Archives: Situation Reports

Situation Reports news and reviews

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 29th May 2024

Good morning. I hope everyone living in rural areas who need to clean their land has done so, as the fire danger in coming days is the by far the highest so far this year.

In areas where fuel is available, weather plays a pivotal role in determining the risk of fires. Fire danger indices are used to understand how the flammability of a specific region changes in response to weather conditions, and to evaluate the potential spread and intensity of a fire. These indices are calculated from parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation, the moisture content of potential fuels, and the prevailing weather conditions over the preceding days to months.

In some areas, such as Castelo Branco on 31st we may see “extreme levels” in indicators which determine the intensity of potential fires by combining the rate of fire spread with the amount of fuel being consumed. This is very important to be aware of as when levels reach 50 or more this means that any fires that get hold will be difficult to supress by traditional means of firefighting, and typically are only done so with the change of weather, such as reduced winds or precipitation.

Turning to water shortages, it was revealed earlier this week, that in the last ten years, around 840 million euros of already treated and unbilled water were wasted by the distribution network, according to June edition of the magazine Deco Proteste, based on data from the regulator ERSAR. In 2022, 162 million cubic meters of water were wasted, warns Deco Proteste, adding up to 88 million euros of unbilled water in one year and around 840 million euros in ten years, according to data from the Water and Water Services Regulatory Authority. Waste (ERSAR).

Alerting to the urgent need to rehabilitate the water supply infrastructure at national level, which is aging and subject to increasing water losses and supply failures, it was found that 87 municipalities, of the 278 municipalities on the continent, with increases in real losses of water, and 161 with reduction. So when the government and municipalities consider longer term solution such as desalination for instance, this will be of limited use, should the water subsequently we wasted en-route to users through leaking pipes!

Lastly a thank you for all those who visited us at the São Brás Museu do Traje, Spring Fair 2024 held last Sunday. Great weather and company.

Plenty of visitors and many enquiries covering land cleaning, wells, crime prevention, work of Safe Communities, emergency medical card, contact information for emergencies and sharing of experiences. We thank our team, Jane, Antonia, Mike and Karen and David for their help and support. We also thank the organisers for such a well-attended and enjoyable community event.

Turning to crime prevention. PSP has announced an increase in burglaries inside residences through deception. Preferred targets are elderly, or especially vulnerable, people who live alone or in isolated homes. Suspects try to trick victims through a cover story to gain access.  Don’t open the door to strangers, don’t be misled by the presence of children and have emergency contacts in easy-accessible places. If you notice anything unusual contact PSP immediately! For those in rural areas call the GNR or in an emergency 112

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

News

Russian hackers attack in Spain during Zelensky’s visit. Portugal could be the next target

Pro-Putin ‘hacktivists’ illegally accessed the websites of the regional Parliament and the Madrid Metro, as well as video surveillance camera systems, during the Ukrainian president’s visit to that country. Portugal may suffer similar attacks

At least three groups of ‘hacktivists’ defending Vladimir Putin’s government claimed computer attacks in Spain during Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit last Monday.

On Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin considered that the only legitimate power in Ukraine now belongs to the Ukrainian parliament and not the President, claiming that Volodymyr Zelensky’s term ended on May 20.

“The Ukrainian Constitution provides for the extension of powers, but only for the Rada [Parliament], and does not say anything about the extension of the President’s powers,” Putin said at the end of a visit to Uzbekistan.

Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian law prohibits holding presidential elections while martial law is in force, but said this does not mean that the functions of the current head of state are automatically expanded.

“The Constitution [of Ukraine] says nothing about this,” he said, insisting that “in fact, presidential functions have passed to the head of the Ukrainian Parliament.”

GNR inspected around 1.9 million people at maritime borders in six months

Lisbon, May 27 (Lusa) – The GNR inspected around 1.9 million people at maritime borders between October 29 and the end of April, mainly for tourist visits, the corporation announced today.

The Republican National Guard today took stock of the six months in which it assumed responsibility for controlling maritime and land borders with the extinction of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) on October 29, 2023.

In a statement, the GNR states that, in six months, around 1.9 million people who entered and left the country on 8,100 vessels were controlled, with special emphasis on cruise ships, with the ports of Lisbon and Funchal recording the largest number of entries.

The GNR also reports that, between October 29, 2023 and the end of April this year, it carried out more than 1.1 million administrative procedures at border posts related to the issuance of visas, licenses to come ashore and licenses to access to the international zone.

In the same period, the GNR’s territorial immigration inspection centers carried out more than 300 operations throughout the country, aimed especially at the agriculture, industry and services sectors, during which they inspected the status of around 9,500 foreigners.

According to the GNR, the districts where the most operations were carried out were Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Santarém, with “special priority” being given to entries at the Vila Formoso and Caia borders, where several violations of the foreigner’s law were recorded.

The main administrative offenses detected by the Guard soldiers were related to the lack of declaration of entry into national territory (324).

The GNR also detained six people for illegally staying in Portugal.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 29th May 2024

Seven islands in the Azores under yellow warning due to sometimes heavy rain

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) placed the islands in the Eastern and Central groups of the Azores under yellow warning, between this Tuesday and Wednesday, due to sometimes heavy rain.

According to the IPMA bulletin, on the islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria, which make up the Eastern group, the yellow warning for precipitation is valid between 10pm today and 12pm on Wednesday.

On the islands of Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Graciosa and Terceira, the yellow warning has been in force since 6am and will be valid until midnight today.

Wave of robberies scares residents of Lomba da Maia

Cars, homes and commercial establishments are no escape from robberies. President of the parish council shares concern and fears that residents will take justice into their own hands.

Cafes, fuel pumps, “everything commercial establishment in Lomba da Maia has already been robbed”, says the mayor.

Several homes have also been the target of robberies: “Elderly people are getting scared. The other day, they robbed the house of an elderly woman, who since she moved into the house 35 years ago, never closed the back door and that’s how they entered. People have been sleeping with the lights on.”

According to statements, the number of robberies is reaching around fifty. But there could be more, which is why the president of the parish council urges the population to file a complaint with the police authorities, collaborating with residents who have no way of getting to the nearest police station.
“We encourage people to make complaints. Those who don’t have a vehicle, we transport them in the council’s van to the Maia police station, the closest”.

Alberto Pacheco da Ponte says that the robberies are due to the drug addiction problem, which is getting worse in the parish, and that they generally occur in the early hours of the morning. “And it’s not just in Lomba da Maia: in neighbouring parishes there are also reports of robberies of the same type”, he adds.

The mayor says he has already taken several initiatives to combat the problem but admits that it is proving difficult to control the situation. “We have already made complaints to the PSP, which has been making rounds in the parish, almost every day, at different times”.

More than 100 packages of food seized in São Miguel

The Azores Territorial Command, through the Ponta Delgada Territorial Post, seized 112 packages of frozen food products on the island of São Miguel.

According to a statement, following an inspection action, within the scope of the goods in circulation regime, GNR personnel approached a vehicle that “was transporting various frozen food products destined for sale to the final consumer, without these being properly refrigerated”.

