16 doses of cocaine, seven ecstasy pills and seven doses of liamba, it was revealed this Monday. According to a statement from that security force, as part of an operation to combat drug trafficking, the GNR military detected last Thursday “a man with suspicious behaviour in an area connected with illicit acts of this nature”. “After approaching the suspect, a personal search was carried out and several narcotic products were seized, properly packaged and ready for sale”, says the GNR. The detainee,“with a criminal record for committing the same type of crime”, was present for the first interrogation on Friday at the Albufeira Court, and the coercive measure of identity and residence was applied.
Sexual Abuse Suspect Held in Pre-Trail Detention
On October 19, the Public Prosecutor of the Silves unit of the Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) of the district of Faro, presented to the Criminal Investigation
Court of Portimão, a 43-year-old man, detained for the alleged practice of several crimes of child sexual abuse, currently 15 years old.
The crimes allegedly took place inside the minor's family home, in Silves, and in a hotel. The detainee, the minor’s uncle, “took advantage of the close relationship he had with the victim
since he was 12 years old to have complete sexual intercourse”, can be read in a note sent by the Attorney General’s Office of the District of Faro. The Public Prosecutor's Office requested and applied for the defendant to be held on remand and was successfully obtained.
Large Crowd Protests Against Development in Lagoa
Dozens of people gathered on Saturday, October 22, next to the municipal auditorium of Lagoa , to protest against the real estate project approved for a temporary wetland called Alagoas Brancas in that municipality in the district of Faro. The protest action was called by the Portuguese Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity with the aim of “gathering as much support as possible to try to reverse the approval and prevent the project from progressing”.
One of the promoters of the initiative said, without specifying which ones, that the next steps are still being defined “to prevent the development of the enterprise”, at this time the collection of signatures for a petition that will be delivered to various entities.
The development, consisting of 11 lots, is contested by environmentalists because, they claim, the construction “will destroy that wetland and jeopardise the safety” of the city in a
flood situation. According to the Lagoa Chamber, the initial project was approved in 2009 and went through all the licensing phases provided for by law to allow the granting of the permit and the subdivision.
The group that promoted the challenge brought an injunction that reached the Supreme Administrative Court. This instance ended up giving reason to the promoter of the enterprise.
The mayor of Lagoa, Luís Encarnação, said last Wednesday that the court considered that there was no reason for an injunction for not recognizing an environmental value that justifies an intervention. Earthworks for the construction of the subdivision have been ongoing since last week.
Last May, the Central Administrative Court of the South (TCAS) rejected the assumptions that led the Administrative and Tax Court (TAF) of Loulé to suspend, in May 2021, the subdivision. According to the mayor, a study by Almargem, an association for the defence of cultural and environmental heritage in the Algarve, which contests the work, is the only one that claims there is an “environmental value” in the land in question.
Fire and Drought are Portuguese Main Concerns
Forest fires, drought, climate change and food waste are the main environmental concerns expressed by the Portuguese in the III Great National Sustainability Survey, released this
week.
According to the study promoted by Missão Continente, in partnership with the Institute of Social Sciences ( ICS ) of the University of Lisbon, which surveyed 1,520 Portuguese people
over 18 years of age, there is “some media influence in the formation of the main environmental concerns”, with the fires being mentioned by 47% of respondents and water shortages by 32%, while climate change and food waste are mentioned in 30% of the occasions.
The survey also aimed to assess the opinion of the Portuguese on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals assumed by the United Nations, but 64% of respondents are unaware of them and only 36%, more educated, said they knew what it was about. When asked about the value they attribute to each of them, on a global scale, the eradication of poverty, zero hunger, health and education are indicated, but at the national level, priority is given to health and well-being (53%), poverty eradication (52%) and quality education (39%). “From then on, and boosted by the covid-19 effect, the issue of health became a major concern in all age groups, whereas in the previous survey [2019] it was already notorious, but it was clearly concentrated among the elderly”, is mentioned in the study coordinated by Luísa Schmidt and Mónica Truninger.
