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Portugal safety and Security Report Wednesday 11th September 2024

Good morning. It is of considerable embarrassment that five violent criminals were able to escape from a high security Vale de Judeus prison. They were sentenced to between 7 and 25 years in prison for various crimes, including drug trafficking, criminal association, robbery, kidnapping and money laundering. Everything indicates that the escape was very well planned, using a ladder and an escape vehicle. The possibility that there was collusion of security officials inside the prison cannot be rules out.

A manhunt is now on for those who escaped and various political parties are asking for officials to explain in parliament what went wrong. This should include why the escape, which was recorded by video surveillance systems at 09:56, but was only detected 40 minutes later, when the inmates returned to their cells. This would have enabled them to have made some headway in reaching the border with Spain if that was their intention.

The President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has asked no alarm be created regarding the escape and that the competent authorities be given time to investigate. “It is preferable to calmly and thoroughly investigate what happened and then report it, rather than having isolated, scattered information that on the one hand creates confusion, on the other hand clarifies little, and I don’t know if it might even help those who fled,” he argued. Sometimes, with good intentions, the fact that people speculate about whether he is here, there, doing this, whether there is information or not, ends up harming investigations and making it easier for those who are on the run,” he warned.

Although calls have been made by the security forces for anyone with information to report this using 112, government as is the normal practice, have not released photos of those wanted, which may help the public identify them. However the media is full of the wanted person’s photos, which should help.

Dangerous wells. If you are a property owner with land, check that your well is covered if the land is not walled or does not have adequate fencing. Many wells are in a state of disrepair and can be a death trap, especially for small children and animals. A shocking statistic is that in the last 5 years some 70 people have died after falling into wells. These have ranged from young children to the elderly from north to south of the country. This need not have happened if the owner of the well had made them safe as required by law.

There are many, many wells, some enclosed in properties, but there also those in fields, near pathways and roads often on land which has not been maintained. Wells camouflaged by vegetation and without adequate protection are real traps and represent a great danger to people and animals. In addition to the deaths there have been many more accidents, where people have fallen into a well and have been rescued by neighbours or the emergency services, putting the rescuers themselves in danger.

If you come across an uncovered well in the Algarve contact this number on the poster produced by Safe Communities and GNR Faro. In any other area report to GNR SEPNA with photo and exact location. https://www.gnr.pt/ambiente.aspx  It is mandatory to protect or effectively cover wells, cracks and other irregularities existing in any land and capable of causing disastrous falls to people and animals. Your action could save someone’s life!

Our team at Safe Communities wish you a safe week ahead

News

Air Force helped save 70 migrants in the Mediterranean

The migrants, including several children, were completely adrift, divided into four boats, sailing relatively close to each other.

An Air Force crew detected more than 70 migrants adrift in the Mediterranean on Friday, contributing to their rescue, in an operation led by the Spanish Guardia Civil.

In a statement released this Tuesday, the Air Force said that the mission, within the scope of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), took place last Friday during a surveillance flight of the C-295M aircraft.

The migrants, including several children, were completely adrift, divided into four boats, sailing relatively close to each other.

The situation was reported to the coordinating entity, and the crew of the C-295M aircraft was informed of the existence of a merchant ship sailing nearby and within the route line that could assist in the rescue.

“This action triggered the activation of Spanish search and rescue resources. Even before leaving the area, and while waiting for the arrival of the Spanish entity’s helicopter, the Air Force crew directed the merchant ship towards one of the vessels, thus supporting the rescue of 21 migrants, including two children”, the note states.

Air Force personnel and a C-295M aircraft will begin the second phase of the Mediterranean surveillance mission on September 5, promoted by the FRONTEX Agency, taking place from the Malaga Base, Spain.

This maritime patrol and surveillance mission, called “Joint Operation Índalo 2024” , aims to safeguard human life, prevent illegal migration and trafficking in human beings, goods and weapons.

The mission also aims to combat drug trafficking, control and inspect fishing activities, control maritime pollution and control maritime traffic, through border and coastal guard surveillance.

How did the first day of AIMA’s mega-operation go?

A new AIMA centre has opened to resolve 400,000 pending immigration cases. Some people spent the night at the door, but ended up not being seen due to lack of appointments. The Minister of the Presidency says that the problem is serious and that it will take time to resolve.

There is great anxiety about resolving problems that have been dragging on for years. Frances, one of the many immigrants who want to resolve their situation in Portugal, has been at the extraordinary post of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) since midnight, which opened this Monday at the Telheiras Hindu Center in Lisbon . However, it was only at 8:00 am that the Brazilian found out that he would not be seen.

“It was not disclosed that the requirement for attendance would be by appointment. I didn’t know, otherwise I wouldn’t be here so soon. And maybe I wouldn’t even come, because I like to do things legally,” says Frances, who was sent to another AIMA post, which is in Anjos, Lisbon.

The same thing happened to other people. There were even those who gave up on making an appointment. “The problem will not be solved today”, says minister

The Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, visited the new AIMA center, where he stated that the problem is “big, serious and needs attention.

“Will the problem be resolved today? No! (…) What we are doing here is resolving pending processes by carefully checking that people who can reside in Portugal meet the requirements of Portuguese law.”

The special regularization operation will mobilize more than 100 people, including AIMA workers and also collaborators from civil society entities who have already received technical training.

Appointments at AIMA can be made by calling the agency’s Contact Center between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm.

“We need to understand that this is a long process. There are many pending issues and everyone’s turn will come. The contacts are up to date. Don’t be too worried if they are not scheduled in the first phase, they will certainly be scheduled in the second phase or in the third, fourth or fifth phase. Everyone will be covered”, says the president of the AIMA Workers’ Union, Artur Girão.

The operation is expected to continue until June next year.

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 4th September 2024

– Mike Evans

A very good day to you all. As we reach the end of summer according to many, there are a number of issues which are affecting the Algarve and are in one sense fairly unique to the region. The major issue continues to be the water situation. The latest figures show that the reservoirs which feed the region have dropped significantly over the past month.  The amount of water stored in river basins has fallen across almost the entire country, including in the south of the country, according to the National Water Resources Information System  data, the amount of water stored fell in August in 11 river basins and rose in one (Lima), compared to the last day of the previous month.

In the Barlavento Algarve river basin , the amount of water retained fell from 19% in July to 16.7% in August. This basin continues to be the one with the lowest amount of water reserves. According to SNIRH data, the Arade basin was at 34.8% at the end of August (37.7% in July). The amount of water also dropped in the Mira basin from 39.4% (in July) to 38.4% in August.

On the last day of August, the Guadiana (79.5%), Oeste (76.9%), Cávado (75.7%), Mondego (73.6%) and Douro (68.1%) basins had the highest volume of water. The August 2024 storages by river basin were higher than the August storage averages (1990/91 to 2022/23), except in the Lima, Tejo, Mira, Ribeiras do Algarve and Arade basins. Of the 58 monitored reservoirs, 10 had water availability above 80% of the total volume and another 15 below 40%. It is obvious that we all need to do more to preserve water and we can but hope that the rains come sooner rather than later.

Another issue on the minds of the people in the Faro region is safety. Renowned for its beaches, mild climate and as a tourist industry, the city faces a growing challenge that threatens the safety and well-being of residents and visitors: the lack of policing. This problem has raised concerns among locals, business owners and tourists, who feel increasingly vulnerable to a possible increase in crime. The district of Faro, divided into 16 municipalities and 84 parishes, has seen its population increase significantly, especially during the peak tourist season. However, the police force has not increased at the same rate, leading to an overload of available officers. The Police Professionals’ Trade Union Association (ASPP/PSP) and other trade unions have warned of the lack of human resources in the region’s security forces, especially during the summer.