The action resulted in the identification of a 51-year-old man, and a misdemeanour report was drawn up for transporting, storing and selling “foodstuffs with a lack of requirements and without the rules for safeguarding cleanliness and hygiene having been complied with”.

This infraction is considered a “serious economic offense, punishable by a maximum fine of 3,000 euros, with the facts being informed to the Regional Inspection of Economic Activities”, says the GNR statement.

Still during the investigations carried out, on May 21st, and after the “hygienic and sanitary check by the municipal veterinarian of the municipality of Lagoa, it was certified that the food items were suitable for human consumption, and the goods were delivered to an institution of social solidarity”.

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 22nd May 2024

 

From our correspondent in the Azores

Ponta Delgada Hospital resumes external consultations except paediatrics on Tuesday.

The hospital in Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, which is gradually restoring outpatient clinical activity after the fire, announced today that it will resume external consultations in all specialties, except paediatrics, on Tuesday.

According to a post on the Facebook page of the Hospital do Espírito Santo (HDES), from Tuesday “[external] consultations in all specialties will be resumed, with the exception of Paediatrics”.

The publication states that, on the same day, on the 1st floor of the Ponta Delgada hospital building, on the island of São Miguel, there will be “the resumption of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, of the Psychiatry consultation (operating in the Day Hospital space) and [the] Pulmonology consultation (operating in the Respiratory Rehabilitation space)”.

HDES, however, appeals to users not to go to the hospital in person if they have not been contacted to do so.

The Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada, suffered a fire on May 4th, which forced the transfer of all patients who were hospitalized to various locations in the Azores, Madeira and the mainland.

Shortly after the fire, the Government of the Azores declared the situation of public calamity to “accelerate procedures” that would allow the activity of the largest Azorean health unit to be normalized in a “short space of time”.

On Wednesday, in a press conference, the president of the board of directors, Manuela Gomes de Menezes, said that, “having guaranteed the security and normal functioning of all systems”, the prospect was “moving towards the partial reopening of the consultation external hospital, the resumption of the patient movement service and the return of non-clinical hospital employees”.

On the same date, May 15th, the clinical director said that oncology treatments at HDES would be regularized by the end of this week.

“Regarding oncological treatments, all will be completely resolved, and normal operation will occur at the end of next week”, said Paula Macedo.

Also, according to Paula Macedo, from the 27th, the unit will be “functioning practically [in a] normal way”, although there may be “some difficulties”, not in terms of treatments, but of consultations.

Government of the Azores warns of possible increase in the social mobility tariff.

The Secretary of Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure of the Government of the Azores warned deputies of the Regional Assembly this Friday about the possibility that the social mobility tariff could increase between the archipelago and the mainland.

Passengers from the Azores to pay just 134 euros (the maximum value for a resident fare between the region and the continent) and that the difference between this value and the real cost of the fare is then reimbursed to the airlines, directly by the State.

Currently, Azoreans traveling between the region and the continent have to purchase airline tickets at prices much higher than 134 euros and are subsequently reimbursed for the difference at CTT counters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Algarve Report Wednesday 22 May 2024

 

By Mike Evans

As we approach the summer season, it is good to hear that many of the areas along the coast of the Algarve have received their flags of quality for the beaches and the water.

Quercus – National Association for Nature Conservation awarded the “Golden Quality” award to the sea water of several beaches in Portimão: Rocha, Três Castelos, Careanos, Barranco das Canas, Vau, Alvor-nascente and Alvor-poente.

The main criterion for this distinction is that the water quality must have been “excellent” in the last five bathing seasons, from 2019 to 2023, based on analyses carried out in the laboratories of the different Regional Hydrographic Administrations, especially in terms of bacterial indicators. According to Quercus there are 59 beaches across the Algarve which have been awarded these flags. In addition to the award, all beaches in the municipality bear the Blue Flag, for fulfilling a set of criteria related to “information and education and environmental management, bathing water quality, safety and services, social responsibility and community involvement”.

On a general comment, the temperature of the sea is still pretty low and anyone venturing into the sea for a dip should be aware of the dangers of getting cramp as well as the possibility of Rip currents, a topic we recently spoke about on Facebook and reached almost 700,000 people so if you are not sure how to spot a rip current please check our Facebook site and search for Rip Currents.

Now for a look at what else has happened in the past week across the Algarve.

Food Bank calls for “unity and help” from the population

The Algarve Food Bank is preparing to carry out another solidarity food collection campaign, on the 25th and 26th of May, across the region.

To participate in the campaign as a volunteer, interested parties can register at this website:   https://registo.appia-ipss.pt/ Registration is mandatory and must be repeated for each campaign.

Nuno Cabrita Alves, president of the Algarve Food Bank, calls for “everyone’s unity and help in this cause”. The person responsible emphasises that “one hour of your day will make a difference in the lives of thousands of families”. In a statement, this institution highlights that “volunteers are essential in any of the 130 stores, spread across all municipalities in the region, where it is necessary to distribute bags and, later, receive food with donations. In the Faro and Portimão warehouses, help is essential to unload food and separate it, fold bags, among other tasks”.

In addition to the volunteers, Nuno Cabrita Alves reinforces that more food donations are also needed. Help can be provided in stores with food or vouchers, but also here, with food donations or through financial support, from May 24th to June 2nd. All companies in the food sector, such as producers, industry and distributors can send their surpluses to the institution.

GNR arrests woman for drug trafficking in Monte Gordo

A 26-year-old woman, suspected of drug trafficking, was arrested on Sunday by the Republican National Guard (GNR) in Monte Gordo, in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António , it was announced on Monday.

The woman was arrested after “demonstrating suspicious behaviour” when approached by the military during a patrol action carried out in the town of Monte Gordo, the GNR said in a statement.

According to that security force, the suspect who was travelling on an electric bicycle had 16 individual doses of hashish in her possession. In subsequent investigations, the GNR found that the suspect “had more narcotic products” in the house where she lived with her 26-year-old boyfriend, who was identified.

In total, authorities seized 730 individual doses of hashish, 84 doses of MDMA (synthetic drug also known as ‘ecstasy’) and around 200 euros.

The two suspects were named defendants and the case was sent to the Judicial Court of Vila Real de Santo António.

Preventive arrest for vehicle theft suspect

A 45-year-old man, arrested by the National Republican Guard (GNR) last Thursday on suspicion of vehicle theft in the Algarve municipalities of Lagos and Portimão, was remanded in pre-trial detention, it was announced on Monday.

The information was revealed, in a statement, by the Faro Territorial Command of the GNR, and the most serious coercive measure was decreed on Friday by the Court of Lagos.

The suspect’s arrest was carried out by the Criminal Investigation Unit (NIC) of the GNR of Portimão, as part of an investigation that began on May 1 and originated from a vehicle theft, the GNR reported. According to the security force, police investigations found that the suspect, in addition to stealing items from vehicles, used the victims’ bank cards to make purchases and withdraw money.

