The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 13th December 2023

by Mike Evans

Good morning to you all as we reach the end of the year a rather sombre report has just reached our desk and shows that the number of road accidents has increased again year on year.

According to a report published by Lusa yesterday, More than 123,000 road accidents occurred on Portuguese roads this year, causing 442 deaths and 2,279 serious injuries, an increase in all accident indicators compared to the same period in 2022. Provisional data, to which the Lusa agency had access, indicate that the PSP and GNR recorded, between January 1st and December 11th of this year, 123,391 road accidents, 442 fatalities, 2,279 serious injuries and 38,548 minor injuries. Compared to the same period in 2022, there were 7,556 more accidents (6.5%), five more deaths (1.1%), 147 more serious injuries (6.8%) and 2,039 more (5.5%).

However, when compared to 2019, the reference year for monitoring the targets set by the European Commission and Portugal to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries by 2030, all road accident indicators decreased this year, with the exception of serious injuries. that has increased.

The highest number of accidents this year occurred in the districts of Lisbon, with a total of 22,170, followed by Porto (21,647), Braga (10,554), Aveiro (10,178), Setúbal (10,040) and Faro (9,306). In turn, the district with the fewest accidents was Bragança, with 1,254.

The data also shows that Porto was the district where the most fatalities were recorded, with 49, with 48 deaths occurring in Setúbal, 43 in Lisbon, 34 in Braga and 32 in Faro.

With the festive holidays approaching it is important we all make sure, if we are on the roads that we take extra care as the amount of traffic will be much higher than usual.

Now a look at some of the stories that have happened in the Region in the past week.

Drought Situation Worsened in November across the South.

According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), there was an increase in the area of ​​mainland Portugal in the weak drought class, from 12.8% in October to 19.4% in November in the southern region, covering the entire district of Faro, Beja and a large part of the district of Setúbal. According to IPMA, there are four types of drought: meteorological, agricultural, hydrological and socioeconomic.

With regard to the percentage of water in the soil, the institute states that there was an increase in the northern, central and Alto Alentejo regions, with values ​​above 80%.

In Baixo Alentejo and Algarve, some regions had values ​​between 20 and 40%.

Data from the bulletin indicate that the month of November was classified as very hot in terms of air temperature and normal in terms of precipitation (122.2 millimetres).

Last month was considered the 9th hottest in the last 93 years (hottest in 1981) and the 2nd hottest since 2000.

Ryanair Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Faro Airport

A Ryanair plane with 164 people on board departed this morning for Faro airport, after it had to make an emergency landing, due to an engine failure, a Civil Protection source revealed .

According to the same source, the plane, a Boeing 737, was flying from Manchester, in the United Kingdom, to the Spanish island of Tenerife, having been diverted to Faro en route, where it landed safely. At 9:20 am, a group of 82 operatives supported by 35 vehicles were mobilised to the location, who ended up not having to intervene, having already been demobilised.

According to information from ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, the aircraft landed safely at 9:45 am, with the airport’s emergency plan appropriate to this type of situation having been activated.

GNR Detained 29 people in Quarteira

The GNR detained 29 people in various actions to combat crime in the city of Quarteira , in the municipality of Loulé , between Thursday and Sunday, the police corporation announced.

The detainees are aged between 19 and 68 and were approached following inspection actions, in various locations in the city, with the aim of preventing and repressing crime, said the Faro Territorial Command of the GNR in a statement.

Eighteen people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and eight for driving without a legal licence, with the facts being referred to the Loulé Court, explained the same source, without mentioning the reason that led to the arrest of the remaining three. “Through these actions, the National Republican Guard intends to combat crime and strengthen the population’s sense of security, whilst also seeking to prevent criminal offences”, explained the security force.

Two Men Arrested for Theft from Vehicle

Two suspects were arrested on Tuesday, December 5th, for theft inside a vehicle and subsequent purchase of goods using stolen cards in Olhão , announced the Public Security Police (PSP). The arrest was made by the Olhão Police Station, after being warned about the misuse of stolen bank cards.

The police quickly went to the establishment where the suspect was making purchases, as he was trapped there. The PSP ended up finding out that there was another suspect who was involved in the theft and intercepted him inside another commercial establishment, hiding in the bathroom. The two suspects had in their possession several of the victim’s bank cards, as well as personal objects and purchased products, worth one thousand euros.