According to PORDATA data, the “Personnel serving in the police and other bodies supporting investigation”, namely Public Security Police (PSP) agents and soldiers of the National Republican Guard (GNR), in 1993 there were 18,440 PSP agents, rising to 21,924 in 2022. However, the GNR did not have positive records. Despite having 24,102, in the same year, it lost 1,659 agents in around 30 years.

The shortage of police officers has negative impacts, including an increase in crime. Recently, there have been reports of several incidents in the Oura area of ​​Albufeira, which has been regularly reported due to the clashes and disturbances that have been occurring, especially at this time of year. With these issues in mind the inauguration of the Video Surveillance cameras in Faro have come at the right time for residents. There are already cameras operating in Olhao and Portimao and the first arrests from the use of the cameras in Faro came in the past week.

Now a look at some of the other stories that have happened in the last 7 days across the region.

Collision between vehicles leaves four injured in Aljezur

Four people were injured this Tuesday, two of them seriously, as a result of a collision between two light vehicles on the National Road (EN) 120, in Rogil , in Aljezur, said a source from Civil Protection. According to the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, the accident occurred at 1:46 pm, forcing the interruption of traffic on that road, which has since been reestablished, in the Feiteirinha area, in the parish of Rogil, in Aljezur.

According to the same source, the seriously injured are two women, aged 32 and 59, who were transported by helicopter from the National Institute of Medical Emergency ( INEM ) to the Faro unit of the Algarve University Hospital Centre (CHUA). The causes of the collision between the two vehicles “are unknown and are being investigated” by the GNR’s Traffic Accident Criminal Investigation Unit (NICAV), he pointed out.

The assistance and rescue operations involved a total of 26 members of the Aljezur Volunteer Firefighters, INEM and GNR, supported by nine vehicles and a helicopter.

Second suspect of robbery and kidnapping in Portimão arrested

The Judicial Police ( PJ ) arrested on Wednesday the second suspect of a robbery and kidnapping committed at a residence in Portimão, on Saturday, a crime for which the authorities had already made a first arrest, announced that police corporation.

This second arrest resulted from investigations carried out by the Criminal Investigation Department of the PJ of Portimão, which considers that it has collected evidence that demonstrates the practice of a crime of “qualified robbery and kidnapping”, with two victims, who were in the residence when the detainees entered.

“The suspect, in co-authorship with another man, whose arrest was reported yesterday [Tuesday] by this Police, had arranged to meet two women at their home and, under threat of a knife, with the intention of robbing them, ended up handcuffing them and isolating them in one of the rooms of the house”, described the PJ in a statement. The Judiciary highlighted that one of the men then remained to watch the victims while the other searched for valuables around the house, where he ended up finding and stealing “a large amount of money and an electronic device”.

The man arrested today, aged 39, has a history of drug trafficking and will still be brought before the court for his first judicial interrogation and the application of any coercive measures, added the criminal police body. On Tuesday, the PJ announced the arrest of a first suspect of having kidnapped two women during a robbery at a home in Portimão, carried out under threat of a knife and during which the victims were tied up and covered over their mouths.

The PJ said at the time that the detainee, aged 35, had acted in collaboration with another man, whose arrest was carried out today by the criminal police body. The Judiciary then said that the facts dated back to last Saturday, when the two men arranged to meet at the women’s house and, under threat of a knife, handcuffed them “with clamps on their wrists” and covered their mouths “with adhesive tape”. The perpetrators then forced the women to “stay in the bathroom” while they searched for and stole valuables inside the residence.

273 counterfeit items seized in VRSA

Police authorities seized 273 counterfeit items in Vila Real de Santo António, during inspections carried out in the towns of Monte Gordo and Manta Rota, announced the GNR .

During the inspections carried out, the GNR detected counterfeit products in “three establishments” and also in “street vendors, who were also selling” these products in the two bathing areas of the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António, the GNR said in a statement. Among the material seized were 128 football club shirts, 33 towels, 28 caps, 84 pins alluding to football clubs, listed the security force, clarifying that four men and one woman, between 35 and 45 years old, were identified, and the facts reported to the Court of Vila Real de Santo António.

AMN and Navy seize three fast boats and identify 11 men

Portuguese authorities seized three high-speed vessels that were south of Portugal, in international waters, and identified 11 suspects, in an operation to combat drug trafficking, it was announced on Saturday, the 31st.

The operation took place between Wednesday and Friday (28 and 30 August), involving the National Maritime Authority (AMN) and the Portuguese Navy, with support in one of the actions from a Portuguese Air Force aircraft , with high-speed pursuits of the suspicious vessels being carried out, the AMN said in a statement. “During the chases, carried out at high speed, one of the suspect vessels, in order to avoid being approached, tried to ram one of the vessels that were chasing it laterally, putting the lives of the Navy personnel at risk , and the accident was avoided at the last moment with evasive manoeuvres,” he stressed. The three vessels – which were crewed by 11 men, seven of Spanish nationality and four of Moroccan nationality – had more than a hundred fuel tanks on board, suspected of being linked to drug trafficking activities.

The vessels were pursued by a Navy ship and two high-speed vessels, one manned by elements of the Maritime Police Tactical Actions Group (GAT) and the other by Marines, AMN added. The suspects, aged between 23 and 68, were subsequently “subjected to the necessary identification procedures and subsequent legal processing formalities”. Since the beginning of 2023, Portuguese authorities have arrested 107 people and seized 41 high-speed vessels, with more than 33 tons of drugs on board.

GNR arrests man for drug trafficking in Silves

A 30-year-old man was arrested last Friday, the 30th, for drug trafficking in Silves, the GNR revealed on Monday.

According to the security forces , the detainee was brought before the Silves Court, having been forced to appear at a police station in his area of ​​residence (Lisbon), prohibited from remaining in Silves and from leaving the area of ​​residence.

The military reported that, following a report of a theft in a commercial establishment, they went to the location, where the suspect was approached, next to his vehicle, and a strong odour of a narcotic product was detected. The GNR seized several objects, including 25 doses of hashish, 18 doses of cannabis, 47.35 grams of MDMA, 40.80 grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms and 4.20 grams of amphetamines.

Albufeira raises awareness in the community about preventing fires and unprotected wells

During the summer , in the months of July and August, the municipality of Albufeira promoted an awareness campaign on how to prevent rural fires and the danger posed by unprotected wells.

The action, which was carried out by the Municipal Civil Protection Service of Albufeira, took place in the monthly/fortnightly markets and in the municipal markets of the municipality with vendors and users of the aforementioned commercial spaces who were very interested and satisfied with the initiative.

“We are building a Resilient City, but to do so we need to count on everyone”, stresses the Mayor of Albufeira, José Carlos Rolo. Regarding rural fires, preventive measures to be taken in cases where homes are located in rural areas were addressed, namely with regard to the necessary and mandatory interventions by law in homes, cleaning of surrounding areas, correct storage of firewood and the care to be taken when burning surpluses. The danger of rural fires and the restrictions on the use of forestry machinery, when the index is above the “High” level, was another of the highlighted topics.

All people approached received a leaflet with detailed information, which advises them to notify the authorities whenever the following situations occur: accumulation of rubbish or dense undergrowth near homes and the presence of people with risky behaviour; if you see the start of a rural fire – call 112 immediately.

With regard to unprotected wells, reference was made to the mandatory existence of a guard or effective cover over all wells, cracks and other irregularities likely to cause disastrous falls to people and animals. It should be remembered that according to the Law (Decree-Law No. 226-A/2007, of May 31), all owners of natural water resources such as wells, wells, boreholes, mines, ponds, dams, reservoirs or septic tanks must request the appropriate authorizations for use from the competent authorities. It should be noted that the Awareness Campaign for the Prevention of Rural Fires and Unprotected Wells aimed to create an effective culture with regard to mechanisms that allow prevention associated with risks.

For more information on water saving, Well maintenance and crime prevention go to our website.