57 People Arrested in the Algarve during Road Campaign

During the week of 13 to 19 May, 155 accidents were recorded in the Algarve, resulting in 2 deaths, 3 serious injuries and 33 minor injuries. The GNR carried out a series of operations in the district of Faro, in the week, which aimed to prevent and combat violent crime, as well as road inspections.

In a statement, the National Republican Guard (GNR) said it arrested 57 people, including 17 for driving under the influence of alcohol, 13 for driving without a legal licence, and 5 for drug trafficking. Security forces also seized 818 doses of hashish, 61 doses of cocaine, 4 cell phones, and 2 precision scales.

Fatal accident sees driver and vehicle burnt near Almancil

A violent accident early this morning on the EN125 near Almancil saw the driver of a Spanish-plated Range Rover SVR V8 completely carbonised, within the vehicle, and only had a driver’s seat. It appears to have been carrying a large stash of hashish.

According to reports, three men wearing hoodies were seen removing some of the contents from the burning wreckage to another vehicle, before ‘fleeing’ at speed.

Eye witnesses have given accounts of everything they saw to GNR police, who have handed the main case to PJ judicial police.

GNR agents were able to recover at least 10 kilos of hashish (albeit charred) from the vehicle, which had otherwise been utterly destroyed.

According to reports, the unidentified driver was “caught in the blazing wreckage”. Whether he died as a result of the initial crash, or the fire (or something else), may never be fully established. The accident took place in the early hours: the Spanish-plated Range Rover hit a pillar at the viaduct off the EN125 giving access to Quarteira.

It is still unclear whether the driver had any connection to the three men who removed items from the crashed car, or indeed, what circumstances may have led to the accident. Some accounts in the media have suggested the Range Rover may have been being pursued by the car carrying the three men before it so catastrophically hit the viaduct pillar.

Tourist dies shortly after arriving at Faro Airport

A 70 year old Belgian tourist arriving from Brussels on Monday evening, died after feeling unwell and suffering a cardiac arrest near the airport’s arrival gate.

According to Portuguese TV channel TVI, the woman travelled alone on a Transavia flight to Faro, and was initially assisted by the airport’s medical emergency teams and a resuscitation vehicle from INEM. However, it was not possible to “reverse her condition of cardiorespiratory arrest, even after several attempts at resuscitation.”

The woman’s death was declared at 6:50pm, and PSP contacted the Public Prosecutor’s Office, as the death occurred in a public place and the cause was undetermined. It was only around 10:00 pm that the order was given for the body to be removed from the location.

 

 

 

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 22nd May 2024

 

Good morning. Anything that helps in improving the forecasting rural fires is good news! So we therefore welcome the IPMA’s announcement yesterday that they have reinforced its meteorological device for the rural fire season of 2024, with the entry into operation of two new double polarized weather radars and two new meteorological stations installed in Coruche and Loulé and also, 2 new ray detectors installed in Olhão and in Viana do Castelo.

This equipment will make it possible to improve the surveillance and overall forecasting of rural fire danger and local weather conditions on the fire front, particularly during pyro cumulus cloud formation and potential ignitions generated by electrical discharges.

Added to that radar information operation terminals have also been installed at Faro, Cascais, Lisbon and Porto Airports which serve as workstations complementary to the national forest fire monitoring system – and in addition to the Operational Centre at IPMA headquarters – a closer support at the theatres of operation.

In the presentation of DECIR (the operational rural fire plan for this year) for this year, the president of ANEPC highlighted that this “is a collective effort of the operatives” who are part of it, but also of all citizens, as everyone, “within the scope of active citizenship”, are “truly, civil protection agents”. This is an important statement, in effect reminding us all that everyone has a roll to play in preventing fires.

Emphasising this further Duarte da Costa added that “the critical success factors of this system are prevention and awareness campaigns”, stressing that “the fire campaign is not won through fighting, but through prevention”.

In this regard, he listed the “permanent monitoring of risk assessments and their impact on the territory, pre-positioning and preventive mobilization of means and resources” and “early detection, as early as possible, supported by an increasingly broad collaborative approach to surveillance and all technical surveillance capabilities”.

The above has to be the priority because if we everyone has greater awareness and are more prepared, then the number of ignitions will be reduced. With weather conditions becoming more extreme with extended periods in some areas with very little or no rain, when fires do start then the potential is that they will burn with greater intensity and cover larger areas. When these reach extreme/critical levels this means that it becomes difficult if not impossible for fires to be suppressed by traditional means of fire-fighting, and it relies on the timely arrival of rain, reduction of winds, or other changes of weather to bring such fires to a conclusion – a frightening thought!  This is a reason which mega-fires can burn for extended periods covering several days or even weeks which we have seen in Australia, USA and Canada for example.

As we did in 2022 and 2023 we will be sharing fire danger and risk forecasts, with explanations on a daily basis – please read these so you can be prepared.

Have a good week ahead.

 

News

Reporting desk wants to give visibility to the problems of immigrants and refugees,

Lisbon, May 21, 2024 (Lusa) – A reporting desk for immigrants and refugees opens today on the internet, aimed at reporting problems and abuses in order to give visibility to the most serious situations.

“We have felt the need for this project for some time, because we have come into contact with some situations, some occurrences among the migrant and refugee population in Portugal, which they do not find answers at the level of structures”, Raul Manarte, from the Humans Before collective, told Lusa Borders (HuBB), which is part of the project.

The objective of the project, which also includes groups of migrants and refugees and students from the Porto Higher Education School, is therefore to “increase the social visibility” of the problems among the population and the media, he added.

Each “refugee can leave their complaint, their account of what happened” and the “main objective is to compile this information and process it in an assertive way so that it can be accessible” to anyone who is interested.

The quantitative data “will be public” and the information will be anonymous, but individual reports will be made available on a case-by-case basis to the authorities or to anyone who has the right to request them.

The portal address – balcaodenuncia.pt – will be published on the social media pages of the associations that organize the project and the form will be accessible in Portuguese, English, Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Urdu, Ukrainian and Nepali.

The project, the promoters maintain, “intends to overcome accessibility barriers and collect, compile and disseminate occurrences of abuse, mistreatment, neglect or general non-compliance through online reports”.

The desk wants to “compile the complaints received and transform them into public data” through social networks and collaboration with the media, to allow “civil society to have a more accurate vision of the difficulties that the migrant and refugee population experiences in Portugal”.

Furthermore, this data “could be used in civic action campaigns, pressuring structures or decision-makers to take concrete steps that allow the reduction or eradication of verified occurrences”, say the promoters.

“In parallel, an exhibition will be opened in Póvoa de Varzim, with a portrait of 12 migrants and refugees here in Portugal, who are also co-creators of this counter”, explained Raul Manarte.

The exhibition “Us and Them”, consisting of portraits of migrants and refugees in Portugal, to be opened at the Municipal Archives.

The Website, in Portuguese and English, was formed today and is at: http://balcaodenuncia.pt/

 

More than 51 thousand hospitalized patients in 2023 were at nutritional risk

 

 

Lisbon, May 20, 2024 (Lusa) – More than 51 thousand hospitalized patients in 2023 were at nutritional risk, that is, 28% of patients screened, and less than half (48%) were intervened in the first 24 hours after being signalled, data from the Directorate-General for Health.

