The Algarve Report 9 Aug 2023
by Mike Evans
Good day to you all, this past week the big news is the number of fires which are ongoing or have been extinguished across the country but also in the Algarve region. As I write the big fire in Odemira on the west coast area is still burning ( Tuesday) and currently more than 900 firefighters are tackling the forest fire along with over 300 vehicles and 6 air resources. We have seen particularly hot and windy conditions this past week which obviously exacerbates the fires and allows them to take hold.
We can all help by making sure that no sparks or flames are allowed to happen unintentionally and that we all adhere to the rules which surround the use of garden equipment and barbecues. Don’t forget if you see a fire or smell smoke call 112 first and foremost. We will continue to monitor the fire situation across the country so keep an eye on our facebook page to see the latest information.
Now a look at what else is making the news in our area this past week.
Two Men arrested trying to steal Fast Boats from VSRA
The Coastal Control Unit (UCC) detained this Monday, August 7th, two men of foreign nationality, aged 23 and 24, for attempting to steal high-speed boats from the mooring pier of the Coastal Control Sub Detachment of Vila Real de Santo António (VRSA), reported the GNR .
The two suspects, who were hooded, were detected at 4:00 am by soldiers from the Maritime Team of the VRSA Coastal Control Sub Detachment, “when they entered the mooring pier, skirting the fence and immediately heading towards two vessels used for patrolling and interception. ”, specifies the GNR in a statement. “Equipped with tools, they immediately began to work on the engines and ignition guns, in order to put them into operation, with the aim of stealing maritime resources at the service of the GNR”, continues the note.
The prompt intervention of the UCC soldiers made it possible to detain two suspects, one of whom collaborated “with the verbal orders of the military, immediately ceasing his movements, and another started to flee by swimming, ending up being intercepted shortly afterwards, still close to the pier”. , details. Considering the modus operandi used, the GNR believes that “there are strong suspicions of the relationship between the arrested individuals and other similar situations, related to the theft of vessels belonging to the security forces”, it can be read.
Since the beginning of 2023, the GNR has detected “three attempts to steal vessels” and three arrests have been made. “These attempted thefts are largely related to the intervention of the UCC in the fight against international narcotics criminal networks by sea and which, since the beginning of the year, has allowed the seizure of six high-speed vessels and about five tons of hashish”, he points out.
The two men remain in custody and will be present at the Vila Real de Santo António Judicial Court.
Three 23-year-olds are remanded in custody for robberies in Albufeira
The Faro Territorial Command of the GNR , through the Territorial Sub-detachment of Albufeira, arrested three 23-year-old men for robbery in the municipality of Albufeira, on August 1, announced the GNR.
“Following a denunciation of disrespect in the area of Praia da Oura, in Albufeira, the military went to the place and found that six young people, aged between 17 and 23, had been victims of aggression and robbery by a group of three individuals who fled in a vehicle”, describes the GNR in a statement.
The GNR military “carried out steps and managed to intercept, in the vicinity, the vehicle used by the suspects and detain them”, continues the note. During the police action it was possible to seize “two cell phones; one wallet; a suitcase; a wooden stick; and a vehicle”, he details.
The action was reinforced by military personnel from the Criminal Prevention and Community Policing Section (SPCPC) and the Criminal Investigation Nucleus (NIC) in Albufeira, as well as military personnel from the Public Order Intervention Group (GIOP) from the Intervention Unit (UI)
The three detainees were present at the Judicial Court of Albufeira on the 2nd of August, having applied the coercive measure of pre-trial detention.
Man arrested for drug trafficking in county
A 41-year-old man was arrested red-handed on Wednesday, August 2, in the municipality of Castro Marim , for drug trafficking, announced the National Republican Guard (GNR).
The arrest was made by the Faro Territorial Command , through the Tavira Territorial Post and the Tavira Criminal Investigation Nucleus during a road inspection action.
The suspect, when approached, showed suspicious behaviour, which led to a search of the vehicle and a narcotic product was found. After police investigations, a search of his residence was carried out, where more narcotic product was seized. During this action, 4264 doses of hashish, two doses of liamba, three cannabis plants, seven ammunition, two cutting knives, two precision bullets, six mobile phones, 1808.90 euros in cash, a vehicle and various equipment used in the packaging of the narcotic product.