Until the next time Stay Safe.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday September 4th 2024

Family doctor coverage rate reaches 97% in São Miguel

According to the USISM management report, of the 150,277 users registered in the island’s health centres, only 4,331 did not have a family doctor at the end of 2023

The São Miguel Island Health Unit (USISM) presented in 2023 the highest rate of family doctor coverage in its history: of the more than 150 thousand registered users, 97% had a response at this level, leaving 4331 people without a family doctor.

Climatologist says Azores are not in an extreme situation

Portuguese climatology expert Eduardo Brito de Azevedo disagrees that the Azores are experiencing an unprecedented situation of “extreme drought”, considering that there is a balance in hydrological terms thanks to winter precipitation.

“The claim that we are experiencing an unprecedented drought is not quite true, in my opinion. Although August had a very significant anomaly in rainfall, in negative terms, in hydrological terms it is by no means the worst year in terms of water availability,” Brito de Azevedo told Lusa.

The Azores have recorded, particularly in the month of August, temperatures above normal summer values, with maximums of 29 and 30 degrees Celsius, along with low rainfall levels.

The retired specialist and professor – project manager of the Eastern North Atlantic (ENA), Graciosa Island ARM Facility, of the United States Department of Energy and the Los Alamos National Laboratory – stresses that “the fact that we have experienced a fairly long period of good weather does not mean that it is a period of extreme drought”.

The climatologist states that, in most of the Azores islands, there are no problems with water supply, which is ensured by winter, to supply the population.

“In agronomic terms, the month of August was, in fact, a month with a negative sign in terms of precipitation, with implications for agriculture, particularly for livestock fodder,” he says.

According to the environmental expert, this scenario is due to “the persistence of the Azores anticyclone, well located in the Atlantic”, which “has affected the weather”.

Brito de Azevedo states that “the air temperature anomaly between 1.5 and 2.5 degrees” is “particularly due to another anomaly, which is the temperature of the sea water on the surface, which was, particularly at the end of July and beginning of August, very significant and which should be a concern for all sectors that depend on the economy”.

“This anomaly in sea surface temperatures is what is giving a more worrying signal. The central Atlantic has warmed. In 2023, surface temperatures were the highest ever and, this year, this warming has continued particularly in the first months of the year,” explains the expert.

Brito de Azevedo points out that, “curiously, from July onwards, there is a tendency for some cooling, although a pocket of hot water remains in this area of ​​the Azores, in the central Atlantic, which has also caused the air temperature to rise”.

The expert states that this situation brings “some unpredictability in terms of the future, particularly because the sea, no longer regulating air temperature, as happens in thermoregulation, being warmer, can bring about significant climate changes” with an impact on marine ecosystems and the composition of marine fauna and flora.

“Whether this is a situation that will continue or not is an aspect that climatology cannot yet answer”, says the scientist, who points out that the thermal anomaly “influences the generation and path of tropical storms”.

According to Brito de Azevedo, at the beginning of August, everything indicated that “it would be a very complicated season in terms of tropical storms, but from mid-August onwards there was a cooling of the sea water temperature in the equatorial zones, where hurricanes begin”.

Regarding climate change, the expert stated that “it is already being felt” and that it will “translate more into climate irregularity”, with “the seasonality that the Azores were used to having been lost, both in winter and summer”.

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 4th September 2024

Good afternoon everyone, I make no apology that this feature is devoted solely to aerial firefighting. Without doubt this has been a very sad week with the death of a full team of (GNR-UEPS) Emergency Protection and Rescue Unit UEPS soldiers, in a helicopter accident in the Douro, whilst they were returning from a mission. The only survivor was the pilot, despite the helicopter crashing into the water at a speed of 185 km/h.

Only that morning we had pointed out a few hours before the accident that aerial firefighting is a highly specialized field of knowledge and skill requiring years of education and thousands of hours of flight time.

Many operators of aerial firefighting equipment say that aerial firefighters are “firefighters first and pilots” second. This means that the specialized knowledge of how fires spread and how to contain it using aircraft is critical to being an aerial firefighter.

Finding water to fight wildfires, dipping the specialized bucket slung below a helicopter into water source, low-level flying, precision navigation, and managing helicopter stability with varying water weights and releasing over fires. This requires considerable skills, and bravery and is without doubt one of the most dangerous means of firefighting.

This is not the first time a firefighting helicopter has crashed. A helicopter fighting a fire in Castro Daire, Viseu, crashed on Sunday 20th August 2017, killing the pilot, Américo Sousa, aged 51 years. The helicopter crashed into high-voltage cables, and burned, and the pilot was trapped in the helicopter. The helicopter had just dropped off a GNR GIPS team at a fire at Cabril, Castro Daire. A very lucky escape for them.

Two years later a light rural firefighting helicopter crashed on Wednesday 4th September 2019 as it was taking off from the Aircraft Centre in Pampilhosa da Serra. Inside the helicopter were five military personnel from the Protection and Relief Intervention Group (GIPS), one of whom suffered minor injuries. According to the Coimbra CDOS, the pilot belonged to an external company. According to a statement from the ANEPC, the aircraft “suffered significant material damage

And, in September in 2022 a helicopter that was fighting a fire in Amares was involved in an accident. The aircraft had hit a high voltage cable, in the Paranhos area, and ended up crashing. The pilot was “seriously injured, with several injuries and fractures, namely in the lower limbs and pelvic area”. There were no other crew members.

And it is not just helicopters, in July 2022 a FireBoss amphibious plane, from the Centro de Meios Aereos de Viseu, assigned to the Special Device for Fighting Rural Fires,” crashed killing the pilot André Serra aged 30.

Following his death we highlighted on Facebook the dangers of areal firefighters namely: This is incredibly difficult and dangerous work and they have shown their worth being the first to arrive at many fires, especially those where accessibility is difficult: Why is it dangerous? – Strong and frequently changing wind conditions – Dodging electricity pylons and wires – Collecting water from tight spaces – Flying in low visibility in hilly terrain with changing atmospheric conditions – The presence of ash – In high heat under considerable pressure in complicated fires

At the time of this accident Civil Protection indicated that in the last two decades, six Portuguese pilots who participated in firefighting operations had died in about a dozen accidents.

This latest accident is by far however the most sever and tragic in terms of the death toll – a complete UEPS fire- fighting team.

Just three days following the latest accident an INEM helicopter crashed resulting in minor injuries to the four crew members. The cause of the accident has yet to be established.

When you next thank firefighters for all the work they do in fighting fires please remember to give a special thank you to those pilots and crew that fight fires from the air. They are often to first to arrive at the outbreak of fires and operate without back-up until reinforcements arrive – without doubt they are true heroes!

Our team wishes you all the best for the week ahead

News

After all, the replacement helicopter for INEM is stopped for maintenance

The reserve helicopter provided for in the contract between INEM and Avincis is undergoing scheduled maintenance and, therefore, there was no replacement within 24 hours, an official source from the company said today.

The reserve aircraft of the same model, AW139, is undergoing scheduled maintenance. We are seeking to complete this work as quickly as possible, taking into account that safety is our main priority. However, another AW139 helicopter remains in operation, in addition to two AW109s”, an official source from the operator for the assistance helicopter service told Lusa.

The issue at hand is the replacement of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) helicopter that suffered an accident in the municipality of Mondim de Basto.

The accident occurred at 12:55 on Monday, at the time when the AW139 aircraft – based at the Macedo de Cavaleiros base – was preparing to land in Mondim de Basto to assist a person injured in a work accident in a quarry.

There were four crew members on board – pilot, co-pilot, doctor and nurse – who, according to information provided after the accident by INEM, were transported to Vila Real Hospital as a precaution and have already been discharged from hospital.

INEM revealed today in a statement that the equipment had not yet been replaced, despite the fact that the contract for the lease, management and maintenance of aerial resources with Avincis provides for this replacement within a period of 24 hours.