The data is contained in the Annual Report of the National Program for the Promotion of Healthy Eating (PNPAS) 2023 of the DGS, released today, which monitors nutritional risk, that is, the risk of morbidity and mortality due to nutritional status, in hospitals of the National Health Service ( SNS).

Of the 181,019 hospitalized patients who underwent nutritional screening last year, 51,238 (28.3%) were at nutritional risk, says the report, adding that the average percentage of patients assessed was 31.2% in 2023, from 29.2% in 2022 and 27.4% in 2021.

According to the data, around 48% of patients at nutritional risk underwent nutritional intervention in the first 24 hours after the warning and 69.4% of adult patients at nutritional risk underwent nutritional intervention.

Commenting on these data to the Lusa agency, the director of PNPAS, Maria João Gregório, stated that the percentage of patients identified as being at nutritional risk (28.3%) is consistent with what is described in the studies.

The nutritionist explained that malnutrition is often associated with the disease.

On the other hand, he stated, “a large percentage of the hospital population is elderly and malnutrition is also more prevalent in these population groups and, therefore, these numbers are more or less in line with what is described in the literature”.

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 15th May 2024

 

Good morning. Yesterday I had the pleasure in participating in Regional Exercise – DECIRALG’24. This is the preparation phase of #DECIR24, powered by the Algarve Regional Command, of the Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil (ANEPC) which culminates with the usual final exercise – DECIRALG’24. This involved around 400 elements, from the different Civil Protection Services and Agents and other entities, co-operators, including 176 firefighters from the region and Safe Communities Portugal (as a Civil Protection Volunteer organisation).

With a very high fire risk in the Algarve yesterday, the possibility existed of a real fire, which came about towards the end of the exercise near Quinta das Alfambras, in the parish of Bordeira, in Aljezur. This forced the evacuation of a motorhome park Parque de campismo Francelos, in the area of the Espinhaço de Cão wind farm. It was one of the largest fires of the year in terms of deployment, involving 115 operatives. Fire now under vigilance stage.

Today Forest firefighting resources will be reinforced, with 11,293 operational resources and 34 aerial resources on the ground, according to the Special Device for Combating Rural Fires (DECIR). The next reinforcement stage begins on the 1St June. In discussion with many different entities participating in the DECIRALG’24 Exercise there appears to be a general consensus, that this could be a challenging year in the Algarve as far as fires are concerned, with very dry condition and high temperatures. It is extremely important therefore that everyone is vigilant and is prepared.

Around 5 days ago we posted a reminder about the dangers of Rip Currents. It seems to have had a very positive impact reaching over a quarter of million people and being shared nearly one thousand times! This an excellent response showing the importance of getting public safety messages across.

As the weather is becoming warmer and if heading for the beach, it is important  to know how to spot a rip current. Unfortunately, it’s where it looks easiest and safest to enter the sea. This is because the rip current is looping around and pulling back out. Hence no waves rolling-in. NEVER enter the sea here.  If you are already in the sea and get caught in a rip current (you’ll know because you will suddenly be moved from your location and it will be impossible to swim against it) don’t panic. Swim ACROSS, not against the rip current. For example, rather than trying to swim to shore while being pushed out, swim parallel to the beach and you will be able to get out. Then you can swim ashore.

Please educate friends or family visiting the beaches this summer. Stay safe. Here is a link to a Youtube video that shows the full extent of a rip current. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuAlDTC_gIQ

Lastly a reminder that land cleaning must be completed by 31st May. If this includes the burning of cut and piled waste, due to the current very high fire risk in the Algarve, you will need to choose your day where the risk in your municipality is lower.

With that have a safe week ahead.

News

Government follows CTI recommendation and chooses Alcochete for new airport

Lisbon, May 14, 2024 (Lusa) – The Government today approved the construction of the new airport in the Lisbon region in Alcochete, following the recommendation of the Independent Technical Commission (CTI), announced the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro.

“The Government decided to approve the development of the new Lisbon airport with a view to fully replacing Humberto Delgado Airport at the Alcochete shooting range and giving it the name Luís de Camões Airport”, announced Luís Montenegro, in a statement to the country, after an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers this afternoon.

On March 11, the CTI published the final report of the strategic environmental assessment of the new airport, maintaining the recommendation of a single solution in Alcochete, the most advantageous, or Vendas Novas, also pointing out that Humberto Delgado + Santarém could be a transitional solution.

The PSD decided to set up an internal working group to analyze the location of the new Lisbon airport, after agreeing with the PS to set up a CTI to carry out the strategic environmental assessment.

The social democratic president, Luís Montenegro, guaranteed, before being elected, that the decision would be taken “in the first days” of government.

The Government explained today that the Alcochete Shooting Range has the advantage of being located entirely on public land, while Vendas Novas requires expropriations, representing additional burden and allows, in the future, to grow from two to four lanes, if necessary.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, who spoke after the Prime Minister, also recalled that Alcochete already had an Environmental Impact Declaration approved, which is currently expired, and that it is closer to Lisbon, compared to Vendas Novas, requiring less time and travel costs.

The Government also pointed out as an advantage the proximity of Alcochete to the main roads and railways, which allows traffic to be decentralized in the center of Lisbon.

The Government’s rationale for the decision also included the possibility of accommodating TAP’s expansion plans, which have preliminary projections of 190-250 aircraft in 2050, and dual solutions could jeopardize the sustainability of the ‘hub’ (airport platform). flight distribution).

 

Forest firefighting resources reinforced from today

Lisbon, May 15, 2024 (Lusa) – Forest firefighting resources will be reinforced from today, with 11,293 operational resources and 34 aerial resources on the ground, according to the Special Device for Combating Rural Fires (DECIR).

This device will be on the ground between today and May 31st, and it is the first reinforcement of resources of the year, at what is called ‘Bravo level’.

During this period, 11,293 operatives will be available, forming part of 2,517 teams of various agents present on the ground, in addition to aerial assets, of which there will be a maximum of 34.

The 11,293 operatives from the 2,517 teams involved in DECIR over the next two weeks are elements belonging to the volunteer firefighters, Special Civil Protection Force, military personnel from the National Republican Guard and elements from the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, namely forestry sappers and forestry firefighters. .

Compared to the same period last year, 893 more operational personnel and an identical number of aerial assets are involved in DECIR.

Firefighting resources will be reinforced again on June 1st, but it is between July and September, considered the most critical phase, the period in which the largest resources are mobilized, with 14,155 operational personnel from 3,162 teams and 3,173 vehicles available this year. a slight increase compared to 2023.

However, the season considered most critical for rural fires will feature 70 aerial resources this year, two fewer than in 2023, with the resources that will not be available at DECIR being two ‘Canadair’ planes due to difficulties in the market.

The Air Force guarantees that the 70 aerial assets for this year are all contracted.

This year, the approval and presentation of DECIR took place almost simultaneously with the first increase in resources of the year.

On Tuesday, when the device was presented, the president of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), Duarte da Costa, considered that the DECIR for 2024 is “stable and robust”.

