The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 22 February 2023

– by Mike Evans

Good day to you all and in a week where we saw so many smiling faces at the return of Carnival across the Algarve we also saw the news in the past couple of days was the accident with a pleasure cruise boat off Portimao where 36 people had to be rescued from the water. Luckily no one was injured but this does remind us that as we get further into the spring and summer there will be more and more people taking to the water and it is very important that people are aware of the risks involved and what to do to counteract these risks. Our website has a lot of good information about safety and security on both beaches and while on the ocean and although we have it under our tourist area it is something we should  all be  aware of as we know that it is not just tourists who enjoy the many different activities on offer along the Algarve beaches. For more information go to this link: https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/for-tourists/

 Now lets take a look at what else has been happening in the last week.

Man Arrested for Suspected Sexual Assault of a Minor.

The Judicial police have arrested a 27 year old man in the Algarve, suspected of sexually abusing a minor, his 12 year old cousin. The defendant’s had violated terms of his arrest warrant in Santarém, fleeing and hiding in the Algarve region, where he was later located.

“The incidents took place between the summer of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, with the man taking advantage of moments alone with his female 12 year old cousin, while family were in close proximity”. The defendant lived in the same house as the victim., but according to a police source, the complaint eventually came from the minor and later from family members.

The PJ explained that, “at the time of the complaint, the accused voluntarily presented himself at the police station, denying the facts”.

“Once the investigations were completed, all the incidents denounced were confirmed, so efforts were made to bring the accused to court, which was delayed because of the man fleeing to hide in the Algarve.

The man is a foreign citizen, with no criminal record in Portugal, but is now detained for 15 crimes of sexual abuse of children.

Senegalese Man Arrested on Suspicion of Murder

A 32 year old Senegalese man has been arrested, suspected of a murder committed on the night of February 12th 2023, in Portimão.

The case involves two foreigners who shared the same house in Portimão for several months. According to the PJ, “conflicts were recurrent “. Following an argument on February 12th, “provoked for a futile reason and triggered by excessive alcohol consumption, the arrested man, armed with a razor, stabbed the victim in the neck area, causing her death”.

After an investigation initiated by the PSP, and in conjunction with the PJ, it was possible to collect evidence, which culminated in the arrest of the suspect, who was working as a bricklayer in the local area.

Large Drug Seizure and 3 People in Portimao

After an investigation that has been going on for about a year, the GNR have detained two men, and seized 14,000 doses of drugs, most of which were found in the storage room belonging to one of the detainees, in Portimão.

 

In a statement released today, the National Republican Guard (GNR) announced that, yesterday, they arrested two men, aged 51 and 53, and accused a woman, aged 38, of drug trafficking.The 51-year-old lives in Porto Covo, in Sines, while the other detainee, the 53-year-old, lives in Portimão with the accused woman.

 

The seized narcotics consisted of 7,367 doses of cocaine, 5,761 doses of heroin and 907 doses of hashish, with the GNR also seizing 16,155 euros in cash.

After searching the detainees’ homes, the GNR also seized four vehicles, “two in Porto Covo and two in Portimão”, five mobile phones, five precision scales and various materials related to drug trafficking.

Vandals on Tractors Cause Damage in Real de Santo Antonio Sports Complex

The Vila Real de Santo António sports complex was the target of a vandalism attack in the early hours of yesterday morning, causing damages of more than 15,000 euros.

The “damage” was made by “two tractors”, “making dangerous manoeuvres inside the municipal stadium”.

It is thought the sports complex was “the target of an attempted theft” using tractors to break in, but also causing “damage on the athletics track, on the lawns, in the vegetation and to the equipment and training areas”.

“The municipality of Vila Real de Santo António has strongly condemned the acts of vandalism, reporting the case to the authorities, with whom they are collaborating to find those responsible.

Assessment of the damage was carried out yesterday morning by councillor Álvaro Leal, who is in charge of the sports complex.

In a statement councillor Álvaro Leal said that municipal officials are “seriously committed to stopping this type of vandalism” and stressed that the equipment in question is one of the “most important in the municipality”, being “used daily by hundreds of athletes” that carry out sports internships in the county.