“We are working with INEM on a plan to be able to resume service in Macedo de Cavaleiros as quickly as possible”, assured the same company source, adding that Avincis helicopters at the service of INEM were activated 474 times in the first half of 2024 and 1,146 times last year for emergency assistance.

Lusa also asked Avincis about INEM’s request to ensure the reinforcement of the pilot teams at the Viseu base, in order to allow the emergency helicopter based there to operate 24 hours a day and not just during the 12-hour day shift, but, to date, it has not been possible to obtain this clarification from the company.

The medical emergency device contracted between INEM and Avincis consists of two helicopters operating in 24-hour shifts – from the bases of Macedo de Cavaleiros and Loulé – and another two helicopters in 12-hour shifts, based at the bases of Viseu and Évora.

With this accident, rescue via INEM helicopters is reduced to three aircraft and only one on a permanent basis, only in the southern region of the country.

 

 

 

The Algarve Report Wednesday 28 August 2024

 

By Mike Evans

 

A very good day to you all, whether seeing this for the first time or a regular viewer. The aim of this report is to highlight some of the stories you may have missed during the past week or so and to give valuable information regarding safety and security when incidents occur. The big talking point across the whole country these past few days is the earthquake tremor that occurred around 60 kilometres off the coast near Sines and was 5.3 on the Richter scale with up to 6 further aftershocks being reported. Luckily whilst many may have felt the tremor there was no damage reported but the size of this tremor has illustrated the fact that Portugal is prone to these seismic shocks and people should be aware of what to do if in fact a similar or larger shock happened on the mainland.

We at Safe Communities Portugal have published a lot of information regarding what to do in such a case both on our Facebook pages and on our website and I would encourage you all to check out what we have published.

Now a look at some of the other stories that have hit the headlines in the past week.

 

Faro City Council inaugurates video surveillance system in the city

Faro City Council inaugurated this Tuesday, the 27th, a video surveillance system to prevent crimes and repress traffic violations on the main roads and in several points in the city centre, the municipality announced.

The inauguration ceremony for the video surveillance system will take place at 11:00 am, at the facilities of the Faro Public Security Police District Command, which will be responsible for operating the 32 cameras that the municipality has installed in the areas with the highest levels of people and traffic in the city.

The ceremony will be attended by the Mayor of Faro, Rogério Bacalhau, and the Secretary of State for Internal Administration, Telmo Correia, the Algarve municipality highlighted in a statement. On April 5, 2023, Faro City Council announced that it had been awarded the contract for the installation of 32 cameras, of four different types, under an investment of more than 550,000 euros.

Among the works planned in the project were the expansion of the fibre optic network and the preparation of support infrastructures for the installation of the system in “key locations”, namely in the commercial area, on the main road axes and in the city centre, the municipality specified at the time.

With the inauguration of this video surveillance system, the municipality and the PSP will be able to monitor public and private property, “prevent crimes in places where there is a reasonable risk of them occurring” and, simultaneously, prevent and repress road traffic violations, he highlighted.

The system is capable of capturing and recording audio “whenever there is a situation of concrete danger to the safety of people and property” and the cameras will be operated by the Public Security Police (PSP), working continuously 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Algarve local authority explained.

 

Woman seriously injured after falling from cliff in Portimão

A 49-year-old French woman was seriously injured on Sunday, the 25th, after falling from a cliff approximately 15 metres high, in Portimão, said a source from the Maritime Authority.

According to the Captain of the Port of Portimão, Eduardo Pousadas Godinho, the fall occurred near the submarine beach, in the João de Arens area, in the municipality of Portimão, “in a difficult to access location, making it necessary to rescue the woman from the sea”.

“The woman, who appeared to have several fractures, was stabilised by a wide-angle team from the Portimão fire department and removed by sea, being transferred to the Portimão marina and transported by helicopter to a hospital unit” in the Algarve, he said. According to Eduardo Pousadas Godinho, “at the site of the fall and in the access areas there are signs warning of the instability of the cliffs, and the causes that led to the fall of the French citizen are unknown”.

“It is an area with a large influx of tourists, mainly foreign citizens, but it is properly marked, with warnings about the instability of the cliffs, but people continue to ignore these warnings”, he highlighted.

According to the Captain of the Port of Portimão, the maritime authorities “have been insisting a lot” with the consular attachés of the various countries “to warn their citizens who are tourists in the Algarve of the dangers that exist in various areas of the coast”.

“We have been concerned about raising awareness of the risks in areas such as João de Arens (Portimão), Benagil and Sete Vales ( Lagoa ), but tourists venture out on isolated walks and accidents end up happening,” he said.

The rescue operations involved 18 operatives from the Portimão fire department, the Maritime Police, the Institute for Aid to Shipwrecked People and the National Institute for Medical Emergencies, assisted by five vehicles and a total of three vessels.

Collision between car and bicycle leaves one dead in Aljezur

A woman died on Sunday, the 25th, as a result of a collision between a light vehicle and a bicycle that occurred on the National Road (EN) 120, in the Azenha area, in the municipality of Aljezur, revealed a source from Civil Protection .

According to a source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, the accident occurred late in the morning and forced the interruption of road traffic on that road that connects the Algarve to Alentejo, which has since been reopened to traffic.

The source indicated that the death of the 42-year-old woman, of Portuguese nationality, was declared by the doctor of the helicopter from the National Institute of Medical Emergency ( INEM ), called to the scene of the accident. According to the source, the causes of the collision between the two vehicles “are unknown and are being investigated”by the Traffic Accident Criminal Investigation Unit (NICAV) of the National Republican Guard (GNR). The assistance and rescue operations involved around 15 members of the Aljezur Volunteer Firefighters, INEM and GNR.

Suspect arrested for forgery, aggravated fraud and money laundering

A man suspected of several crimes of aggravated document forgery, qualified fraud and money laundering was arrested on Wednesday in Lisbon by the Southern Directorate of the Judicial Police and will be held in preventive custody, it was announced on Thursday.

In a statement, the Judicial Police (PJ) indicated that the detainee, aged 27, is suspected of being part of a group “whose transnational criminal activity” consisted of setting up companies using several false identities, “in whose name he opened dozens of accounts in credit institutions” in Portugal. “Once opened, the accounts were credited with transfers of large amounts, obtained illegally, namely using schemes commonly known as ‘man in the middle’ or ‘CEO fraud’,” the police specified.

The ‘man-in-the-middle’ system is a form of cyberattack in which data exchanged between two parties is intercepted, recorded and altered without the victims being aware.

‘CEO fraud’ is a form of fraud through the sending of emails, text messages or applications, in which the attacker, by pretending to be an entity related to the targeted organisation, makes requests for money transfers to employees of that organisation, to their bank accounts.

According to the PJ, the detainee “after disguising the illicit origin of the funds received”, transferred the sums to other accounts, “giving them an appearance of legality under the guise of the alleged activity of the companies then created, receiving a percentage of the transactions carried out”.

During the investigation launched by the Southern Directorate of the PJ, “significant evidence was seized”, highlights the criminal police. According to the PJ, the arrest occurred following an investigation led by the Criminal Investigation Department ( DIAP ) of Faro , which also resulted in the arrest of another man in December 2023. The man now detained in the Lisbon region was heard in his first judicial interrogation, and was ordered to be held in preventive detention, the most serious coercive measure, added the PJ.

10 people rescued in one hour in Cacela Velha

Ten people were rescued by maritime rescue services in Cacela Velha, Vila Real de Santo António in just one hour on Wednesday afternoon (August 23). The rescues took place between 3pm and 4pm during high tide when the group was spotted in distress after being swept away by strong currents near the Cacela Velha inlet.