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday May 15th 2024
Azores with working group to assess damage at Ponta Delgada hospital.
 

The Government of the Azores created a working group this Friday to assess the damage caused by the fire at the Hospital Divino Espírito Santo (HDES), in Ponta Delgada, and present measures to restore activity in that unit.

In the resolution of the Government Council that declares the situation of regional public calamity, published today in the Official Journal, the Azorean executive (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) determines the constitution of a working group with elements from various government departments and the administration of HDES.

The working group will present by May 31st a “progress report” on the “typology of procedures and methodology that underlies the inventory of damage and losses caused” by the fire and the “identification of the need to adopt” “reparation measures ” to restore activity in the hospital.

That group will carry out a “substantiated list of dysfunctions caused in the normal functioning of the Regional Health Service” and “identify the material and financial support necessary to restore normal functioning” of HDES.

The working group, which will be chaired by the Secretary of Health and Social Security, assumes the responsibility of “identifying situations in which public expenditure is necessary for the execution of works and the acquisition of goods and services”.

The group, which may have the presence of specialists, also has the role of “overall control and management of the support provided, in accordance with the legally defined criteria in relation to the damages and losses listed”.

The situation of regional public calamity was established in a resolution by the Government Council five days after the president of the Azores executive, José Manuel Bolieiro, announced his declaration.

“The situation of regional public calamity has a regional scope, as it is not restricted only to the infra-municipal territorial area and the implementation of all buildings and infrastructures where, as a whole, the HDES of Ponta Delgada services operate”, reads the resolution.

The fire at the Ponta Delgada hospital, which broke out at 9:40 am local time on Saturday (10:40 am in Lisbon) and was only declared extinguished at 4:11 pm, forced the transfer of all patients who were hospitalized to various locations in the Azores, Madeira and continent.

At the time of the fire, 333 patients were in the health establishment and 240 had to be transferred.

The Government of the Azores announced on Sunday the declaration of a public calamity situation to “accelerate procedures” that allow the activity of the largest Azorean health unit to be normalized in a “short space of time”.

The clinical management announced on Wednesday that the hospital will be slowly reactivated, with the oncology and haemodialysis units expected to resume activity in a phased manner next week.

An accounting of the fire damage has not yet been released.

Drug trafficking network dismantled in São Miguel

The Azores PSP dismantled a drug trafficking network on the island of São Miguel, having arrested five men, aged between 22 and 46, strongly accused of the crime of drug trafficking.

In a statement, the Regional Command of the PSP of the Azores states that following an investigation, led by a Magistrate from the Public Ministry of Ribeira Grande and whose “investigation was carried out by the PSP anti-crime brigade, numerous police measures were carried out, throughout of two years, in order to investigate the contours related to criminal activity, carried out by a network responsible for drug distribution, in different locations, on the island of São Miguel”.

The PSP explains that the trafficking network “had a main person responsible who used the collaboration of three intermediaries to distribute hashish, heroin and synthetic drugs, among a considerable number of drug addicts, residing in Ponta Delgada, Lagoa and Ribeira Grande”.

In view of the evidence collected, a large-scale police operation was mounted, with the “collaboration of the special police unit, PSP of Lisbon, the Police Intervention and Inspection Squadron and with technical-forensic experts, which allowed eight home searches to be carried out and six non-domestic searches, including on mainland territory, made it possible to arrest the suspects, seize hashish, synthetic drugs, monetary amounts, among other items related to the crime under investigation”, says the PSP.

During the different phases of the investigation, several police interventions were carried out which led to “the arrest of another defendant, also responsible for distributing drugs he received from the main person responsible for this criminal cell and is currently serving an effective prison sentence in the prison establishment from Ponta Delgada”.

The defendants will await the remaining phases of the process subject to different coercive measures, and two of them, given the seriousness of their participation in the facts under investigation, were subject to the coercive measure of house arrest, while the main person responsible for the criminal network is in preventive detention.

Navy coordinates rescue of woman off the Azores.

The Portuguese Navy coordinated, on Sunday, the rescue of a woman of French nationality, aged 28, who was on board the sailboat Alabone, with symptoms of seasickness.

According to a statement from the Portuguese Navy, the sailboat was sailing “approximately 250 nautical miles from the island of São Miguel and the passenger was experiencing severe symptoms of seasickness and without the medication having any effect, she was rescued in a carefully planned operation”.

After a medical assessment carried out by the Maritime Emergency Sick Guidance Centre and “determination of immediate rescue, the passenger was initially transferred to the merchant ship OWL 5 which was nearby. This manoeuvre allowed the EH101 helicopter to carry out the extraction without incident at around 11:20 pm.”

The patient was taken to the island of Terceira, and was taken to the Santo Espírito Hospital, where she received medical care.

The operation included collaboration between MRCC Delgada, RCC Lajes, CODUMAR, the sailboat crew and the merchant ship.

Santa Clara will donate proceeds from Sunday tickets to firefighters.

Santa Clara’s SAD announced that tickets for next Sunday’s game, with União de Leiria, will cost one euro per unit, with the total amount of proceeds going to be donated to the Volunteer Firefighters of Ponta Delgada.

The decision intends to honour those who “were among the heroes in resolving the fire at the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo”, reads a SAD post on social media.

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 15th May 2024

by Mike Evans

A very good day to you all. With the holiday season starting to get into full swing and the roads getting busier, My theme this week is the latest statistics regarding road accidents in the region throughout 2023.

In the Algarve, in 2023, there was a 13.5% decrease in the number of fatalities resulting from road accidents compared to the previous year, but there was an increase in Accidents with Casualties, Serious Injuries, and Minor Injuries. This is according to the most recent Annual Accident Report, inspection and road traffic offences. It will come as no surprise to many long term residents the road that recorded the highest number of fatalities was the EN125.

Many of you will not be surprised because we all know that accidents there are frequent and that much of it is due to the fact that that road does not have the necessary safety conditions, even with the works that have already been carried out.

Whilst the number of deaths decreased during the year, Even so, there was an increase in the other three indicators used to assess accident rates in the Algarve region, namely Accidents with Victims (5.6%), Serious Injuries (10.9%) and Minor Injuries (4.9%).

Even with five fewer fatalities in 2023 – decreasing from 37 to 32 -, the Algarve recorded a 6.6% increase in the so-called most serious accidents, which adds road deaths to the number of serious injuries. The road that recorded the highest number of fatalities was the EN125, a total of seven (nine, counting variants of this road). On the A22 there was one death and on the IC1 two fatalities.

As we see more traffic on our roads we should all remember to regulate our speed and be vigilant at all times.

Now a look at some of the other stories that happened across our region in the past week.

PJ arrests suspect of rape crimes in Loulé

The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a 53-year-old man, last Saturday, May 11th, due to strong evidence of rape crimes, which occurred in the municipality of Loulé , in 2023 and 2024.

The sexual assaults allegedly occurred with two victims, aged 17 and 29, in an environment controlled by the detainee, who had had a relationship with the mother of one of them.