“In addition to strengthening surveillance, the municipality will extend the video surveillance system to the entire perimeter of the equipment, in order to stop future episodes of vandalism and protect the infrastructure”, said the councillor.

And to end this report we remind everyone that the Covid 19 virus is still amongst us all, be it not in the same severity as we saw in the past couple of years. The average number of infections, on average over five days, rose from 188 to 244 daily cases nationwide, being lower on the continent (199).

In the weekly report issued by INSA on the evolution of cases of covid-19 in the country, the RT rate, which is the rate at which infection spreads across the country, was at 1.12. The Rt – which estimates the number of secondary cases of infection resulting from each person carrying the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus – thus increased from 0.99 to 1.12 at the national level.

However, the Algarve has the highest secondary infection rate on continental Portugal at 1.36 and is only lower than the Azores.

The data shows that the indicator is above 1.00 in all regions of the country, with the North registering 1.13, the Center 1.01, Lisbon and the Tagus Valley 1.14, the Alentejo 1.07 ,the Azores 1.43 and Madeira 1.28.

“In the European comparison, Portugal has a 14-day cumulative notification rate of between 20 and 59.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and an Rt greater than 1, that is, a reduced notification rate with an increasing trend”, says INSA.

Until the next time Stay Safe.

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 15th February 2023

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all and we start this report with the results of the recent Excess Speed Campaign which took place across the country from the 31st January to the 6th February. Whilst this campaign was countrywide the Algarve was unfortunately one of the areas where we saw two deaths associated with driving too fast.

More than 16,000 drivers were caught by speeding cameras during the road safety campaign “Travel without haste”, which ran from January 31 to February 6, revealed this week to GNR .

According to the note released by that security force, which jointly coordinated the initiative with the PSP and the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), a total of 2,763,415 vehicles were monitored during this period on radars, with 16,154 registering speeding offences in the national territory. The vast majority of vehicles were inspected at the ANSR speed controls, with 2,352,713 vehicles, while the GNR monitored 269,343 and the PSP controlled 141,359.

However, it was the security forces that detected the highest number of infractions on their radars, with a total of 8,659, distributed among 6,097 in the GNR control systems and 2,562 in the PSP, while the ANSR registered 7,495 infractions for speeding.

During this period, 2,501 accidents were recorded, which resulted in eight deaths (all male), 40 serious injuries and 738 minor injuries.

Compared to the same period of 2022, the data show an increase in the number of accidents (279 more) and minor injuries (131 more), with only a decrease in the number of deaths (three less) and serious injuries (three less) .

The GNR statement also clarifies that the eight accidents which resulted in fatalities took place in the districts of Braga (2), Lisbon (2), Faro (2), Coimbra and Santarém. At the origin of these accidents were one being run over, four collisions, two motorcycles skidding on a straight line and a light vehicle on a curve.

All too often we all see what we feel is unnecessary speeding on the roads especially the non motorway roads.

 This campaign was continued for the following week this time in the Algarve, again by the GNR. The Faro Territorial Command of the National Republican Guard (GNR), reports that it carried out a number of operations in the district of Faro, from the 6th to the 12th of February, which was aimed at preventing and combating violent crime, and included road inspection of vehicles. As a result 711 infractions were detected during this period.

Of the total infractions detected in the Algarve region, the GNR highlights 259 for speeding, 49 for lack of mandatory periodic inspection, 35 for improper use of the mobile phone while driving, 32 related to anomalies in the lighting and signalling systems, 31 for lack or incorrect use of the seat belt and/or child restraint system and 29 for lack of civil liability insurance.

During the period in question, the national security force arrested 74 people with emphasis on 34 for driving under the influence of alcohol, (over 1.2g/l) 22 for driving without a driving licence and 4 for drug trafficking. If these operations lead to a reduction in accidents on our road then we should all be thankful.

Now let’s look at some of the other news from around the Algarve in the last week.

One Person Died in Road Collision in Lagos

A collision between a heavy goods vehicle and a light car caused one death this Saturday on National Road 125, in Lagos, according to Civil Protection . The road was closed for a length of time.