Members of the ‘SeaWatch’ project and the Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António lifeboat stations were deployed to rescue the victims as they struggled to cross the Ria Formosa in an unsupervised area. Six of the victims were swiftly rescued by lifeguard crews from the Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António stations, while the remaining four were rescued by ‘SeaWatch’ members. All 10 people were safely transported back to land, injury-free and without needing medical assistance.

In a statement to the press, the National Maritime Authority (AMN) stresses that the Cacela Velha inlet is a “dangerous area not recommended for swimming due to the risks posed by strong currents, despite the high number of visitors to the area.” To ensure that rescue services are swift, the AMN has deployed two rescue boats from the Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António stations, an Amarok vehicle from the ‘SeaWatch’ project, a jet ski, a quad bike, and a patrol boat from the maritime police command in Tavira.

To end this report we hear of good news regarding the water shortages across the Algarve. The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) has issued the  Environmental Impact Statement  (DIA) for the project “Reinforcement of Water Supply to the Algarve – Solution for the Water Intake in Pomarão”, with a favourable decision subject to compliance with a set of conditions, it was announced this Monday, August 26.

The environmental impact assessment procedure in question was carried out “in accordance with the legally required procedures, including the promotion of a 30-working-day public consultation period”, details the APA in a statement.

The aforementioned decision was supported by the technical opinion issued by the Evaluation Committee set up for this purpose, coordinated by the APA and including representatives from the APA itself and the following entities: Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission, Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission, Cultural Heritage Commission, Algarve Regional Health Administration, Alentejo Regional Health Administration, Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, National Energy and Geology Laboratory and the Prof. Baeta Neves Applied Ecology Centre of the Higher Institute of Agronomy.

The project is part of the ongoing partnership between Portugal and Spain, which will ensure a model for exploiting water intakes that ensures an effective ecological flow regime and the balance of the system.

It is also part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) 2021-2026 (Component C9. Water Management; investment RE-C09-i01 – Algarve Regional Water Efficiency Plan; sub-measure SM5 – Increase the available capacity and resilience of existing reservoirs/high-water supply systems and reinforce with new water sources).

Given that the environmental impact assessment procedure took place in the preliminary study phase, according to the APA, a second assessment will take place in the execution project phase, with a view to verifying the environmental compliance of the execution project with the DIA now issued.

The APA emphasises that the licensing and implementation of the project may only occur after the issuance of the environmental compliance decision for the execution project (DCAPE).

Until the next time stay safe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 28th August 2024

 

Good afternoon. The 5.3 Magnitude earthquake on Monday morning 60 kms west of Sines is a reminder that Portugal is at risk of earthquakes. This was the largest in terms of Magnitude since the magnitude earthquake in 1969. On that occasion, the epicentre was 200 kilometres from Sagres and had a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter Scale. At least 13 people died.

The earthquake on Monday, despite being very shallow at 17 kms, there were no reported injuries or damage, although it was felt by many people. If the epicentre had been closer to the shore or on the mainland itself it could have been a different matter. A total of 5662 reports of people feeling the earthquake were made to Volcano Discover and over 10,000 to the IPMA. We thank the over 350 people who commented on our FB posts on how the earthquake effected them.

Thank you to our team member Fernanda Goncalves for posting on our Facebook page the information just 17 minutes following the earthquake occurring! Some 30 minutes later it was announced on social media by ANEPC and nearly 3 hours later by IPMA. However IPMA had earlier placed details on their website and Lusa News agency published this at O546 hrs

The earthquake illustrates the importance of knowing what action to take during and after an earthquake something we at Safe Communities Portugal do at regular intervals, including of course the “A Terra Treme” annual earthquake exercise held in November. A reminder of action to take can be found here. It also highlight the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of properties in Portugal that do not have earthquake resilience, especially those built before 1958.

In monitoring the Madeira fires over the last 12 days we have read perhaps hundreds of interviews regarding the progress of combatting the fire, coming from journalist, officials and political leaders including parish, municipal and regional leaders. Often we have identified contradictions, and sometimes press releases made at similar times, with different content.

However, standing out amongst these, in a most positive way, was the mayor of Santana Dinarte Fernandes who on Saturday argued that “conclusions must be drawn from the fight against the fire on the island of Madeira, warning that without national and European resources it would have been difficult to control the situation”.

He added “that without the resources made available by the Republic, namely the special firefighting team, and then the activation of the European resource with aircraft, it would be very difficult to have the situation in the Autonomous Region of Madeira under control”.

Dinarte Fernandes argued that “political and technical leaders”, whether in the forestry sector or in Civil Protection, “must draw conclusions so that situations like these can be addressed and dealt with more quickly”.

“We cannot allow the repercussions of a fire that starts on the other side of the island to be like this. We have all understood this. We spent 20 years saying that helicopters would not work, but in the end they do and they work. We spent another 20 years saying that Canadairs and fixed wing aircraft would not work, but in the end they do,” he said.

The Mayor stressed that there will always be “a risk of fire” in the forest, but argued that it is necessary to “think about the type of forest we want” for the future.

“We need to be more realistic on these issues and try out the solutions that the world offers us to fight fires and not be so parochial to the point of thinking that we have all the solutions here,” he added.

Madeira’s Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Plan ceases to be in force this Tuesday.

Our team at Safe Communities wishes you a safe week ahead

News and Features

How did Portugal manage to reduce the number of fires in just six years?

Tiago Oliveira, president of AGIF, highlights the importance of local awareness-raising work and advocates the creation of an interoperability mechanism in fire-fighting at European level.

More than 100 people have died and 500,000 hectares of land have been burned. This scenario has not been repeated in Portugal since 2017, the year in which the deadliest and most devastating fires were recorded in the country.

Since then, the number of forest fires has been reduced by more than half , mainly thanks to a campaign to prevent risky behaviour, promoted by the Agency for Integrated Management of Rural Fires (AGIF), within the scope of the Integrated Management System of Rural Fires (SGIFR).

“We started working after 2017. Portuguese society was very traumatized by the issue of fires and in the first year of the campaign in 2018, we focused on a clearer message: ‘Portugal is calling for you’, because it was necessary to call on all Portuguese people to reduce the number of fires”, says Tiago Oliveira, president of the board of directors of AGIF, in statements to Euronews.

According to Tiago Oliveira, an average of 20,000 fires broke out in Portugal per year before 2019 and last year there were 7,000.

“This was achieved through a communications campaign on television, in newspapers and on the radio, and through measures to improve the effectiveness of the campaign, providing alternatives to people who needed to use fire to eliminate agricultural waste, providing a number that allowed people to call and ask for help to burn or ask whether they could burn or not”, explains the technician, highlighting that there was a change in the behaviour of the Portuguese in terms of the negligent use of fire.

“This year, the strategy will involve and is involving personalized door-to-door contacts, through the National Republican Guard, for example. It is involving greater involvement, now with the Ministry of Education, with campaigns in schools, between the ages of five and 12, with the ‘ Raposa Chama ‘ project that will mobilize around half a million students over the next five years”, explains Tiago Oliveira.

According to data released on Monday by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), the year 2024 will have, up until August 15, the lowest number of fires and the lowest area burned since 2014. In total, there have already been 3,485 rural fires this year.

Even so, August is already the month with the largest area burned in 2024 and doubled the figures for July. From 1 to 15 August, 3,484 hectares burned, while in the previous month the fires had consumed an area of ​​1,582 hectares. The area burned in these first two weeks corresponds to 44% of the total area burned this year in mainland Portugal (7,949 hectares).

Comparing the figures for 2024 with the previous 10 years, there were 58% fewer rural fires and 87% fewer burnt areas compared to the annual average for the same period.

“This year, 2024, we have 3,500 fires, which is a relatively relevant record, because people have also consolidated this knowledge in rural areas. There was also a mild summer, we didn’t have as much drought and, therefore, all the sparks don’t start fires”, explains the president of AGIF.