The suspect took advantage of the victims having “some limitations in their cognitive development”, thus seeking to “obtain silence regarding the acts committed”.“The series of steps carried out by the Southern Directorate of the PJ allowed the collection of relevant evidence, culminating in the arrest of the suspect,” the police force said in a statement.

The suspect was remanded in pre-trial detention after his first judicial interrogation.

GNR arrests suspect of ‘carjacking’ committed in March in Castro Marim

A man suspected of ‘carjacking’ a driver, committed in March in the municipality of Castro Marim, was arrested on Wednesday in Tavira, and will be held in preventive detention, revealed the GNR.

In a statement, the GNR indicates that the facts date back to March 1, when the 37-year-old suspect carried out a “robbery with a knife” in the municipality of Castro Marim.

The driver approached by the suspect was “violently attacked and his goods were stolen, as well as the vehicle”, reports the GNR, which opened an investigation to determine the identity of the person responsible for the carjacking and obtain evidence of the crime. “Following the action, the military discovered that the individual was already referenced as a suspect in other violent crimes against people and property, which caused social alarm in the municipalities of Castro Marim, Tavira, Olhão and Faro ”, highlights the GNR in the note.

Based on the evidence collected by investigators, an arrest warrant was issued for the detainee.

After being present for the first judicial interrogation at the Court of Faro, the suspect was subject to the most serious measure of coercion, preventive detention, the GNR also states.

Suspect accused of sharing child pornography subjected to compulsory psychiatric treatment

The court ordered this Wednesday that the man detained in Portimão on suspicion of sharing child pornography computer content be subjected to compulsory psychiatric treatment, having also ordered bi-weekly presentations to the authorities, a police source revealed.

The same source also added that the man, of Portuguese nationality, aged 27, was also prohibited from approaching computer equipment, after being interviewed in the first judicial interrogation for the application of coercive measures.

The source thus corrected the information initially provided by another police source, according to which the arrest had been carried out under an international arrest warrant, and that the suspect would remain detained until his extradition. The man was arrested by the Judiciary Police (PJ) on Tuesday following a complaint originating from international judicial cooperation mechanisms, via the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (in Portuguese, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children).

After the complaint, it was found that the suspect “repeatedly accessed, held and shared child pornography content on computer media”, says a statement from the PJ.

Man was arrested for robbery in Faro

The Faro Criminal Investigation Squadron arrested, on May 6th, in Faro , a 30-year-old man for committing robbery and other crimes against property, the Faro PSP District Command reported today. .

The day before yesterday afternoon, the victim went to the PSP stating that he had been the victim of a robbery, a few moments before, and described the suspect. With this information in hand, the police department was immediately mobilised, with the suspect being identified and located a few moments later. When he was located, the suspect tried to escape from the police who, after a foot chase, detained him.

Following subsequent investigations, it was possible to verify that the suspect had, in his possession, the objects belonging to the victim, as well as more assets suspected to result from other crimes against property, which were seized and returned to the legitimate owners. The detainee was presented to the Judiciary Authority today, and was required to present himself periodically at a police station.

More operational in fighting fires and fewer aerial resources for this year

 The number of operators involved in fighting rural fires will increase slightly this year, with 14,155 elements expected for the months considered most critical, but the device will have two fewer aerial assets, according to a directive approved on Monday, May 13th.

The national operational directive (DON), which establishes the Special Device for Combating Rural Fires (DECIR), was approved on Monday, the 13th, at the National Civil Protection Commission, whose meeting was chaired by the Secretary of State for Civil Protection , Paulo Simões Ribeiro, and took place at the headquarters of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority ( ANEPC ), in Carnaxide.

The ground device will have 14,155 elements and 3,173 vehicles during the period of greatest resource commitment, between July 1st and September 30th, called ‘Delta level’ In 2023, the number of operators involved in fighting fires between July and September was 13,891, which means that this year there are 264 more elements to fight fires.

The same happens with the available vehicles, which increase by 183, going from 2,990 vehicles to 3,173.

The season considered most critical for rural fires will this year feature 70 aerial assets, two fewer than in 2023.

The air resources that will not be available at DECIR this year are two ‘Canadair’ planes.

A fire department source said that there are no ‘Canadair’ planes on the market, hence the difficulties in renting them.

According to ANEPC, the DON is the document that, annually, defines the means and establishes the architecture of the structure of direction, command and control of the Integrated System of Protection and Relief Operations, in addition to establishing the way in which institutional coordination is ensured, the regulation, articulation and optimization of the forces and organisms that make up the system.

DECIR 2024 will be presented in a public session scheduled for this Tuesday in Ourém, in the district of Santarém, in a ceremony presided over by the Minister of Internal Administration, Margarida Blasco.

The approval and presentation of DECIR take place this year almost simultaneously with the first reinforcement of firefighting resources, which will take place on Wednesday.

In a note released on social media, Civil Protection states that today’s meeting also approved the Integrated Rural Fire Detection and Surveillance Directive (DIVDIR) for this year, which establishes coordination mechanisms between the entities of the Integrated Fire Management System. Fogos Rurais and other institutions involved in rural fire surveillance and detection operations, in order to guarantee the optimization of the operational use of mobile surveillance systems, forest video surveillance, aerial surveillance and the National Network of Watch Posts.

The National Civil Protection Commission also approved the operating regulations for the National, Regional and Sub-regional Operational Coordination Centers, under the terms of the Integrated Protection and Relief Operations System.

Until the next time have a safe week.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday May 8th 2024

by Mike Evans

With the holiday season starting to get into full swing, it was inevitable that we would see an increase in crime across the region. The PSP in Faro released a statement in the past week highlighting the fact that made a total of nine arrests, for the crimes of domestic violence, drug trafficking, driving without a legal licence and driving while drunk, in the cities of Faro, Olhão, Vila Real de Santo António, Portimão and Lagos. Whilst obviously these arrests are not entirely down to the tourists, we do see that the influx of tourists does have an effect on the number of people peddling drugs in our region.

Two of these arrests took place near Praia da Rocha, in Portimão, following increased policing on the occasion of the “DnB Allstarts” music festival. With the help and monitoring of the city’s public CCTV system, it was possible to identify 11 citizens suspected of engaging in drug trafficking, of which five were accused and two were arrested, having been caught “red handed”, with one citizen also being accused of the crime. of possession of a prohibited weapon. Around 250 doses of amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana and hashish, four pyrotechnic devices, a knife and 1,355 euros were seized, suspected of originating from drug trafficking.

In the city of Faro , a man was arrested for committing the crime of domestic violence. Following a call to the PSP reporting a crime of domestic violence in progress, police were quickly mobilised and, upon arrival at the scene, they witnessed the suspect attacking the victim, and promptly detained him. Several pieces of evidence were seized, as well as three firearms belonging to the suspect.

We can be sure that the police services will be out in force throughout the summer to make sure that the holiday areas, especially where festivals are taking place, are not overrun by drug dealers.

Now a look at what else has been happening across the region in the past week.

Man dies in accident with agricultural machinery in Castro Marim

A 46-year-old man died this Saturday in an accident with a tracked machine while clearing agricultural land in the Alta Mora area, in Castro Marim.