A spokesman for the Algarve Regional Civil Protection Command said that “death was declared on the spot”.The victim was trapped inside the light vehicle and was removed by emergency teams at the scene.

The collision took place at the entrance to Lagos and, according to information on the Civil Protection website, there were 22 operators supported by 11 vehicles.

New Bridge for Guadiana River Crossing

The work on the new bridge between Alcoutim and Sanlúcar de Guadiana, in Spain, is due to start in May 2024, so that it is possible to complete the work before the end of the fourth quarter of 2025 and guarantee the financing of €9 million of the Recovery Plan and Resilience (PRR).According to a report by Sul Informação, the tight schedule for the construction of the bridge was revealed in a presentation made by the Alcoutim Council during a working visit by Isabel Ferreira, Secretary of State for Regional Development, to Mértola and Alcoutim.

Osvaldo Gonçalves, president of the Alcoutim Chamber, admitted that there is only one month “reserved” for unforeseen events.

This month the designer of the bridge will be chosen, who will have to prepare the project for the execution of the bridge by the end of June (4 months).Meanwhile, the tender for contracting the Environmental Impact Assessment process has already taken place, which should start in February and last until August, the month in which Alcoutim Council hopes to have a favourable Environmental Impact Declaration in hand.

The execution period for the work is 19 months, a little over a year and a half, with completion scheduled for November 2025. In the following months, the work will be received and inspected.

The bridge will be built north of the village of Alcoutim, next to the Youth Hostel, and Sanlúcar de Guadiana, on the slope below the fortress.

The upper part of the deck will have to be located about 27 metres above the river water level, to allow the passage of masted vessels. The bridge deck should have a total length of about 318 metres, with a deck width of about 12 metres. Given its importance, the bridge will be designed for a useful life of 100 years.

Major Roadworks Start this Week in Portimao

Work on the new road in downtown Portimão started this week and will affect traffic during the six-month period estimated for the intervention, warned the Algarve Chamber.

The works will make it possible to build a “road connection between Largo 1.º de Novembro and Largo do Dique”, in the centre of Portimão, and “extend car circulation from Avenida Guanaré to Largo 1.º de Novembro”, justified the municipality in a communiqué.The same source indicated that the “contract has an estimated duration of six months” and includes the requalification of Largo do Dique, which will be “sealed” and with “suppressed parking” while the works are carried out.

The municipality recognized that the intervention will cause “changes and constraints to car circulation in the area, at public transport stops, taxis and in the parking lot” of Largo do Dique, but underlined that all will be “duly signposted throughout the surrounding area to facilitate the displacement of people and vehicles.”

“Given the impact that the intervention may have on the daily lives of motorists circulating in the area, the municipality of Portimão requests a better understanding of all, recommending the option of alternative routes whenever possible”, appealed the municipality of the district of Faro.

The Municipality of Portimão also recalled that, for the creation of this route, the municipality acquired two houses facing Rua Júdice Biker and Largo do Dique, in an investment of around 700,000 euros.

The two residences were demolished about a year ago and the intervention freed the area to now proceed with the construction of this new motorway, which will make it possible to connect two of the main squares in downtown Portimão.

Monchique Gets New Fire Plan

The Integrated Landscape Management Area, also known as the Monchique Green Corridor and formerly known as the Pilot Area, was presented on Friday, February 3, in the auditorium of the Manuel do Nascimento School, announced the municipality.

This green corridor aims to “change the situation of high vulnerability to rural fires , in a continuous peri-urban area, surrounding the village of Monchique, with about 1,217.95 hectares”, according to the statement.

To support the execution of this green corridor, the use of several specific multi-fund financial instruments is planned, such as the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), with aid for interventions of 100% of the overall eligible amount, including expenses or unit costs.

The presentation session of this green corridor was attended by the executive of the Municipality of Monchique and the technicians responsible for the process, who presented information about the program and the adhesion to the future management entity.

Representatives of institutions and organised groups such as the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests also participated.

During the session, topics such as the main geographical characteristics of the intervention area, vulnerabilities to rural fires, options for creating the Management Entity, the advantages of grouping rural landowners, the objectives of transforming the forest landscape and financial support were also addressed. from the PRR to rural landowners.