According to the “State of Wildfires” report published in the journal Earth System Science Data, from March 2023 to February 2024, the fires were contained in size in Europe, devastating only 8,400 square kilometres, but resulted in the interruption of water supplies, damage to infrastructure or agricultural land, with impacts on tourism and local economies.

According to data from the World Bank, forest fires caused losses of 77 billion euros in Europe in 2023.

Tiago Oliveira argues that Europe needs an “interoperability mechanism so that forces from neighbouring countries can operate in the same way”.

“It is not enough to send air assets from one country to another. When the air assets arrive, they must be coordinated with the forces on the ground and they must work with common mechanisms. Canada and the United States do this very well and Europe can take inspiration from this model,” he argues.

Furthermore, the AGIF president believes that policy coordination is necessary. “In particular, using the Common Agricultural Policy , which allows farmers to better manage their forests, and bringing more attention from the Common Agricultural Policy to abandoned land, to agricultural practices that do not generate fire and allow vegetation to always be treated,” he adds.

To date, the fire in Evros , northeastern Greece, in August last year is the largest ever recorded in the European Union. It burned 938 square kilometres in one go, setting a new record for the old continent.

 

 

 

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 21 August 2024

 

By Mike Evans

 

A very warm welcome to you after my absence of a couple of weeks. During this time of being away the temperatures across the Algarve have risen considerably and with the hot weather the subject of water or the lack of it rears its head again. According to the latest figures and report issued by the IMPA almost 40% of mainland Portugal was in moderate and severe meteorological drought at the end of July, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere ( IPMA ) in its climatological bulletin for last month.

According to the document released, there was an increase in the area of ​​moderate and severe meteorological drought in the southern region, affecting the districts of Faro , Beja, Évora, Setúbal and Portalegre.

According to the IPMA, the month of July in mainland Portugal was classified as hot in relation to air temperature and normal in relation to precipitation. It was the ninth warmest July since 2000, with the average air temperature, 23.15 degrees Celsius (°C), being 0.65 °C higher than the value recorded between 1981 and 2010.

Te minimum temperature recorded the eighth highest value since 2000, at 16.12°C, an anomaly of +0.28°C above the normal value. The maximum temperature, with an average value of 30.17°C, also represents an anomaly of +1.02°C above the normal value.

In terms of precipitation, it was the eighth rainiest July since 2000. The IPMA recalls that the beginning of the month had minimum temperatures well below normal, especially on the 7th and 8th, and that the hottest day of the year was recorded on the 23rd.

However, there is some good news for those whose livelihood depends on agriculture. A partnership is underway for the Use of Small Hydro-Agricultural Structures in the Sotavento and Northeast Algarve after the publication of an Executive Order No. 184/2024/1, of August 13, signed by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, has now been published, reclassifying the works of the Hydro-Agricultural Projects in four areas of the municipalities of Alcoutim and Castro Marim, announced the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR).

The hydro-agricultural development works will take place in Pão Duro (23.5 ha) and Vaqueiros (35 ha), in the parish of Vaqueiros, municipality of Alcoutim, and in Almada de Ouro (31.6 ha), in the parishes of Azinhal and Odeleite, and Caroucha (50 ha), in the municipality of Castro Marim, each encompassing an embankment dam and irrigation networks that supply water to the respective collective irrigation perimeters.

“The need to adapt the management model to the complexity and importance of these four hydro-agricultural developments, built in the 1980s and 1990s, is reflected, above all, at a local level, with the high collective impact of the added value associated with the availability of water for irrigation and the potential use of reservoirs, preparing the region for a future with more frequent and severe droughts”, highlights the CCDR in a statement. “In addition to this justification, there is the technical complexity inherent in the conservation, operation and management of dams and other infrastructures and the possibility of accessing the concession regime, only provided for works in groups I, II and III”, the note continues.

This marks “another stage in this strategy of reconciling human and social development in areas of the Algarve’s interior and greater efficiency in water use, ensuring the availability of water for agriculture”, he concludes.

For the rest of us we will have to continue to save water and hope that the taps don’t run dry before the end of the summer and before the usual winter rains appear.

Now a look at some of the other stories from across the region.

AMN rescues three children in difficulty at Cacela Velha bar

On Sunday, August 18, members of the “SeaWatch” Project rescued three children, aged five, six and 10, who were in difficulty in the water, in an unsupervised area, after being swept away by the current, at the Cacela Velha bar, in Vila Real de Santo António , indicated the National Maritime Authority (AMN).

During a surveillance operation in that area, members of the “SeaWatch” Project detected three children in need of assistance, in difficulty in the water, after having been swept away by the strong current. The victims were quickly rescued and taken to land.

According to AMN, the children were physically well and did not need medical assistance.The National Maritime Authority reinforced its advice against bathing in the Cacela Velha bar area due to the dangers it poses.

AMN assists four crew members of a vessel without propulsion in Olhão

On Thursday, August 15, crew members from the Olhão Lifeboat Station assisted four crew members (three men and one woman) from a recreational vessel that ran out of propulsion one nautical mile (about two kilometres) from Barra do Lavajo, also known as Barra da Armona, in the municipality of Olhão , indicated the National Maritime Authority (AMN).

Following an alert received at 2:54 p.m., through the master of the vessel recreation, the crew of the Olhão Lifeguard Station and elements of the local Command of the Olhão Maritime Police were immediately activated.

Upon arrival at the vessel, the AMN found that the four crew members were physically well, without needing medical assistance, and the crew of the Lifeguard Station proceeded to tow the vessel, for reasons of safety for the people and navigation, to the Olhão Naval Group pier.

 

Motorcyclist seriously injured in collision with light vehicle

A collision between a motorcycle and a light vehicle, in Pardieiro, Monchique, left one person seriously injured on Tuesday, the 13th, who was transferred by helicopter to the hospital in Faro , revealed a source from Civil Protection. “It was a collision between a light vehicle and a motorcycle, which resulted in a seriously injured woman, aged 20, of Portuguese nationality, the driver of the motorcycle,” said a source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command.

The woman was transported by ambulance from the secondary road where the accident occurred, at around 4:40 pm, to the Monchique heliport, from where she was transported to the Faro hospital in the National Institute of Medical Emergency ( INEM ) helicopter.

Region reduces water consumption in tourist developments by 14%

Until July, tourist developments in the Algarve that signed up to the “Save Water” seal recorded a 14% reduction in overall consumption and an 18% reduction in specific water consumption (consumption per overnight stay), RTA reported.

The figures are included in the 2nd report on monitoring water consumption and the application of water efficiency measures prepared by the Energy Agency (ADENE), as part of the Algarve’s Commitment to Water Efficiency .

Among the more than 2,300 water efficiency measures selected by those participating in the plan coordinated by the Algarve Tourism Board (RTA), in conjunction with Turismo de Portugal and ADENE, interventions at the level of devices and irrigation systems, improvements in the management and maintenance system and in equipment are the most selected by tourism enterprises located in the Algarve region. More than half (53%) of these selected measures have already been implemented. Around 75% of those who sign up to the “Save Water” seal are concentrated in four Algarve municipalities – Albufeira, Loulé, Portimão and Lagoa –, which are also those with the largest number of beds available.

For André Gomes, president of RTA, “these results reflect the efforts of the tourism sector to combat water scarcity in the Algarve. Business owners are very mobilised to face this challenge. The Save Water seal was implemented in March and by July it already represented more than 30% of the beds available in tourist establishments in the region, which reflects the sector’s commitment to adopting measures and behaviours that allow saving this essential resource”, he highlights.

Dinosaur footprints discovered on Algarve beach

A site with 12 footprints from different dinosaurs is being revealed on Arrifes beach, in Albufeira, among other discoveries, elevating this location within the territory of the Algarvensis Geopark project to a global geosite, a researcher has revealed.