The suspects were subject to the coercive measure of Identity and Residence Term and periodic appearances at a police establishment, respectively.

Man Arrested for Drug Trafficking in Armação de Pêra

A 26-year-old man, suspected of drug trafficking, was arrested on Tuesday, the 5th, in Armação de Pêra, in the municipality of Silves , with the GNR seizing 344 doses of drugs, it was announced today. The arrest occurred following a complaint “regarding an illegal occupation of property, threats and theft”, and after the military detected “a strong odor” of drugs at the scene, the Territorial Command of the GNR of Faro said in a statement.

During a home search carried out by members of the Criminal Investigation Unit (NIC) of the GNR of Silves, 136 doses of cocaine, 208 of hashish, communications devices and material used to package the drug were seized.The detainee will be present at the Silves Court to be heard in the first judicial interrogation and for the application of possible coercive measures, concludes that security force. 

Man Arrested for Falsifying Identities and Moving illicit Money

The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a man suspected of aggravated document forgery, qualified fraud and money laundering, who used false identities to open bank accounts and move amounts obtained illegally. The arrest of the 45-year-old suspect was carried out outside of the act, under the scope of an investigation conducted by the Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) of Faro , with the collaboration of the GNR of Mértola, the PJ said in a statement.

“The detainee’s criminal activity consisted of setting up companies, which had no activity whatsoever, using several false identities, in the name of which he opened dozens of bank accounts in credit institutions based in the national territory”, said the police force. .

The same source clarified that, once the accounts were opened, they received “transfers of large amounts” that had been “obtained illicitly”, through the use of cyber attacks “commonly known as ‘man-in-the-middle’ or ‘CEO- Fraud’ (Business Email Compromise)”.

The PJ stressed that the suspect sought to conceal the illicit origin of the amounts credited and made transfers to other bank accounts, “receiving a percentage of the transactions carried out”.

During the steps that led to the identification and arrest of the suspect, investigators found and seized “significant pieces of evidence”, but are still continuing the investigation “with a view to delimiting the extent of this criminal activity”, said the Judiciary Police.

The detainee will be brought before the court for the first judicial interrogation and, at the end, will learn about any coercive measures applied, the PJ also pointed out.

PJ Arrests Suspect of Attacking Brother with Chainsaw in Odeceixe

The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a man suspected of having attacked his brother with a chainsaw, on Tuesday, in Odeceixe ( Aljezur ), causing serious injuries, it was announced today. In a statement, the PJ revealed that the attacker, a 28-year-old man, a woodcutter by profession, is charged with attempted murder.

According to the police, the attacks occurred after an argument between the two brothers, with the detainee, armed with a chainsaw, undoing the door of the container where the victim was lying, “attacking her and striking her several times with that instrument” .

The victim was treated at the Portimão Hospital, but “the severity of the injuries” led to his transfer to the Santa Maria Hospital, in Lisbon, said the police.

The man will be brought before the court to be heard in the first judicial interrogation and for the application of possible coercive measures, in an investigation supervised by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Lagos .

The operation by the Criminal Investigation Department (DIC) of Portimão of the PJ had the collaboration of the GNR Territorial Post of Lagos.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 6th December 2023

by Mike Evans

A very good day to you all. As we enter the last month of 2023 and the Christmas and New Year festivities it is an opportune time to remind everyone that celebrating the season comes with a lot of risks if you drink and drive. Safe Communities in association with the Friends of the Sao Bras de Alportel Museum held an event with the aim of the gathering was to learn more about the work of the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) and the Autoridade Nacional de Segurança Rodoviária (ANSR) (National Road Safety Authority) over the Christmas and New Year festive period. There is a nationwide campaign on safe driving about to start on Television and across the media with the message, “it is better to be late than not arrive”

The aim is to reduce the number of deaths on the roads across the holiday period and there will be a large presence of the police on our roads over the next few weeks.

Now a look at some of the stories that have happened in the Algarve in the past week.

PSP detains 14 people in the last week in the region

Last week, the PSP detained 14 people in operations carried out in the Faro District Command area , which encompasses the 16 municipalities of the Algarve, most of them for road crimes, the security force announced . In the period between November 24th and 30th, nine arrests were made for crimes linked to compliance with the highway code, including “four for driving under the influence of alcohol and five for lack of legal licence to drive”, stated the same source in a statement.