The initiative also included a discussion on the various options for creating the management entity, with the municipality arguing “the option for the path of local associations, compared to the business option, because it is the one that brings the most advantages and that best defends the interests of the communities”. populations, landowners and local actors”.

The Municipality of Monchique, in addition to being co-responsible, will also play key roles in transferring knowledge, supporting procedural management and providing technical assistance throughout all phases of the project.With the objective of constituting the association, at the end of the session, forms were distributed for pre-adherence of rural landowners to the future management entity.

Car Skid claims Life of Woman in Silves Municipality

A 69-year-old woman died this Friday after a light vehicle crashed on National Road (EN) 264 in São Bartolomeu de Messines , Silves municipality, said a Civil Protection source.

The alert for the accident in Ladeira da Bernarda was given at 18:25 and the death was declared on the spot, said a source from the Algarve Sub-regional Command.

Following the crash of the light vehicle, two other people suffered minor injuries, having been transported to the Portimão Hospital , he added.

On site were elements of the Volunteer Firefighters of São Bartolomeu de Messines, INEM and GNR, a total of 13 operational, supported by six vehicles.

PSP detain 3 Suspects in Assault of Nepalese Immigrant in Olhao

The PSP this Monday detained three young people for assaulting a Nepalese immigrant in Olhão, with a total of 11 identified, between 14 and 16 years old, for participating or witnessing the acts.

Faro district commander of the PSP , Dário Prates, said that the three young people arrested, all aged 16, are “the most active and violent” of the group, made up of eight boys and three girls, all students and residents of Olhão. “It was possible to relate this group to eight occurrences, five for robberies and three for assaults, in the month of January alone”, he underlined, adding that today’s police operation aimed at “gathering evidence by carrying out six house searches”, as well as such as the arrest of three of the most active young people, with a view to their presentation to the court.

According to the district commander of that security force, the PSP viewed more than 20,000 videos, as well as hundreds of hours of images collected by the video surveillance circuit cameras installed in the city of Olhão, images that proved to be “essential for the investigation”, as well as having Several witnesses come forward.

The aggression committed against the Nepalese immigrant in Olhão, which became public with the dissemination of a video on social networks, was condemned by the Portuguese authorities, who consider it to be “unacceptable behaviour” that must be “exemplarily punished”.

In addition to the violent aggression, which took place on January 25, the group stole the victim’s backpack, who did not press charges.

Until the next time Good Day- Bom Dia.

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 8th February 2023

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all. This week the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was in Olhao and took time out to meet with a young Nepalese Worker who was attacked by a group of young people in the town. The President speaking to Journalists emphasised that Portugal is a country of emigrants and as such we should all work to maintain the harmony of all the different nationalities that are settled in the country.

The President was talking to a class of secondary students and he defended that the Portuguese have “the obligation to better understand” what immigrants feel when they arrive in the country, since Portugal is traditionally a country of emigrants.“We have an obligation to understand better, because other European countries have no tradition of emigration. How is it that we don’t understand what others feel here?”, he asked, days after the attacks on a Nepalese immigrant by a group of young people in that city were made public.

The video shared on social media last Friday shows the immigrant lying on the ground, in a defensive position, trying to protect himself from kicks, punches and sticks inflicted by the aggressors, whose faces are not clearly visible because they are wearing hoods. The case is being investigated by the PSP, which has already identified some of those responsible.

Rejecting the idea that Portugal is a xenophobic country, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa warned, however, of the need for societies to remain vigilant, so that fear and defensive attitudes towards immigration do not lead to xenophobic behaviour.The ageing of European societies has created what I call fear, a reactive, defensive attitude and, therefore, a rejection of difference, and from there to xenophobia is a small step and one has to be attentive to that small step. step because it means less democracy and even less respect for what our experience as a country of emigrants is”, he underlined.

In addition to the repeated attacks, the group also stole the victim’s backpack, who did not file a complaint, while he begs them to stop attacking him and at least return the documents he kept in the backpack, as can be seen in the video.

PSP source said that an investigation was underway to find out who were the perpetrators of the attacks and the theft, who published the video on social networks and the circumstances in which they occurred.