According to the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, the equipment slipped and ended up on its side.

Humberto Dias, the driver of the machine, was still rescued by firefighters but was declared dead at the scene by the INEM doctor . The alert was given at 10:08 am and death was declared at the scene. 13 operatives were called, including from the National Republican Guard (GNR), INEM and the Vila Real de Santo António and Castro Marim Fire Department, accompanied by three vehicles and a helicopter.

Teacher attacked by student’s family in VRSA

Last Friday, May 3rd, at around 8am, a preschool teacher at the Santo António school, in Hortas, in Vila Real de Santo António, was violently attacked by a couple of parents, when two Buses full of students were preparing to leave on a study visit, a witness who saw the incident said “ The incident occurred on the side of the school and in front of some students and staff. The “attack was ugly and the teacher had to be transported to the hospital,” the source said.

Another witness described that “the parents were waiting for the teacher and I think you made that  rear naked choke move  and then got punched in the face. The woman pulled his hair too.” The aggression occurred “following the visit of a couple of parents to the school to ask for clarification regarding an alleged attack on the student that allegedly occurred within the school unit”, highlighted the GNR.

During the confrontation, “family members from both sides” (teacher and student) rushed to the scene and “seven people got involved in a fight, with keys and an iron bar being seized”, he details.

“Complaints were made by both parties, who accused each other of aggression, and the facts were sent to the court [of Vila Real de Santo António] for the relevant investigations to be carried out”, revealed a source from the Public Relations of the Faro Territorial Command of the GNR .

In turn, the director of the D. José I School Group, Eduardo Cunha, told us that “nothing justifies a violent attitude like this, towards a member of the school community or anyone else” and that, after the aggression, the “educator confessed that she did not understand what motivated this behaviour”. He also revealed that “there was a meeting this week, with those in charge of education, where guidelines regarding student behaviour were discussed and that nothing predicted this outcome”.

PSP arrests man for drug trafficking in Faro

A man was arrested for drug trafficking in Faro on the 2nd May, and another man was also identified and charged with robbery with a bladed weapon in Portimão, according to the Faro PSP District Command.

The arrest took place in the city of Faro , following recurrent patrolling actions carried out in the city’s downtown, using various police means and skills, with the aim of guaranteeing a feeling of security for all citizens who travel there.

During the patrol, the prevention and immediate reaction team detected a man who, in the presence of the police, “tried to escape, and was promptly stopped”, highlights the PSP of Faro. It was possible to determine that the suspect had, in his possession, around 50 individual doses of narcotic ready for sale to the consumer, for which he was detained. In the city of Portimão, early in the afternoon the day before yesterday, the PSP received news of a robbery carried out in a commercial establishment, using a bladed weapon.

 In possession of this information, the Criminal Investigation Squadron of the PSP of Portimão immediately began investigative measures with a view to identifying the suspect and collecting evidence, having, yesterday, located the suspect. It was possible to seize the bladed weapon, as well as other assets that made it possible to indict the suspect for committing the robbery, and he was named a defendant, interrogated and subject to an Identity and Residence Term.

Dogs and ‘drones’ search for missing elderly man in Monchique

The authorities are looking for an elderly man who disappeared on Tuesday, the 30th, in Monchique, searches that are being carried out with the help of dogs and ‘drones’, revealed a GNR source .

According to the same source, the first alert about the disappearance of the 72-year-old man was given at around 4 pm on Tuesday, with health centres and other organisations that may have recovered the missing man being contacted.

As the hours passed, the searches were expanded and the resources on site were reinforced, he added. At the moment, the GNR has three kinesthetic teams (with dogs) and one with ‘drones’ searching the area, according to this military force.

The National Civil Protection Authority, which has been supporting the operation, presented at 1pm on its website the presence of 43 operatives and 13 vehicles on the ground.

Government ease restrictions on Algarve Water

It was announced that cuts in water consumption in the Algarve, in force since January, will now be eased in the urban sector and in agriculture.

Algarve has been on alert due to drought since February 5th, with the Government having approved a set of measures to restrict water consumption, but the Minister of the Environment, Maria da Graça Carvalho, revealed that these cuts will now be eased.

“We have several scenarios on the table, all of which I think are relieving in relation to the current situation, therefore, it will always be good news”, said Maria da Graça Carvalho.

The minister was speaking to journalists in Faro, after a meeting of the Regional Subcommittee for the South Zone of the Albufeiras Management Commission, in which the current situation of water resources in the Algarve was assessed.

Maria da Graça Carvalho stressed that the Government is “aware that the lack of water in the Algarve is a problem that is here to stay”, but that the greater rainfall recorded in the region in 2024, compared to last year, paves the way for alleviating the restrictions.

“Fortunately, this year the rainfall was greater than last year and, therefore, we have room to ease the restrictions a little that have been in force until now”, she said.

The Minister of Environment and Energy was asked about the demand from the Commission for Hydro Agricultural Sustainability of the Algarve (CSHA), which represents more than 1,000 producers and on Monday warned that it “will only accept equal cuts” for all sectors in the region, which currently they are 15% for the urban sector and tourism and 25% for agriculture.

“We will take into account this request, this demand from farmers. It will certainly weigh on our decision”, replied Maria da Graça Carvalho, adding, without specifying specific values, that all sectors will be able to receive relief.

The Government’s decision will be taken based on scientific data and scenarios provided by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and on the opinions expressed at the technical meeting held yesterday, and will then be announced at the next meeting of the Permanent Commission for Prevention, Monitoring and Monitoring of the Effects of Drought (CPPMAES), chaired by the Minister of Environment and Energy and the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, and to be held until May 10th, in Faro.

The minister also highlighted that “a series of investments are underway at a good pace” and that the Government will “do everything to accelerate them”, including, among others, the construction of a desalination station and the capture of water from the Guadiana river in Pomarão, using funds of around 240 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Program (PRR).

Also after the meeting, the president of the Association of Beneficiaries of the Sotavento do Algarve Irrigation Plan, Macário Correia, told journalists that a proposal had been presented that “needs to be revised and better worked on” between APA and the different sectors.

“I am convinced that the Government will be able to approach and reach agreement with what we have as concerns”, he stated.

So whilst we are not out of the woods yet it does look like we will still be able to have a water supply for the summer. Until the next time Stay Safe.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 8th May 2024

Good morning. The dismissal chief superintendent José Barros Correia as National Director of the PSP is being received with great surprise and concern by police unions. Appointed less than a year ago, Barros Correia’s dismissal took the various PSP union structures by surprise. Seen as “close to the police”, “fair” and “truly concerned” about his men, having even supported the fight for the mission supplement, the chief superintendent has already explained, in an internal letter, that his departure is due to the “exclusive initiative” by the Minister of Internal Administration, Margarida Blasco.

José Barros Correia will be replaced by Superintendent Luís Carrilho, commander of the Special Police Unit since October 2023. The Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) states that “this appointment decision comes within the scope of the operational restructuring of the PSP, whether in terms of nationally, as well as in terms of institutional and international representation of this public security force”.