The PSP clarified that one arrest was also made for crimes against authority, another for crimes against property (theft and theft) and three judicial arrest warrants were served for drug trafficking, which resulted in the seizure of 220 doses, mostly cocaine and hashish, completed by the PSP.

The security force also noted that it carried out 17 road inspection operations in the main urban centres of the Algarve in the same period, with 1,205 vehicles being inspected”, and carried out radar speed checks on 1,164 vehicles, of which 12 were found to be speeding over the limit.

AFA and Food Bank renew partnership to help those most in need

The Algarve Football Association (AFA) renews, for the fourth consecutive year, its partnership with the Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome do Algarve and is promoting the collection of non-perishable food items to help those most in need, it was announced. Food can be delivered until December 18th at the AFA headquarters, at Complexo Desportivo da Penha, in Faro, from Monday to Friday, between 9:30 am and 6:00 pm.

In the last two campaigns, the AFA raised more than 570 kilos of food for needy families in the region, with the contribution of clubs and affiliated referee groups, sports agents, partners and other communities. All donations will later be delivered, as usual, to the Food Bank warehouses in Faro .

 

Drought Warning for The Algarve still Dire

The President of Águas do Algarve, António Eusébio, acknowledged that “there is a huge lack of water” in the region and expressed concern for the near future, since water scarcity is the most critical ever. António Eusébio, who participated in the National Meeting of Water Management Entities (ENEG), in Gondomar, described a critical scenario in the dams of the Algarve, which as a whole do not exceed around 56 cubic hectometres (hm3).

“The Algarve needs more than 115 hm3, not for human consumption, which uses 70 to 75 hm3, but for all other necessary purposes. Looking at this scenario, we are going to get less than 10 hm3 from groundwater, there is a lot of water left to go beyond the year 2024”, stated António Eusébio.

In accordance with the person responsible, the Odeleite dam currently has around 26 hm3, after the input of around 10.5 hm3 with the October rains, the Odelouca dam has 8.8 hm3, which added another 500 thousand cubic metres at the time.

In Bravura, the situation is more critical, with the dam close to the dead volume level, a situation that has already happened this year. In Funcho, the water level is around 11 million cubic metres.

Despite the country being at the beginning of the wet period, António Eusébio assumes that the Algarve is experiencing “one of the most critical situations ever in terms of water scarcity” and is concerned with “what might happen”.

For several years, an investment effort has been made to overcome these constraints, now reinforcing an allocation of €170 million from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). The joint plan to mitigate the effects of drought in the region estimates that it will be possible to achieve around five hm3 in agriculture and two in public supply by reusing this water resource.

On the other hand, the desalination plant will produce 16 million cubic metres of freshwater per year.

To these measures are added the capture of the dead volume of the Odeleite dam – fro m450 litres per second and the capture of the Guadiana River.

However, despite large investments, these measures represent around 62 million cubic metres and may not be sufficient if the course of climate change is not reversed.

The person in charge admits, despite every effort that’s being made to meet deadlines, it will be difficult to complete some of these investments by 2026 – such as the desalination plant in Guadiana.

Over a 10-year period, António Eusébio anticipates that other investments of the same order of magnitude will be necessary, including a new desalination plant.

The administrator who participated this afternoon in a round table, which discussed the circular economy combating the threat of climate change, admitted that “measures a little more aggressively in other sectors””, given the critical situation in which the region finds itself.

At the start of ENEG, the vice-president of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), José Pimenta Machado admitted that the water shortage in the Algarve is the “worst ever” and if this scenario continues, in early 2024 it may be necessary to impose limits on consumption.

New water point in Loulé will support firefighting

The construction of the water point and its access path was made with local natural materials. Through the transfer of a plot of land by an owner, and in a joint work with the Association of Forest Producers of Serra do Caldeirão, the City Council of Loulé created a new water point next to the Miradouro do Caldeirão (Sítio do Feitoso), in the parish of Ameixial, informed the municipality.

This structure, located in a retention basin of 6 hectares, with a size of flooded area of 1750m2 and an average height of 5 metres, reinforces the support for air and land means, falling within the Integrated Rural Fire Management System.