The investigation is also trying to determine how many elements made up the group and the involvement of each of them in the crimes committed.

Being an Immigrant myself in this wonderful country, we should all be mindful of this fact and hope that this instance is an isolated incident and not something that may increase as more and more people see Portugal as a wonderful place to live and bring up their families.

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

Telecommunications workers on strike on February 9

Telecommunications and audiovisual workers will be on strike next Thursday, the same day that a day of struggle by the CGTP is scheduled , demanding wage increases to face the impact of inflation.

“The CGTP has scheduled a national day of struggle and protest for February 9th. The day of struggle will be carried out at the regional level. The SINTTAV [National Union of Telecommunication and Audiovisual Workers] put a strike notice for most companies in the sector”, indicating, in a statement, the union structure. SINTTAV regretted that the Government and most companies continue the “’saga’ of exploitation” of workers, when they have “less and less purchasing power”.

For the union, the Government has not adopted any measure to prevent the “brutal increase” in prices, which leads to a rise in the price of raw materials, which it classified as a “brazen robbery”.

In the same sense, as he defended, companies are “insensitive” to inflation, keeping the focus on profit. “Throughout the country, workers, pensioners and pensioners feel the rise in the cost of living, the degradation of purchasing power and the attack on their rights, while the profits of large economic groups do not stop increasing”, he pointed out.

On Thursday, as part of the day of struggle, scheduled by the CGTP, meetings and plenaries will take place in Faro, Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Évora, Guarda, Leiria, Lisbon, Funchal (Madeira), northern Alentejo , Porto, Santarém, Vila Real, Viseu and Setúbal.

Maritime Police vessel violently rammed by drug traffickers

Two elements of the Maritime Police were injured after the vessel they were on was hit with “violence” by another vessel, off the Algarve coast, in an operation to combat drug trafficking, it was announced today.

During the operation, a first high-speed vessel was detected, with three crew members, suspected of being linked to drug trafficking . AMN), in a statement Meanwhile, “a second high-speed vessel was detected that was dropping several bales of narcotics into the water”, but the crew, upon realising the presence of the authorities, “purposely” rammed one of the Maritime Police vessels.

“The vessel collided with such violence that it passed over it from one side to the other, damaging the Maritime Police vessel, putting the lives of the agents at risk, who, fortunately, escaped with injuries”, he says, adding that, even with “two injured and two others lying in the water”, the Maritime Police managed to react and raise the alarm.

Unsuccessful, the crew of the second vessel fled and the elements of the Maritime Police were rescued and transported, “stable and free of danger”, by a Portuguese Air Force aircraft to a hospital unit, he concludes.

The drug bundles collected in the joint operation by the Maritime Police and the Portuguese Navy will later be handed over to the Judiciary Police, as well as the three men arrested.

According to the Maritime Authority, in the last “two months there has been a greater degree of violence in the reactions of traffickers”, this being the second case involving authorities’ vessels registered in the Algarve in the last two weeks.

At the end of January, a vessel from the Coastal Control Unit (UCC) was damaged during a pursuit of two high-speed vessels, near the island of Armona, in Olhão, in the district of Faro.

According to the authorities, despite not having been injured, the UCC soldiers had to be rescued after the vessel suffered structural damage, and were therefore unable to proceed with the operation.

Algarve fishing boat caught with more than five tons of hashish

A Portuguese fishing boat with more than five tons of hashish on board was intercepted by the Spanish authorities this Wednesday, off the coast of Ayamonte . The four crew members, including the vessel’s boss, of Portuguese nationality, were arrested.

The trawler Praia de Monte Gordo, from Vila Real de Santo António, was sailing about ten miles from the coast when a patrol vessel from the Spanish Customs Surveillance Service intercepted it, according to the local press. The action, which resulted in the detention of the crew, was carried out by the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, in the context of patrolling Spanish waters.

The fishing vessel was intercepted by the patrol, as the crew was preparing to transfer the drugs to a speedboat, the Tax Agency announced this Saturday in a statement.