José Barros Correia, appointed by the previous socialist Government in September 2023 to the position of National Director of the Public Security Police, made the position available after the change of Government and ended up being dismissed this Monday. Minister Margarida Blasco’s decision surprised everyone including the PSP unions the feeling being one of incomprehension. Interesting although there appears to be no questions concerning Luís Carrilho’s suitability, it is interesting to note that he is a superintendent in rank, junior to several chief superintendents serving in the PSP. We look forward to and further explanation of the national director only in the post 8 months.

The decision to defer the deadline for land cleaning has been generally welcomed. The decision is related to the rainfall recorded in recent months and the high water content in the soil, which affected many of the fuel management operations and encouraged the rapid growth of vegetation in the areas already cleaned.

Also according to the Government, weather forecasts indicate that, in May, appropriate conditions will be maintained for the safe carrying out of fuel management activities and that, therefore, this additional period will allow operations to be carried out in all necessary locations.

Vegetation management within the scope of the secondary network of fuel management bands constitutes one of the pillars of the integrated rural fire management policy, especially in the area of ​​protection against rural fires – ensuring greater effectiveness in defending people, animals and property against the spread of fires –, as well as in terms of rural fire management”, allowing the mitigation of the annual number of occurrences.

Care will however need to be taken concerning the burning of cut and piled waste, as the fire risk is becoming higher and conditions may therefore not be suitable for such burns. We advise those who are undertaking land cleaning involving the burning of waste to do this sooner rather than later, having obtained the necessary authorisation/registration and following safety advice. More on this subject can be found here. https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/fire-prevention-and-protection/land-cleaning-protection/

Our team wish you a good and safe week ahead. 

News

Inspectorate received 1,436 complaints against police actions and PSP is most targeted

Lisbon, May 7, 2024 (Lusa) – The General Inspectorate of Internal Administration (IGAI) received 1,436 complaints against the actions of security forces last year, the same number as in 2022, with the PSP being the police most targeted.

Data from the body that oversees police activity, to which the Lusa agency had access, show that between 2017 and 2022 the number of complaints increased, having doubled in six years from 772 to 1,436, however last year the complaints were the same as those in 2022.

According to IGAI, the PSP is the security force with the highest number of complaints, having received 616 reports against the actions of Public Security Police agents in 2023, followed by the Republican National Guard, with 412, and the former Foreigners and Borders Service, with 163.

Most of the complaints that reached the IGAI in 2023 were complaints filed by citizens, totalling 753, with 263 reports from judicial entities, 192 from the General Directorate of Reinsertion and Prison Services and 11 from private and public entities.

According to IGAI, almost half (43%) of the complaints against the performance of security forces were related to the violation of duties of conduct (incorrect procedures or behaviour), with a total of 608 complaints filed, of which 276 were directed to elements from the PSP, 175 to GNR military personnel and 140 to inspectors from the former SEF, which was abolished on October 29, 2023.

Offenses to physical integrity (assault) were the second most common type of complaint filed in 2023, corresponding to 24.3% of the total number of reports against the actions of the police (349), followed by matters of an internal or professional nature, 72 complaints.

IGAI also received 23 complaints last year related to discriminatory practices, eight of which against PSP agents, nine more than in 2022.

The body led by judge Anabela Cabral Ferreira highlights that there was no record last year of “illegal arrests” and only one situation of “death” at the hands of the police.

The IGAI, supervised by the Ministry of Internal Administration, also indicates that in 2023, 1,436 administrative processes were initiated (total complaints), which, together with those carried over from the previous year, 1,855 processes were processed and 1,547 were concluded and four were converted into processes of a disciplinary.

IGAI’s mission is to carry out audits, inspections and supervision of all entities, services and bodies supervised by MAI.

AIMA target of complaints (also) from immigrants

The body that replaced the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) continues to be the target of many complaints from immigrants. The Agency for Migration and Asylum Integration is unable

Complaints from immigrants continue about the work of the Agency for Migration and Asylum Integration (AIMA). The queues at citizen stores bring together dozens of people even before the doors open.

Maansoor is an immigrant who has been queuing at the Saldanha store in Lisbon since midnight to try to renew his driving license, which is mandatory for his job as a driver, but has not yet received any answers.

“They always say to wait, wait and now I have no work because I don’t have a card. I came here at midnight” and “no one says anything, no one helps, it’s very complicated.”

Immigrants waiting in line explain that they are unable to resolve anything online due to a lack of documents, such as their Citizen Card.

“I can’t renew online because the system doesn’t allow access with the residence permit, passport or other documentation, in the case of immigrants”, says Miguel.

Despite immigrants trying their luck, they have not been successful so far.

“AIMA tells us to make the appointment via IRN , IRN sends us to AIMA and no one knows what it does (…) I have a document expiring on the eighth day and I can’t renew it”, says Renato Santos, another immigrant.

The Agency for Migration and Asylum Integration emerged after the extinction of the SEF, in October last year.

Immigrants have protested the delays in issuing residence cards or validating driving licenses, documents that, if missing, can lead to dismissal.

“There are many people waiting, we understand that, but as the number of people increases, the number of people to be served should also increase because we have been contributing to the country since we arrived here”, says an immigrant.

The Government has not yet specified what it will do with AIMA, but in the past, the PSD voted against the creation of the agency and SIC knows that a possible replacement is on the table.

Firefighters present a package of demands to the Government for the sector

Lisbon, May 6, 2024 (Lusa) – The League of Portuguese Firefighters (LBP) today presented to the Government a list of demands, which includes support for training, creation of its own statute, qualification of the volunteer firefighter’s career or fiscal support for companies that help corporations.

Speaking to Lusa after a meeting at the Ministry of Internal Administration, the president of the LBP expressed satisfaction with the MIA’son, and a series of technical meetings are now planned to discuss the demands list point by point.

“The meeting at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the minister and the secretaries of State, was the opportunity that the firefighters had to present a set of concerns that have to do with the financial insufficiency of our humanitarian associations, with the issue of career for our firefighters, with employment contracts, with the issue of the social status of the firefighter and the association leader and also the lack of a national fire command”, explained the LBP leader.

As for the device to combat rural fires, this topic will be discussed with the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, stated António Nunes.

“Some of the proposals we have budgetary implications and will naturally be subject to greater scrutiny when holding preparatory meetings for the State budget for next year”, explained the director.

Only in this context “will we be able to see funds allocated” or even “changes with regard to the IRS, IRC or TSU that have to do with support for companies and firefighters”

These issues “cannot be resolved immediately”, admitted António Nunes, stating that “the League has always been at the forefront of defending firefighters because it is not just an employer organization” and “represents associations and fire departments”.

The person in charge maintained that, in volunteer fire departments, the first person responsible for the firefighters is the commander.

“We can only have active fire departments with the operational capacity to be involved in the defence of their populations” if “they have the necessary and sufficient means for their mission”, which also includes the financing of salaries, with “a status dignity and a career,” he said.

The global strategic motion of the current LBP management is the “defence of a salary scale for a remunerative career for firefighters”, recalled António Nunes, highlighting that this is a promise from the Government that dates back to 2007.