In addition to the set of 12 footprints, belonging to five dinosaurs from three different species, which roamed the area around 120 million years ago, Arrifes beach hides other treasures, invisible to the eyes of tourists who go swimming in the small cove whose sand almost disappears at high tide.

The scientific advisor of the Algarvensis Geopark project, Octávio Mateus, said that those rocks are recorded as being “a few million years old”, with marks of crustaceans, shells, whelks and single-celled beings, although the most impressive are the marks left by dinosaurs, in the lower Cretaceous period. Only accessible at low tide and to those willing to climb over rocks, the site with 12 footprints, some of which are in sequence and three-dimensional, reveals the presence of large sauropods, including brontosaurus, the long-necked dinosaurs popularised by cinema. But, this enormous dinosaur, whose footprints reach half a metre in length, is joined on this trail by small sauropods, also herbivores, and three carnivorous animals, all in a crack between two layers in the cliff, made when those rocks were still in a horizontal position.

120 million years ago, the footprints were imprinted in the mud, which was covered with limestone and sand, and after the sediment below had eroded, the natural shape of the footprint was left. The cliffs ‘rotated’ to their current position due to tectonic movement, explained the palaeontologist, a professor at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

“There are tectonic forces related to rock salt deposits, or by plates, crustal movements, causing it to fold and roll, and what was horizontal became vertical”, he explained, highlighting that this is a “major discovery”, which makes that beach a “geosite of global importance”.

At the beginning of the trail, a rock shows the seabed from a good few million years ago, bearing witness to the trail of crustaceans, similar to crabs and lobsters, which made galleries and excavated the sand which, over time, was filled with more sand. Further ahead, heading east, on the face of another cliff also threatened by the action of the sea, four footprints are revealed forming a trail, all measuring more than 20 centimetres, of an ornithopod dinosaur that would have been four metres long.

The first deposit had been documented since 2016, but had not been studied, work that is now being done as part of the application of the territory of Loulé, Albufeira and Silves to become a global geopark of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ).

However, discovering the “paternity” of the findings is not simple. “The current scientific coordinator of the Algarvensis Geopark, Paulo Fernandes said that it had been discovered during one of his field classes by a student, but the date is unknown. It must have been between 2014 and 2016. The sauropod footprints in the crevice were mentioned for the first time in a conference summary in 2016, but it doesn’t mention who discovered them,” said Octávio Mateus. However, as far as he knows, the ornithopod tracks are “absolutely new” and were discovered by him on June 12 this year.

Two men rob a nightclub in Loulé and flee on a motorbike

Two men robbed a nightclub in the parish of Boliqueime , in the municipality of Loulé, on Sunday the 11th, and fled the scene on a motorbike with money taken from a safe, a source from the GNR revealed .

“At around 9:00 am, two individuals, using physical force, managed to get the money that was in a safe to be handed over to them,” said a source from the Public Relations Department of the GNR’s Faro Territorial Command. The two men entered the nightclub, which was already closed, in a manner that the GNR is still investigating and, once inside the establishment, “they used force to get the money to be handed over to them”, he explained. The source was unable to specify the number of employees present at the establishment, but indicated that they did not require hospital assistance.

The robbers “fled on a motorbike”, with an amount of money yet to be determined, said the GNR source, confirming the existence of surveillance cameras at the site and that the case is already being investigated.

Three people died in the first three months of the bathing season

Three people died on Portuguese beaches in the first three months of this year’s bathing season, between May and July, with all cases occurring in the Algarve, and 403 rescues were recorded, the National Maritime Authority ( AMN ) recently revealed.

Since the last report up to June 30, which indicated two fatalities on Portuguese beaches, the AMN recorded another death on the supervised sea beach Maria Luísa, in Albufeira , which occurred on July 16 for “unknown causes”.

The other two deaths recorded since the start of the bathing season, on May 1, were also in the Algarve and both were due to “sudden illness”, with the first situation occurring on May 27 in an unsupervised maritime area in Algar de Benagil, in Lagoa, and the second on June 6 at the supervised maritime beach of Meia Praia, in Lagos, informed the Maritime Authority. In 2023, in the first three months of the bathing season, there were seven deaths on the beaches, four of which were due to drowning and three due to “sudden illness”.

In the three months that have passed since this year’s bathing season, between May 1 and July 31, in addition to three fatalities, the AMN recorded 403 rescues and 1,907 first aid actions on the sea and river or lake beaches under its jurisdiction.

According to the balance of the first two months of the bathing season, in which 133 rescues and 584 first aid actions were recorded, according to data from the Maritime Authority, in July 270 rescues and 1,323 first aid actions were carried out on Portuguese beaches.

The 2024 bathing season runs from May 1 to October 30, and municipalities may establish, within this period, the specific season for each area.

If you are going to the beach please be aware of all the dangers that could be around you and have a safe week.

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 21st August 2024

 

Good morning. We start and end with the Madeira fires which have been burning for eight days days. There has been widespread concern among the Madeira population and some firefighting experts that the Madeira government was slow to react when the fire broke out last Wednesday. Jorge Mendes, commander and specialist in Civil Protection, stated on Monday that:  “When we put off the problem, it leads us to scenarios like these.” He sees the current operational situation as the result of an “underestimation” of the first signs that this fire would reach dramatic proportions. It lead to the evacuation of several points in the Autonomous Region”.

He adds that “this fire had characteristics very similar to previous fires, the operational decision should have taken into account the historical assessment of Madeira, the temperature and the wind speed”. In this case, “it is not normal to have temperatures above 30 degrees and gusts of 65 km/h”. “All of this led us to believe that if there were a fire outbreak, we would have a lot of difficulties”.

The fire chief’s opinion is echoed by several other civil protection experts who note how there should have been a “more muscular” response in the first hours when the flames began to be contained in the high areas of Ribeira Brava, on Wednesday. However, the topography in Madeira is very steep, which makes accessibility very difficult if not impossible except by air, when wind conditions allow.

On the mainland we have become used to this “muscular approach”, where the response to fires is very quick with additional resources being deployed, to try and avoid fires increasing in intensity and spreading to a point when situation becomes out of control as is happening now in Madeiria. For the first day in the Madeira fire one helicopter (the only one available) with less than 20 operatives were deployed. The delay in the Madeira government accepting assistance offered by the mainland, allowed the fire to develop further.

The Minister of Internal Administration said yesterday the Government “will evaluate” the request for permanent reinforcement of aerial resources to fight fires in Madeira, but also highlighted that it is still premature to make this analysis. In SCP’s view the current situation of just one helicopter is totally inadequate! What would happened if it was down for maintenance or otherwise inoperable?

President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, defended, this Wednesday, the need to “lower the alarmist rhetoric” because the “situation is safe” and the authorities are “doing what they have to do” in fighting the fire that has been ravaging the region for about a week. No homes or infrastructures were destroyed, considering that, in the fight against the fire, “the results are positive”.

However the National Civil Protection Union today demanded accountability and calls for the resignation of the president of the Regional Civil Protection Service, António Nunes, and the regional secretary for Civil Protection, Pedro Ramos.

There is certainly a need for a review (as I am sure there will be), to address the effects of climate change with higher temperatures, more intense fires, to focus on preparedness and to enable a more muscular approach when fires ignite – as they will in the future.

Unfortunately there are many tourists who continue to disregard the signs that determine the closure of hiking trails due to the fires that are ravaging in Madeira. As previously reported, the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation (IFCN) advises against traveling in mountain areas.

A reminder if you are visiting Madeira to download the Civil Protection recommend that you download their ProCiv Madeira (Emergency) App, especially with the RURAL FIRE situation at present. The Regional Civil Protection Service, IP-RAM, advises the entire population and visitors to download our application, considering it an added value in providing assistance.

When you call 112 via the app, the control centre will receive your last known position as well as a personalized profile for you. You will also be notified with recommendations for weather warnings and real-time information such as fires and road closures. More details here: https://www.procivmadeira.pt/pt/galeria-de-imagens-3.html?

