Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 16^th April 2025

Good morning everyone, We are receiving enquiries from people concerning whether or not the deadline for land cleaning will be extended, due to the extensive rains over the last few weeks.

However, at present the deadline for cleaning the lands in a band of 50 meters around the houses and 100 meters around the populated clusters, remains at April 30. It can of course change in which case you will be informed!

Land cleaning (fuel management) is the reduction of vegetable and woody materials to make it difficult for fire to spread vertically (from the herbaceous layer to the shrub layer and, in turn, to the crown) and horizontally (throughout the various layers). In short, it means cutting weeds, shrubs and trees in some areas.  When a fire reaches the areas where fuel management has been performed, it decreases in intensity. Homes and villages will be safer. Firefighters can intervene more effectively and safely in areas where fuel management has been performed. If you have not already done so it is important to start cleaning your land rather than risk being fined or worst still allowing a risk to your property.

Meanwhile the Minister of Internal Administration (MAI), Margarida Blasco, appealed on Monday, for people to clean their land and help prevent the spread of forest fires in the summer. She added that the next Special Device (operational plan) for Combating Rural Fires (DECIR) is being finalized and will be released on a date to be announced. “We are all doing everything we can to ensure that the police forces, firefighters, UEPS, mayors and citizens are prepared for any scenario” next summer, she assured.

One of our followers asked a question, which I guess is on many people’s minds, which is “why we’ve had one Atlantic storm after another hitting Portugal…also winds where I live in a central Algarve were predominantly from the South East all winter, instead of the North West?

The reason for this is that rising ocean temperatures and shifting wind conditions contribute to the growing frequency of powerful storms reaching European shores. Historical data and recent trends indicate that Europe will likely experience more storm remnants and extreme weather events in the future.

Europe is the fastest-warming continent, and the impacts of climate change here are clear. 2024 was the warmest year on record for Europe, with record temperatures in central, eastern and south eastern regions. Storms were often severe and flooding widespread, claiming at During the year, there was a striking east-west contrast in climate conditions, with extremely dry and often record-warm conditions in the east, and warm but wet conditions in the west.

Warmer temperatures affect cyclones through: Wind speeds: Warmer ocean waters allow cyclones to gain more energy, leading to stronger winds; Rainfall: Warmer atmospheres can hold more moisture, resulting in heavier rains; Storm surges: Rising sea levels due to climate change can lead to more dangerous storm surges and coastal flooding; Frequency: Climate change is increasing the frequency of very intense storms and Duration: Cyclones may retain their strength for longer, and move more slowly. If air temperatures continue to increase we are likely to experience this more in the future! Be prepared

In our News following this introduction, we outline the main findings of “The Study on Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug and other Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies 2024 (ECATD-CAD)”, released on Tuesday. This involved a sampling of 11,083 students, aged between 13 and 18, from 1,992 public schools across the country, and is the result of the application of the ESPAD questionnaire (European school survey project on alcohol and other Drugs). One of the findings was that girls drink, smoke and take more sedatives and painkillers than boys, who lead in the use of illicit substances, that points to “a clear downward trend” in the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. The study also reveals that 7% of students have already consumed an illicit drug, with 6% having done so in the last year and 3% in the month prior to the survey.

Our team at Safe Communities Portugal wish you a Happy Easter

News

Four seriously injured in 231 accidents in the last 24 hours in the GNR’s Easter Operation

A total of 859 accidents were recorded, resulting in 74 minor injuries. The GNR checked a further 7,264 drivers (28,339 in total during the operation), and 44 were found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.

The GNR recorded 231 road accidents in the last 24 hours, resulting in four serious injuries and 74 minor injuries, the police force indicated this Tuesday in an update to the data from Operation Easter 2025, which has been running since Friday.

In an updated report covering four days of operation, the GNR reports that it recorded 859 accidents in total, 231 more than on Monday, resulting in four more serious injuries and 74 minor injuries.

There were no fatalities in Monday’s accidents, meaning the two previously recorded accidents remained the same.

Between Monday and this Tuesday, the GNR inspected a further 7,264 drivers (28,339 in total during the operation), and 44 were driving under the influence of alcohol.

In total, the GNR arrested 201 people for driving with a blood alcohol level equal to or greater than 1.2 g/l and 103 for driving without a legal license.