The construction of this water point and its access path was made with local natural materials. The work contemplated the creation of crossing zones to safeguard the crossing of combat vehicles, reads the note. The Municipality of Loulé wants to pursue “a concerted strategy in favour of the defence of the forest and that also involves the creation of structures that allow to make the territory more resilient and prepared to respond to situations such as forest fires”.

Help the homeless in the Algarve

Algarvian days may be filled with sunshine, but the nights are now starting to draw in and overnight temperatures dropping, with much colder weather still to come.

Please spare a thought for the homeless men and women who have no option but to sleep on the streets, the numbers of which (according to the Red Cross Portugal) have increased due to unemployment, rising living costs and high rental rates.

In 2019 after a chance encounter with a homeless man at a local petrol station, Anita van Huson started a small campaign to help the homeless organising a Christmas gift of a new sleeping bag and welfare package. By 2021 the campaign had grown, reliant on the generosity of public donations and a few volunteers Anita was able to distribute 159 sleeping bags and welfare packages.

This year, wanting to replicate the 2021 campaign success, we have been in touch with active homeless associations (Red Cross, C.A.S.A, soup kitchens etc) across the Algarve (Lagos – Tavira) to determine how many homeless would benefit from this Christmas bag and package campaign. Times have most definitely got harder and we already have 200 sleeping bag requests with this anticipated now to rise to as many as 250 bags once we hear back from all associations involved. Our primary goal is to distribute a sleeping bag to everyone in need. If we have excess funds to enable everyone to also get a welfare package then that would be a bonus! If any of our readers would like to help, here is how you can do it.

Financial support – cash/paypal/bank transfer to enable us to purchase suitable sleeping bags – compact, >1 kg weight (to ensure warmth) – on average €25 per bag.

2) DONATE – buy suitable sleeping bag(s) or provide excellent quality 2nd hand ones and deliver them to us for distribution.

How companies can help –

3) As above or consider sponsoring the bulk purchase of other essential items for the welfare packages – e.g. 200-250 fleece-lined hats, gloves etc

This year’s campaign is being coordinated by Eve Clifton – please email eacalgarve@gmail.com or call (+351) 932 755 866 for more information and how to donate.

Thank you for reading this report and if you haven’t already done so make sure you subscribe to our regular newsletter by going to our website: www.safecommunitieportugal.com

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 29th November 2023 

by Mike Evans

A very good day to you all reading this from the Algarve and beyond. With the cold days becoming more regular we are all looking at ways to stay warm and for many the Wood Burner is a staple part of living here in Portugal. However, these don’t come without their safety issues and if you are using one for the first time, or you have had a new one installed since last winter you should check that it is working correctly.

Here are a few Do’s to consider- DO—make sure there is enough clearance between the stove and combustible materials, including floors, walls and ceilings. DO—place the stove on a noncombustible, fire resistant base. DO—have a mason or other competent person inspect the chimney. DO—burn only dry, well-seasoned wood. Not all wood is the same. Burn dry, seasoned wood to reduce particle pollution. Split wood dries much faster. Softwoods, such as Douglas fir, need six months to dry. Hardwoods like oak need at least 12 months. Never burn garbage, plastic, treated lumber, or driftwood– they emit toxic fumes and particles.

If it is an old burner, Use a wire brush to clean your stove pipe and chimney at least once a year. Also, occasionally use controlled, high-temperature fires in the stove or furnace. Don’t bother with the salt-based chemical cleaners. And never use heavy items such as chains, bricks or a brush on the end of a rope, because they could seriously damage the interior chimney lining.

Now a look at some of the stories from around the region in the past week.

Water scarcity in the Algarve is the “worst ever”, according to the APA

The water shortage in the Algarve is the “worst ever” and if this scenario continues, at the beginning of 2024 it may be necessary to impose limits on consumption, admitted on Monday the vice-president of the Portuguese Environment Agency ( APA ) .

“This year, the Algarve is worse than last year, it is in the worst situation ever. We’ve never been like this. It is a new path that we are taking”, stated José Pimenta Machado at the National Meeting of Water Management Entities (ENEG) which started until Thursday in Gondomar.

The situation is of “particular concern”, and could “eventually” lead the APA to “take difficult measures”, in January or February, he anticipated, revealing during his intervention that the group of reservoirs in the Algarve region currently accounts for 30 hectometers less cubic (hm3) than in 2022.