This operation against the international drug trafficking networks that operate off the coast of Huelva began on February 1, when customs surveillance aerial means were observed, 15 miles from Isla Cristina, a pneumatic vessel with powerful engines, which was following without lights. towards the coast.

A “secret pursuit” of the target followed, with air and naval units, and when the boat approached the fishing boat and the “movement” of the crews began, the “Alcatraz” patrol from the Customs Surveillance intervened.

The packages were piled up in the hold of the fishing boat, with the name “Praia de Monte Gordo” and the Portuguese flag. In all, 150 bales of hashish weighing 5.4 tons were seized. TonsThe four people arrested are accused of a crime of smuggling and against public health, according to the EFE agency.

The intercepted boat was taken to the port of Huelva, where an in-depth inspection was carried out, in which 150 seized bales were identified, with a total weight of 5,400 kilos of hashish resin.

The  drugs , the vessel and the detainees were placed under the jurisdiction of Criminal Instruction Court number 4 of Ayamonte..

Man dies after being stabbed near mall

A man died on Thursday, February 2, after being beaten and stabbed next to a car that was parked next to Mar Shopping, in Loulé , according to Correio da Manhã.

The victim was found next to the vehicle that had flat tires, located on the side of the road that connects Faro to Loulé, having been transported to the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve, where he ended up dying. The Judiciary Police suspect that the stabbing is drug related amongst rival gangs drug trafficking and are trying to locate the suspect or suspects.

Man suspected of Two Murders in The Algarve Arrested

A man was arrested by the Judiciary Police during a drug trafficking investigation, but is now suspected of having murdered Josiele Rodrigues and Sandra Andrade, two women who were missing and found lifeless, according to Correio da Manhã.

The suspect has already been identified and heard by the Judiciary Police, but that security force says that there is not enough evidence to place him in preventive custody for the crime of homicide. This man would be an alleged client of Josiele Rodrigues, 25 years old, who was a luxury escort and had been missing in Quarteira since December 6 of last year. Her body was now found in an advanced state of decomposition, burned and with signs of violence, in a bush area in Ourique, Alentejo.

The authorities believe that the crime happened after a meeting that could have gone wrong.

The other woman is Sandra Andrade, 49 years old and a TVDE driver who went missing last year and was found dismembered inside a suitcase in Almancil, in the municipality of Loulé .

The 26-year-old suspect, of Portuguese nationality, was presented to an investigating judge in Faro, on Thursday, February 2, but the magistrate released him with a term of identity and residence. During the searches carried out as part of the drug trafficking investigation, the authorities found an ATM card belonging to one of the missing women.

The suspect had already been sentenced in August 2018 to 20 years in prison for the murder of Tatiana Mestre, who was found dead as a result of asphyxiation and with her body burned.

The man was imprisoned for 20 months and was eventually acquitted by the Court of Appeal of Évora and is now considered a possible serial killer.

And finally to end on a more happy note –

Carnival with revelry and joy throughout the county returns to the Algarve

The municipalities of Albufeira, Loule and Portimao will all be encouraging citizens and residents to join in the Carnival celebrations this year.

In Portimao, With the theme “Sustainability and Environment”, the parade of 14 floats takes to the streets of Portimão with five carnival groups and with two exhibition points, on the 19th and 21st of February between Polidesportivo da Figueira and Mexilhoeira Grande and at riverside area of ​​the county seat. The parades start at 3:30 pm, with a parade through the streets of Alvor also planned.

The Carnival balls are also back, with the first ones taking place from February 17th in the rooms of Boa Esperança Atlético Clube Portimonense, Clube União Portimonense, Sociedade Vencedora Portimonense, Sporting Glória ou Morte Portimonense, Clube Desportivo e Recreativo Pedra Mourinha, Sociedade Recreativa Figueirense, Clube de Instrução e Recreio Mexilhoeirense, Associação Cultural e Recreativa Alvorense 1.º de Novembro, and Associação Cultural e Desportiva da Ladeira do Vau.

As in other years, popular mask contests will also take place, starting at 9.30 pm, on the 18th, 19th and 20th of February at Clube União Portimonense, Glória ou Morte, Sociedade Vencedora Portimonense, Clube Desportivo e Recreativo da Pedra Mourinha and at the Associação Cultural e Recreativa Alvorense 1.º de Novembro.

