Portugal Safety and Security Report Friday 29^th December 2023

Good morning everyone, I hope everyone had an enjoyable and safe Christmas. Now that is behind us we focus our attention on New Year’s eve – with some celebrating at home, others out at parties, vising family and friends, or travelling overseas to celebrate. Whatever your plans are, safety is something that we should remember and pay attention to in order to ensure we have an enjoyable time.

In the lead up to the festive period there was an intensive campaign utilizing social media, and radio/television to try and drive home these messages concerning the effects of drink driving in particular and use of mobile phones and excess speed being the main causes of fatal accidents. The theme “The Best Gift is Being Present”, showing the effect on families resulting from the loss of a family member through a road accident, was in my view well thought out and appropriate.

The results are disappointing therefore, with the National Road Safety Authority recording, between 15 and 26 December, 4,852 accidents, resulting in 17 deaths, four more than in the same period last year, and more than 1,400 injuries. During the Christmas period this year there were 307 fewer accidents than in the same period of 2022. However, the total number of accidents resulted in 1,492 injuries, 137 more than in the same period last year.

Remember, the main cause of fatal accidents are: drink driving, use of mobile phones and speeding. Police will be intensifying their deployments and enforcement action over New Year’s Eve and Day focusing on drivers who break the law, putting themselves, passengers and other road users at risk.

Within the scope of Operation Security Holidays 2023/2024, the PSP, taking into account its exclusive competence in the licensing, control and supervision of explosives, has undertaken, various operations to combat the illicit sale of fireworks, so far resulting in the seizure of more than three thousand pyrotechnic articles. There are tight regulations regarding the purchase and use of fireworks in Portugal, so please follow them.

As in the lead up to the New Year, there are several scams to be wary of, including unexpected money or winnings, fake charities, dating and romance, fake buying or selling offers, jobs and investments, attempting to gain personal information, remote access scams and threats and extortion. Advice is: Do not click on links or open attachments from people you do not know; never reply or provide personal detail; use a strong password different for each account or service.

Beware that scam charity emails and websites may use logos and branding that look nearly identical to those of real charities. Always check that a website is legitimate before donating, or better yet, approach a charity organisation directly to donate or offer support.

If you are out and about attending events, we strongly advise that you plan ahead and leave plenty of time to get there, particularly if you are driving as road and parking restrictions may well be in place, especially in Lisbon and Porto. This also avoids rushing to an event with an increased risk of road accidents. Always follow the directions of authorities on the ground and, of course, do not drink and drive.  If you are attending events take extra care of your property, and beware that pickpockets do operate in some areas.

If you are passing through airports again leave plenty of time for check-in.  PSP remind travellers to not leave sight of your baggage and to store valuable items in securely. Always label luggage with your place of destination and ensure of course it is locked. Remember beforehand to check your passport has not expired!

A reminder that the Government decided to grant a day off on 2nd January to workers who perform public functions in the State, so government offices and post offices will be closed.

Whilst we enjoy ourselves with the New Year Festivities, there are many in the emergency services, who are on duty away from their families: such as nurses and doctors caring for the sick in hospital; police dealing with crime, fire-fighters and INEM dealing with road accidents; emergency personnel manning the 112 control centres; maritime police on patrol on the high seas and many, many others. Let’s give our thanks to all those in the emergency services who have worked so hard and in extremely difficult conditions putting the safety of others above their own.

It has been a very busy year for our team at Safe Communities and we look forward to the challenges 2024 will bring. I am sure there will be many. Have a great New Year.

News

Drought, fires and rising temperatures are the worst events of the year for Quercus

Lisbon, 28 December 2023 (Lusa) – Quercus (Centro Associativo do Calhau Bairro do Calhau Parque Florestal de Monsanto) chooses the drought, large fires and the rise in global temperatures as the worst environmental facts of the year and, on a positive note, highlights the creation of more protected marine areas and the mobilization of civil society.

In a note released today, the environmental association also points out expectations for 2024, highlighting the result of the climate summit, from which a final text emerged that directly alludes to the end of fossil fuels.

“It is now important to advance coherent measures towards this objective in a balanced way, respecting the capacity to renew the planet’s resources”, he considers.

From the group of the six worst environmental facts of 2023, in addition to the major fires, such as the one in Odemira, the drought and the increase in global temperatures, Quercus points to the felling of trees in the name of the energy transition and the approval, by the European Commission, of the glyphosate herbicide for another 10 years.

“This decision is surprising given the growing scientific evidence of the health risks of glyphosate, namely that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified glyphosate as carcinogenic to animals and probably carcinogenic to humans”, considers Quercus, remembering that, in Portugal, “the highest level of contamination in a sample” was detected, 30 times above the legal limit for each substance.

The wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip are also highlighted as the worst environmental events of the year, with environmentalists remembering that, to the humanitarian drama, there are added environmental impacts due to destruction in the territory, greenhouse gas emissions and consumption of resources for the war effort.

On the positive side, Quercus highlights four best environmental facts of 2023: the growing mobilization of civil society for environmental issues; the creation of more marine protected areas in the Azores; the declaration of unfavorable environmental impact of the Estoi photovoltaic plant project, in the Algarve, and the creation of the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture.

As wishes for next year, the association refers to the need to move forward with “coherent measures” to end fossil fuels, as defined at COP 28, in Dubai,

“In particular, in our country, and despite the delays in their preparation, municipal Climate Action Plans can be opportunities for this objective in processes that are as participatory and collaborative as possible”, he considers.

Among Quercus’ expectations for 2024 are also the improvement of ecosystem conservation and restoration policies, “by updating the scientific knowledge of fauna populations published in 2023” and better performance in waste management, the implementation of structural measures to face to water scarcity, especially in the south of the country.

The new Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), namely organisms obtained by new genomic techniques (NGT) and the increase in environmental litigation, with the “predictable resort to legal actions” in various matters, are also among Quercua’s expectations for the next year.