The detainee is awaiting presentation to the Judicial Court of Vila Real de Santo António for the application of coercive measures. A 45-year-old woman was also accused.
The action included the reinforcement of the Environmental Protection Nucleus of the Territorial Detachment of Tavira, the Cinotechnical Section of the Intervention Detachment, the Territorial Post of Vila Real de Santo António and the Traffic Post of Tavira.
PJ arrests suspect on pornography of Minors charge in Faro
A man was detained by elements of the southern directorate of the Judiciary Police (PJ) with “thousands of videos and images” with pornography of minors, found on computer devices during searches carried out in Faro and Setúbal, it was announced on Wednesday .
In a statement, the PJ adds that the 30-year-old man is suspected of the crime of pornography of minors and was arrested as part of an investigation initiated after “complaints indicting the suspect for the practice of sexual acts with children”.
Also according to the PJ, the investigators carried out two house searches in the Faro and Setúbal area, which culminated in the arrest of the man, having found in the “computer searches of the various equipment” of the suspect “thousands of videos/images” with pornography of minors. The researchers suspect that “part of this material may have been shared with third parties not yet identified”, reads the note.
The PJ reveals that “conversations and sharing of content were also flagged” that “point strongly to the possibility of the suspect having had sexual relations, with children and young people, over the last few years”. During the searches, the PJ seized a computer, a hard disk, several external disks, two cell phones and a portable computer data storage device, as well as 54 grams of hashish and a precision scale.
“The investigation continues with a view to fully clarifying the facts, namely the identification of potential victims and other possible suspects”, adds the PJ.
According to the PJ, the detainee will still be present in court for the first judicial interrogation and the application of any coercive measures.
Man dies after feeling ill on Lota beach
A 58-year-old man died on the afternoon of Sunday, August 6, after feeling ill while bathing on Lota beach , in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António , announced the National Maritime Authority.
The alert was given at 14:15 by the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center and elements of the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Vila Real de Santo António, from the “SeaWatch” project, Firefighters and Volunteers from Vila Real de Santo António and INEM.
The victim was pulled out of the water onto the beach by members of the public, with resuscitation manoeuvres carried out by the lifeguards until the arrival of SeaWatch, firefighters and INEM. The man was later transported, in very serious condition, to a hospital unit. The Maritime Police Psychology Office has been activated and is providing support to the victim’s family. The Local Command of the Maritime Police of Vila Real de Santo António took care of the occurrence.
1,400 evacuated as Odemira Fire bears down on Aljezur
Following on from our lead story we hear that the authorities today (Tuesday) have started to evacuate people from the various parts of São Teotónio parish and the Algarve border in Aljezur municipality.
Traffic on the EN120 leading to Odemira/ Cercal has been blocked, including access to municipal roads. The overriding message is that no-one should be driving in the vicinity of these fires unless it is to evacuate.
Police visited industrial areas this afternoon, advising garages to remove cars and combustible material to areas least exposed. Yesterday Around 100 people were evacuated from four locations, but there have been many more in terms of campers/ holidaymakers/ people living in ‘alternative structures’ on their own land, and villagers now from São Miguel, on the Alentejo/ Algarve border who have had to move to a safer area
In all 22 injuries have been reported, most light) although there are reports four people being hospitalised.
Flames forced the evacuation of 18 people in Monchique overnight
The fire raging in Odemira entered the late afternoon of Monday, the 7th, in the northern area of the municipality of Monchique, forcing the evacuation of 18 people from their homes and a rural tourism unit.
Paulo Alves, mayor of the municipality, said this Tuesday that people were taken to the population service area installed at the Manuel Nascimento School, in Monchique.
“Some are still there, but the people who were in rural tourism have already left”, he added, adding that the tourist unit where some people were staying is located in the Foz do Besteiro area.
According to the mayor, the fire, which broke out on Saturday in the municipality of Odemira (Alentejan district of Beja), entered at the end of the afternoon in the area of Alcanforado, in the parish of Marmelete, in an area of confluence between the municipalities of Odemira, Aljezur and Monchique .
“The prevailing wind was from the southeast, but it rotated, causing projections that formed a fire front that developed towards Marmelete. It was fought at night by firefighters and crawler machines,” he described. According to Paulo Alves, the high humidity at night that was felt in the area helped to fight the fire, although at 10:00 am the mayor of that municipality was still unable to update the situation.