The final is scheduled for February 21, at the same time, at Sporting Glória ou Morte Portimonense.

Whilst Albufeira is preparing to celebrate Carnival, between the 18th and 21st of February at the county seat and in Paderne , announced the municipality .

The Espaço Multiusos de Albufeira will be the stage for dances on the 18th, 19th and 20th, between 21:00 and 03:00, while on the 21st there will be a matinee from 14:00 to 20:00, with a mask competition for children up to 12 years old. The organisation of the event is the responsibility of the Parish Council of Albufeira and Olhos de Água, with the support of the Albufeira City Council and with the participation of the Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Albufeira, the Sports and Cultural Club of Albufeira, the Sports Club das Areias de São João and the Association for the Support of Exceptional Persons in the Algarve.

From the 19th to the 21st of February, the parish of Paderne will have a corso with a cart and several cars decorated with feathers and coloured paper, with the theme “Revelry Marafada”.

The parade takes place between 2 pm and 6 pm and is organised by Casa do Povo de Paderne in collaboration with the municipality of Albufeira and the Parish Council of Paderne.

Quarteira is filled with joy, music and animation on the 18th, 19th and 21st of February, to host Carnival, this year with the theme “Natureza em Festa”, announced the parish council.

There will be three days of parade that will take place on Avenida Infante de Sagres from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and will have the beach as a backdrop. The preservation of nature , for a better planet, will be the motto for a great party with nine floats, five carnival groups, three exhibition points, music, colour and lots of entertainment.

Everyone is encouraged to join in with fancy dress or just as you are!

Until the next time. Good Bye.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 1st February 2023

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all and we hope that the month of January has not been too cold for you here in the Algarve. Looking at the other parts of Portugal, we have seen some pretty severe weather conditions. The forecast for the Algarve over the next month is sunshine by day but cold nights. Remember, if you have open fires in your homes make sure that you are well ventilated as there is a greater risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning with open fires as well as gas fires.

The following is based on information provided by the ANEPC (national emergency and civil protection authority) and firefighters.

Many domestic accidents and deaths are due to the effect of carbon monoxide, a toxic gas which is odourless and colourless.

It is important to properly protect the fireplace so that it does not cause a household fire. If using fireplaces, salamanders or gas equipment, maintain correct ventilation in rooms in order to avoid the accumulation of  harmful gas, and before bed or leaving the house, make sure you have put out wood and charcoal fires, and turn off heating equipment in order to avoid possible fires. Regularly check the condition of the door seals on wood-burning stoves and pellet fires.

If using gas bottles, regularly check the flexible rubber tubes, which must comply with the requirements set out in standard NP 4436, and not exceed 1.5 metres in length. They are valid for five years from the date of manufacture.

If you have a fuel-burning appliance, including an open fire, make sure to have a carbon monoxide alarm installed. You should have one in every room that contains a stove or open fire. Smoke detectors can save lives in the event of a house fire. It’s important for homeowners to check their smoke detector batteries quarterly, to ensure their smoke detectors are still functioning.

If someone has symptoms of poisoning, contact the Anti-poison Information Centre: 800 250 250 or, in serious cases, contact 112.

Now for a look of some of the news from around the region:

4500 kgs of hashish seized off shore.

The director of the Judiciary Police (PJ) of Faro revealed this week that “a large increase” of high-speed boats has been detected on the south coast of Portugal, admitting the possibility of waiting for an opportunity to unload drugs.

“We have noticed a large increase in this type of [semi-rigid] speedboats at certain miles off the coast [in the Algarve], functioning almost like a warehouse waiting for the opportunity to unload [drugs]”, Fernando Jordão told journalists at a press conference where they announced that  The Judiciary Police (PJ), the Navy, the Maritime Authority and the Portuguese Air Force detained five men and seized 4,500 kilograms of hashish in an operation in international waters south of Portugal.

The operation began following a routine maritime patrol mission by the Air Force, after suspicious movements of two vessels were monitored about 60 nautical miles south of Portugal, the PJ said in a statement. The semi-rigid vessels equipped with high-power engines, suspected of transporting drugs, were intercepted in international waters by marines from the Portuguese Navy, specified the police.