The emphasis given to the need for quality education “is practically transversal to the entire Portuguese society”, such as the priority given to reducing inequalities, a consensual
concern in the population, “regardless of the different social statutes”.
“The general concern with environmental problems is cemented and only the urgency of serious socio-economic issues, such as hunger and poverty, diverts the focus of the Portuguese from the situation that, globally, seems worrying to them, that of the
environment”, is underlined in the survey results.
One of the study coordinators, Luísa Schmidt, warned of the relationship between schooling and mastery of concepts. “The more educated people are, the closer they are to more modern concepts of sustainability”, emphasised the researcher. Although in June, when the surveys were carried out, 65% of people considered that the pandemic crisis is not over yet, confinement and restrictions had implications for the way “many Portuguese began to relate to natural values” and almost half (45 %) considers to have become more sensitive to environmental and nature issues. “The value of nature is beginning to be valued more and, with the covid-19, it has increased”, stressed Luísa Schmidt, who highlighted the greater importance given to parks and outdoor gardens, as well as walks.
According to the researcher, “the use of green spaces for public use has become absolutely central in people’s lives” and “people demand more green spaces, they are more attentive to what is happening with them”. “There is a new relationship with nature,” she added.
When looking at what the concept of well-being means for the Portuguese, health (46%) stands out, at a great distance, quality of life/comfort and financial stability, but 44% of respondents do not give a positive assessment of the level of well-being that the country provides to its citizens.
Among the aspects analysed, the distribution of wealth is the most mentioned negatively by the respondents (55%), followed by the functioning of democracy (46%) and the functioning
of public institutions (42%). “On the other hand, most Portuguese people focus their personal satisfaction on aspects
such as neighbourhood relations, community life and access to green spaces”, says the report.
As for the future, “there is widespread apprehension, both from the point of view of the respondents; living conditions and of the ecological future”. With a view to a more sustainable future, respondents considered that the country should invest above all in quality education and training, in a more equitable distribution of wealth and in the environment as a guarantee of natural resources, such as renewable energies.
30 Year Old arrested for Drug Trafficking in Vila Do Bispo
On Thursday, the 20th, the GNR arrested a 30-year-old man for drug trafficking in Vila do Bispo and seized more than 1,000 doses of drugs, it was released today. In a statement, the GNR added that it had gone to a location following an occurrence, having detected several cannabis plants outside the residence, which led to its arrest of the suspect. After a house search, 864 doses of cannabis, 493 grams of liquid LSD, 34 grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms, three cannabis plants and one LSD tablet were seized, as well as material for the cultivation and preparation of the narcotic.
2 People Rescued From Burning Sailing Boat off Lagos
Two people were rescued from a sailboat with a fire on board about three nautical miles from Praia da Luz, in Lagos , on Monday night, October 24, the National Maritime Authority
announced. The crew were assisted by elements of the Sagres Lifeguard Station and the Lagos Maritime.
Police Local Command after the alert was given at 23:00 through the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Lisbon.
The elements of the maritime security forces followed the Belgian-flagged sailboat, supported by two vessels, having verified that the two crew members did not need medical assistance and had extinguished the fire using their own resources. For reasons of navigation safety, the burning sailboat was towed to the port of Lagos and the local Maritime Police Command took care of the incident.
Wanted Man Arrested For Carob Theft
A 37-year-old man suspected of stealing carob and wanted by the authorities to serve an effective prison sentence was detained by the GNR on Tuesday, October 18, in Albufeira , that force announced. The arrest took place following an alert for a carob theft on private property, and the man was located and intercepted off-site, the Faro Territorial Command said in a statement. In the suspect's vehicle, the military detected and seized 325 kilograms of carob, the guard specified.
In the course of the investigations carried out, the military of that security force found that the suspect was subject to an arrest warrant for the execution of a three-month effective prison sentence. The man was taken to a prison, not specified by the GNR, having been constituted a defendant for the alleged theft of carob. The case was sent to the Albufeira Court.