The work carried out during the night to fight the rural fire allowed for “stabilisation of the fire perimeter”, but there are still two critical points to motivate concern, according to Civil Protection.
“We maintain two critical points: one to the north, in the area of Delfeira, which inspires a lot of concern, and also to the south, on the front facing Monchique”, said the regional commander of Emergency and Civil Protection of the Alentejo, José Ribeiro, at a point of situation to journalists around 9:30 am, at the command post in São Teotónio, parish where the fire started, in the Baiona area. José Ribeiro referred that, after the operations prioritised the defence of the populations – the GNR has already moved 1,438 citizens as a precaution -, there was an adjustment of the strategic plan and “the work of today will be more focused on the suppression of the fire”.
The number of people assisted by the National Institute of Medical Emergency ( INEM ) in this fire rose to 40, namely 28 firefighters, four civil protection agents and eight civilians, mainly due to fatigue.
As for the roads that have conditioned circulation, the regional commander explained that the situation remains in relation to Monday. In other words, the National Road (EN) 120, between São Teotónio and Odeceixe, in the neighbouring municipality of Aljezur, and the municipal roads 501, 1186, 1001 are cut off from traffic.
The rural fire in an area of bush and pine forest has entered the Algarve on several occasions since Saturday, the 5th, and on Monday afternoon surrounded the centre of Odeceixe.
Until the next time stay Safe.
In addition, we are also seeing more incidents of injury on the beaches and in the ocean. Please remember that whilst it may seem calm there is always the underlying issue of rip currents which can have a devastating effect if people are not aware of this issue. Also the temperature of the Ocean is a lot cooler than many people expect so this can also have an effect on a person swimming too long in the Ocean.
The PSP detained a man and two women on Sunday, July 30, suspected of drug trafficking in Olhão, the Faro District Command of the PSP reported today .
The rescue was coordinated by the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center and by the Captain of the Port of Portimão, after the request for help arrived at 12:42.
And to end this report we would like to bring to your attention the issues surrounding beach and water safety. In the past week we have seen authorities shut down two beaches due to microbiological contamination detected in the water. When this happens the authorities will raise a red flag on the beach which means no bathing and this flag will remain until it is deemed safe enough for the beach to be reopened. The heat of the summer is in part one reason why we are seeing these instances so please be aware if you are visiting the beach or have family staying who are venturing to the beach to be aware.
In 2023, the 76th World Health Assembly adopted its first ever resolution on drowning prevention. The resolution accepts the invitation of the United Nations General Assembly for WHO to coordinate actions within the UN system on drowning prevention and facilitate the observance of World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July each year.
Increasingly, there is a lack of responsiveness in the operating theatres and consultations, because there are fewer people, and I don’t know where this will end. But the Government is not managing to solve the problem in this way”, he underlined. According to João Dias, the operating rooms of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA), which includes the hospitals in Faro, Portimão and Lagos , are operating with the minimum services and all surgeries that are not considered urgent are being postponed.
As part of the World Youth Day operation and border control, five entries into national territory were refused at the Castro Marim border on Sunday, July 23, announced the National Republican Guard.
Together with the Portuguese Navy and the Air Force, they carried out a joint operation in international waters with the aim of combating drug trafficking .
The agreement follows the completion of the first phase of a new infrastructure at the Vila Real de Santo António wastewater treatment plant, which enables the use of treated wastewater for irrigation at golf courses in the northern area of the municipality.
This initiative is part of the campaign “Water is life – Don’t waste it”, by Águas do Algarve and the Portuguese Environment Agency , with the objective of “raising the population’s awareness of the need to reduce water consumption in order to promote practices that encourage its use efficient in the current context of drought and water scarcity”.
Five people – four men and one woman aged between 22 and 39 – have been arrested, with two being remanded in custody and the other three being released but required to report twice a week to the local police station.
This tool also enables authorities to safely identify owners so that they can file complaints against anyone who steals carob and harvests it illegally.
“This program is completed and its presentation is scheduled. I am responsible for part of the tolls [in the former SCUT] and, therefore, very soon, I will be able to answer all the questions: What is the toll reduction rate, on which vehicles and what reduction will it affect and when this reduction will start”, said Ana Abrunhosa, stressing that it is a “reduction, never abolition”.