 

News

Madeira fire analysis

Forest fire expert Domingos Xavier Viegas advocated the use of more aerial resources to combat fires like the one raging in Madeira, as well as more land resources to consolidate extinction.

Air combat must be carried out with at least pairs of planes, if possible more, so that there is a more frequent sequence of discharges and that allow the fire to be attacked and extinguished”, stressed, in statements to the Lusa news agency, the director of the Forest Fire Studies Laboratory.

When asked about the fire in Madeira , the expert stressed that a single combat air vehicle “loses effectiveness” in a fire that is difficult to access for ground vehicles and has several fronts, because while it goes to refuel after attacking one area of ​​the fire, the fire “continues to progress”.

Xavier Viegas also defended more land resources to “consolidate the extinction” of fronts that are being fought through the air.

If we don’t go there and complete the extinguishing process, which is carried out by air discharge with ground combat (…) that fire will quickly reignite because, even the chemical product that was released, after some time may lose its extinguishing capacity”, he stressed.

For the expert, “fighting has to be done by anticipating what the fire will do and trying to find containment zones that can help contain the fire”, pointing out that a fire that has been burning for “so many days certainly did not require many human resources, for the perimeter it has, of several kilometers”.

Another point of concern identified by the forest fire specialist is the “secondary outbreaks”, highlighting that, sometimes, the fire “may be descending a slope and spreading towards the opposite valley, with this outbreak rising with much greater intensity and, sometimes, upon reaching the top of the slope, it may even spread towards the next valley”.

Xavier Viegas also pointed out the climate change recorded in Madeira , with lower humidity and more periods of high temperatures, highlighting the importance of “cleaning vegetation, removing the most flammable vegetation and when this is not enough, complementing it with protective measures”.

The director of the Forest Fire Studies Laboratory also said that it is important to learn lessons from this “already large-scale fire”, to understand “to what extent everything possible is being done to prevent the fire from spreading, so that there are areas where it can be contained”.

Data from the European Forest Fire Information System, indicated by the president of the Regional Civil Protection Service, António Nunes, indicate that 4,392 hectares of area had been burned by 12:00 on Tuesday.

 

 

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 21st August 2024

 

By our correspondent  in the Azores

 

Couple arrested in São Miguel with 38 kilos of drugs

The Judicial Police (PJ) announced that it carried out a police operation in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, which led to the arrest of a couple, due to strong evidence of drug trafficking, and the seizure of 37.3 kilos of hashish, 362 grams of heroin and 309 grams of cocaine that were in their possession.

Azorean firefighters are operating in Madeira

Azorean volunteers arrived in Madeira on Monday to fight the fire that broke out on the island last Wednesday. “A lot of burned area and difficult access” was the scene they found

The group of 15 Azorean firefighters arrived in Madeira at 2:00 am local time on Monday morning to help fight the fire that broke out last Wednesday in the neighbouring archipelago.

Coordinating Inspector Luís Martins, who is accompanying the Azorean firefighters in Madeira, describes the scene they found upon arrival: “a lot of burned area and very difficult access. The active fronts are not fronts with large flames, but they are always very difficult to access, going up or down the slopes.”

The Coordinating Inspector guarantees that all the elements that travelled to Madeira Island “have training in fighting rural fires, they have knowledge of this type of operations and some have even been here during the 2016 fires, and performed excellently.”

According to Luís Martins, the group of Azorean volunteers, which is based in the 3rd Garrison Regiment, located in Funchal, is working “in harmony with local entities”, more specifically with the local fire departments.

“Civil Protection assigned the mission, and we fulfilled that mission”, assures Luís Martins, adding that the operation is expected “to take an average of three to five days, but there is no information on a return date for now.”

“We are evolving in our operations and doing the best we can, according to what we are instructed to do,” he added.

“We will now carry out reconnaissance on land, together with the Joint Operational Force that is in Madeira”, concluded Luís Martins.

The fire continues to burn for the fifth consecutive day and currently has two active fronts in the municipalities of Ponta do Sol and Ribeira Brava.

Man attacked with a sharp weapon in Ponta Delgada

A 35-year-old man was attacked yesterday with a sharp weapon in Ponta Delgada, and was taken to the CUF Hospital, where the Emergency Department currently operates.

Three arrested for attempted murder in Ribeira Grande

The PSP arrested, this Friday morning, three individuals, suspected of attempting to commit murder, in the parish of Ribeirinha.

The case dates back to the early hours of August 4th, when the men, aged between 30 and 50, broke down the door of the victim’s house, a man in his 30s. Armed with baseball bats and knives, the trio violently attacked the victim, who was left prostrate and in need of hospital care.

The suspected attackers, who have criminal records for drug trafficking, left the scene without taking any property from the victim’s home, which appears to point to a crime involving a drug deal.

When called, the PSP carried out urgent investigations, having arrested the three suspects this morning, in compliance with a warrant issued by the Public Prosecutor of Ribeira Grande.

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 14th August 2024

 

By our correspondent in the Azores

 Video surveillance in the historic centre of Ponta Delgada awaits opinion

The installation of the video surveillance system in the historic centre of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, is awaiting the opinion of the National Data Protection Commission, the City Council says.

Azores under yellow warning given forecast of high temperatures

Maximum temperatures can reach 30 degrees and minimum temperatures can be around 24 degrees at night. The problem is that the temperature persists for a long time.

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has placed the islands of the three groups of the Azores under yellow alert due to the forecast of high maximum temperatures between today and Thursday, as reported to the media.

We are expecting maximum temperatures to be around 29 degrees across the archipelago. Occasionally, they could reach 30 degrees in urban areas.

The IPMA indicated in a statement that the warning regarding “persistent high maximum temperature values” is in force between 12:00 today, Tuesday, and 11:00 on Thursday, the 15th, on all islands of the archipelago, in the Eastern, Central and Western groups.

Reopening of closed thermal areas in São Miguel depends on new analyses

The Regional Health Directorate of the Azores said this Friday that the reopening of the three thermal zones on the island of São Miguel, closed since July due to microbiological contamination, is dependent on the results of new analyses.

The thermal areas of Caldeira Velha, Poça da Dona Beija and Parque Terra Nostra, on the island of São Miguel, have been closed since July 26th, by decision of the health authorities, as water analyses showed “positive results for microbiological contamination”.

According to a statement from the Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security, in July, the Regional Health Directorate (DRS), in conjunction with the health authorities of Ribeira Grande and Povoação, and the Health Unit of Ilha de São Miguel, carried out an environmental investigation with water samples from the three locations.

The laboratory analysis of the collected samples was carried out by the National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) and, following the known results, the authorities decided to determine the immediate closure, exclude the public from the tank area, carry out a shock disinfection, carry out drainage, cleaning and disinfection of the equipment, among other measures.

After the tanks were filled, new analyses were carried out. The results, known between August 1st and 5th, indicated that the water samples from the Poça da Dona Beija, Parque Terra Nostra and Caldeira Velha pools presented “positive results, but with a significant decrease in the concentration of the previously identified microbiological agent (over 95% reduction)”.

“After a meeting involving several technical entities in the sector, the strategy presented by DRS was unanimously accepted, which is why the tanks were drained, cleaned and disinfected and the third [water] analyses were collected at these locations, on the 6th and 7th of August”.

According to the statement, “the results are expected to be received over the next week”.

“It was also agreed that, if the results continue to decline, it will be possible to reopen these spaces, respecting the rules for their use”, it states.

The DRS praises the “continuous commitment and collaboration of the entities managing the spaces” and highlights that, together with the health authorities of the Azores, “all measures” will be taken to defend Public Health in the region.

The note highlights that these water systems “offer ideal conditions for the colonization, multiplication and dissemination of some microbiological agents, namely bacteria”.