Safe Communities Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 14^th June 2023

 

Good morning: Our weekly report summaries a number of current topics.  Firstly – The GNR, as of June 19, as part of the annual planning carried out by RoadPol, will conduct an intensive monitoring operation targeted those driving under the influence of alcohol and psychotropic substances, aiming at promoting safer behaviour by drivers and reduce serious road accidents, throughout the continental national territory. Driving under the influence of alcohol or psychotropic substances is a risk factor that contributes to serious and fatal accidents.

On another topic we have learned that there have been a number of reports of fraud concerning the letting of holiday accommodation. We cannot emphasize enough the need to do proper research when booking a holiday villa especially if using social media. We recommend using established letting platforms such as Booking.Com or B&B which are generally more secure than advertisements offering a holiday let when it is more difficult to establish the integrity of the advertisement and indeed the advertiser. A simple mobile phone number or a Hotmail email address with little details may indicate a risk. Also if you are booking using a website take time to check the site has not been copied. Do the photos look original, do all the links work and are their verifiable contact details.

There has been in the news recently concern over the street selling of drugs often offered to tourists in some of Portugal’s main holiday destinations. In one of the articles the headlines stated that these were “drugs” but some way down in the same article these were stated that were “fake drug”. The same article criticised the police for lack of action against the sellers.

The truth of the matter is that these are mainly fake drugs often dried thyme leaves that the sellers describe as drugs and charge accordingly. It is not a crime under the current law to sell these and hence the police cannot take action. It may however be an administrative offence, but then this would fall on the councils depending on the area concerned.

This however is tarnishing Portugal’s image and we understand there are now moves to try and get this criminalised. It is also a concern in that the buyer could be unknowingly buying a harmful or even poisoning substance – so advice is the same if offered something claiming to be drugs – refuse!

Lastly yesterday I attended the “Algarve Seguro” reinforcement of PSP, GNR, SEF, INEM and Civil Protection resources for the region during the peak season of tourism, held at Regional Tourism Algarve.

This is the traditional presentation of the “Algarve Seguro” program which, once again, provides for a reinforcement of PSP, GNR, SEF, INEM and Civil Protection resources for the region during the peak season of tourism.

Also in attendance were President of ANEPC Duarte da Costa, National Director PSP Magina da Silva and General Commander GNR Tenente-General José Manuel Lopes dos Santos Correia and around 150 members of the security forces, civil protect, Algarve mayors, local government officials and Bombeiros.

With regard to Algarve Seguro, the minister said he expects the summer to be… “safe in the region”. In his speech, José Luís Carneiro also acknowledged the example of Safe Communities Portugal led “by David Thomas (who had been invited) in terms of good collaboration between foreign nationals and the government”.

Earlier in the day the Minister of Internal Administration, Josè Carneiro, accompanied by the Secretary of State, Patricia Gaspar, as well as the President of ANEPC, Duarte Costa, gave a speech to motivate the brave volunteers who decided to leave and support those in needs.

The task force is composed of elements from the Força Especial de Proteção Civil, of the GNR, of the ICNF, as well as of the fire department of the Central Region and Madeira.

A big round of applause for those who have left Safe Communities wishs them all a safe mission!

Our team at Safe Communities wishes you a good week ahead

News

Effects of the fires in Canada should reach Portugal from Sunday

Lisbon, June 14, 2023 (Lusa) – The gases and particles emitted by forest fires in Canada are expected to reach the Iberian Peninsula from Sunday, but without any threat to human health, the IPMA said today.

In a statement on the fires in Canada and the effects in Portugal, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere reports that the forest fires that have been plaguing Canada for weeks have emitted into the atmosphere “significant amounts of gases and particles that are transported and scattered by the winds”.

According to the IPMA, a cyclonic circulation, associated with a depression cantered northwest of the Azores, will have promoted the large-scale transport of these pollutants, mainly carbon monoxide, along the North Atlantic, which arrived in the Azores region last Tuesday. .

However, it states that “the concentrations of these pollutants are lower than the established legal limits and, therefore, should not represent any threat to human health”.

The IPMA advances that these pollutants will continue to be transported and should reach the Iberian Peninsula from Sunday, but in lower concentrations than in the Azores.

The IPMA also recalls that, last week, the Norwegian Institute for Environmental and Climate Research confirmed the presence of particles originating from the fires in Canada in air samples collected at the Birkenes Observatory, in southern Norway.

Portugal sent today to Canada a joint force made up of 140 operatives to help fight forest fires, which will intervene in the province of Quebec.

Thousands of firefighters from various countries around the world were fighting the 458 active fires in Canada today, with the province of Quebec being the most affected region.

Since the beginning of this year, considered unprecedented in terms of forest fires, more than 4.6 million hectares have burned in Canada.