Of the 4,966 traffic offences detected, the GNR highlights 1,323 for speeding, 313 for excessive alcohol consumption and 138 for lack of or incorrect use of seat belts and/or child restraint systems (CRS).

There are 150 for improper use of a mobile phone while driving, 676 for lack of mandatory periodic inspection and 200 for lack of mandatory civil liability insurance.

Girls turn to alcohol, tobacco and sedatives more, but illicit drugs are used more by boys

The results of the study show that “the scenario is now less serious overall, with the highest risk behaviours being confined to a minority and being more sporadic than frequent.”

Girls drink, smoke and take more sedatives and painkillers than boys, who lead in the use of illicit substances, reveals a study that points to “a clear downward trend” in the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

The Study on Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug and other Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies 2024 (ECATD-CAD), released this Tuesday, included a sample of 11,083 students, aged between 13 and 18, from 1,992 public schools across the country, and is the result of the application of the ESPAD questionnaire (European school survey project on alcohol and other Drugs).

The results show that ” the scenario is now less serious overall, with the highest risk behaviours being confined to a minority, being more sporadic than frequent”, highlights the study by the Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (ICAD).

However, there are phenomena that, compared to the previous study, carried out in 2019, have become more prevalent, such as the consumption of strong painkillers with the intention of getting “high”, electronic gambling and gambling.

Alcohol is the main psychoactive substance consumed among young people, followed by tobacco and, to an even lesser extent, illicit substances and certain psychoactive medications.

The majority of respondents (58%) had consumed at least one alcoholic drink in their lifetime, with 48% having drunk in the 12 months prior to the online survey.

Among the most consumed drinks in the last month, the highlights were ‘ alcopops ‘ (24%), beer (22%) and distilled beverages (22%).

29% have been slightly drunk in their lifetime, while 22% have done so in the last year and 11% in the last month. The prevalence of severe drunkenness is considerably lower: 19%, 15% and 6%, respectively.

On the other hand, 17% consumed alcoholic beverages in a ‘binge’ manner (five or more drinks on the same occasion) in the last month.

A quarter of young people have smoked at some point in their lives, 17% in the last year and 10% in the last month.

“Although very few respondents consume tobacco daily”, 22% adopt this consumption pattern in the case of traditional cigarettes and 12% in the case of electronic cigarettes.

Cannabis is the most widely consumed illicit substance

The study reveals that 7% of students have already consumed an illicit drug, with 6% having done so in the last year and 3% in the month prior to the survey.

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance, but the percentage of people who use it on a daily or almost daily basis is less than 1%. When considering only the group of current users, the percentage rises to 10%.

As for medications, the study indicates that 8% have taken sedatives at some point in their lives, on medical advice, and 3% have taken nootropics, while 5% and 2%, respectively, have taken them without a prescription. Another 3% say they have taken very strong painkillers to get high.

The survey concludes that, “in different time periods, the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, tranquilizers/sedatives and strong painkillers are more feminine than masculine practices, unlike illicit drugs”.

“If in the previous edition there was talk of a clear blurring of gender differences and a tendency for alcohol consumption to come closer together between the two sexes, in 2024 it is clear that this is already a more feminine than masculine practice and even with regard to increased risk behaviours it is possible to see an approximation or even a greater prevalence among girls”, he highlights.

Spikeless, the ‘straw’ capable of detecting drugs (in seconds) in drinks

Fewer students find it easy to access psychoactive substances

Regarding tobacco, the downward trend is increasingly pronounced and is due to “a very significant decrease” in the consumption of traditional cigarettes, particularly among young men.

The consumption of illicit drugs also became less prevalent compared to 2019, with a proportionally quite sharp decrease in the use of cannabis or other prohibited substances.

“Compared to the previous study, fewer students today start consuming at an early age (13 years or younger), with early initiation of alcohol and tobacco use having fallen significantly. In turn, considering the group of recent consumers, the start of consumption of electronic cigarettes and cannabis is now earlier than in 2019”, states the study.

There are also fewer students who consider it easy to access various psychoactive substances, with the decline being more pronounced in terms of traditional cigarettes and ‘alcopops’ (mixed alcoholic drinks with a relatively low alcohol content).