The operation resulted in the arrest of five men, aged between 36 and 49 years old, crew members of the vessels, and in the seizure of 127 bales of hashish with an approximate weight of 4,500 kilograms.

The high-speed boats were sent to the port of Faro , the closest location to the approach, in order to carry out the investigation, says the PJ.

3 Men Arrested for Theft Remanded in Custody

The three individuals arrested last Thursday for committing 25 crimes of aggravated theft in the eastern Algarve area, were held in custody, announced the Faro District Attorney’s Office.

Between November 2021 and January 2023, in the municipalities of Faro, Loulé, Olhão and Tavira, the detainees monitored the daily lives of victims, owners of houses and apartments. At dusk, taking advantage of the victims’ absence, using various methods depending on the typology of the houses, they entered by breaking in and seizing money and jewellery items”, says the Public Prosecutor’s Office in a statement.

Subsequently, the detainees, foreigners, disposed of the proceeds of the robberies “to their country of origin”. Following the robberies, the detainees would leave for their country, where they would remain for several months, “in order to avoid their relationship with the crimes”

The Public Prosecutor requested and applied for the detainees to be remanded in custody before their forthcoming trial.

The investigation belonged jointly to the PSP and the GNR, since the locations of the robberies were located in the respective territorial areas of coverage.

Man Rescued after Fall from Cliff in Vila Do Bispo

A 73-year-old man was rescued on the afternoon of Monday, January 23, after he accidentally fell while walking on a cliff between Praia do Telheiro and Praia da Ponta Ruiva, in the municipality of Vila do Bispo , announced the Authority National Maritime.

The alert was given at 1:30 pm by the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, with elements of the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Lagos, a wide-angle team of the Volunteer Firefighters of Vila from Bispo and an Emergency and Resuscitation Medical Vehicle from INEM.When security forces arrived at the scene, the man was conscious and had several bruises on his body.

As it was in an area of ​​difficult access, the rescue was carried out from the top of the cliff, and the victim was promptly assisted by elements of INEM.The man was later transported to a hospital unit by the Volunteer Firefighters of Vila do Bispo.

The Lagos Maritime Police Local Command took care of the incident.

New Road Safety Campaign starts 30 January 2023

The National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), the PSP and the GNR are starting on Tuesday a campaign to alert drivers to the risks of driving at high speed, one of the main causes of accidents.

The road safety campaign called “Travel without haste” is part of the 2023 National Inspection Plan and will run until February 6, consisting of ANSR awareness actions and inspection operations by the Public Security Police and the National Republican Guard. .

In a joint statement, ANSR, PSP and GNR say that the campaign aims to “alert drivers to the risks of driving at excessive speed”, since it is one of the main causes of accidents on the roads and is responsible for more than 60% of registered infractions. ANSR, PSP and GNR underline that, in a collision, the probability of fatalities increases depending on the speed at which vehicles travel.

As an example, they indicate that if a vehicle travels at 30 kilometres per hour, the probability of the consequences of being run over being fatal is 10%, increasing the speed to 50 kilometres per hour, the probability becomes 80%.

The “Travel without haste” campaign will integrate ANSR awareness actions across the country and inspection operations carried out by the GNR and PSP that will take place “with special focus on roads and accesses with high road traffic and in accordance with the National Plan of Inspection 2023, in order to contribute to reducing the risk of accidents and to the adoption of safer behaviour by drivers with regard to driving at excessive speed”.

And finally what must serve as a warning to everyone on the Algarve that fires don’t just start in the high summer, there was a brush fire  this week in São Brás de Alportel área. According to the Faro District Relief Operations Command and reported by Notícias ao Minuto, fighting the flames were the De Silves Volunteer Firefighters, the Association of Volunteer Firefighters of São Bartolomeu de Messines, the Volunteer Firefighters of Albufeira and the Association of Firefighters Volunteers from Monchique with 26 personnel and eight vehicles. The alert for the fire was at 1:04 pm and, according to the same source, it was considered under control at 2:06 pm.

Until next week stay Safe.