On the sidelines of the event, José Pimenta Machado clarified that APA monitors the water level in the reservoirs daily, and decisions are made based on this analysis.

“Everything has to be evaluated based on water reserves. We are in the middle of winter and it is in winter that the reservoirs recover water. We will have to carry out rigorous and continuous monitoring of the evolution of the level of the reservoirs and then, eventually, in January, February, we will have to take measures so that, above all, there is no shortage of water”, he stressed.

The vice-president of APA took the opportunity to point out the control of water consumption and the strengthening of groundwater inspection as possible measures to mitigate water scarcity. The official also said that the situation in the Mira River Basin, in Alentejo, is similar to the Algarve region, however, in that case, “human consumption is more than safeguarded”.

According to the weekly reservoir bulletin of November 20, the volume stored increased in three river basins in the country and decreased in 12 compared to the previous week.

According to the same document, there are five reservoirs with a storage percentage that does not exceed 20%: Campilhas (6%), Monte da Rocha (8%), Vigia (16%), Arade (15%) and Bravura (8%), the last two in the Algarve.

José Pimenta Machado – who participated in the afternoon in a round table on adapting to the new European directives on water – was, however, satisfied with the work carried out by the ‘task force’ created in June to mitigate the effects of drought in that region. At that time, the Government decreed a reduction in the quota of water for agricultural use and for golf courses by 20% in the Odeleite dam, in Castro Marim . If golf courses have the capacity to reuse wastewater, the limitation increases to 50%.

The measures came at a time when a third of the country was in severe and extreme drought, with the Algarve and Alentejo raising the greatest concerns.

This was confirmed by the vice-president of APA, who said that in some stations in the Cávado and Lima basins, precipitation values ​​in the order of 1,000 litres were recorded: “that is, it rained more in 15 days in that area than it rains in two years throughout the Algarve region”, he highlighted, adding that these phenomena bring added challenges.

The official also recalled that investments are being made in the Algarve region to find alternative sources, such as the project to build a desalination plant in the municipality of Albufeira, which is under public consultation until December 19th.

Public investments of around 342 million euros are also planned from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and European funds, to increase water resilience.

Three arrested for drug trafficking in Silves

Two men and a woman, aged between 25 and 56, were arrested on Thursday, the 23rd, for drug trafficking, in the municipality of Silves, GNR reported today. According to a statement, the military from that security force carried out two search warrants, one at home and the other in a vehicle, in the town of Tunes , as part of an investigation into drug trafficking, which had been going on for around two months.

The GNR also seized in the same operation, among others, 15 cannabis plants, 206 doses of marijuana, two doses of hashish and a pistol.

The detainees were made defendants and the facts were communicated to the Portimão Judicial Court.

2 Arrested suspected of attempted murder and robbery in Portimão

The Judiciary Police , through the DIC of Portimão, identified and detained two men, for the alleged responsibility for attempted murder and robbery crimes, committed last July, in Portimão, it was announced today. “During an attempted robbery with a sharp weapon, in a vacant place in the centre of Portimão, the suspects attacked the victim with several stab wounds to the torso and upper limbs, taking into account that he refused to reveal the location where the money was located, which they intended to steal”, details the PJ in a statement.

“After the robbery was foiled, they fled without assisting or providing assistance to the victim, who was left in a very serious condition, only not dying because she was assisted, intervened and hospitalised, a situation that still persists, with an organ having been removed that , due to the injuries, he was in an irreversible state”, the note continues.

The detainees, aged 22 and 25, with criminal records, were present for the first judicial interrogation, having been imposed the measure of coercion of periodic presentations and the prohibition of contact with the victim.

The investigation is held by the Public Ministry of Portimão.

Man arrested with more than 5,300 doses of heroin in the municipality

A 29-year-old man was arrested on Monday, November 20th, in the municipality of Loulé , for drug trafficking, announced the National Republican Guard. The arrest was made by the Faro Territorial Command , through the Loulé Criminal Investigation Unit, following a tip.

The military carried out police investigations and located the suspect’s vehicle, which hid 5,356 doses of heroin in the engine compartment.

During a search of the suspect’s residence, two cell phones, a laptop, a precision scale and several plastic bags for storing the drug were also seized.

The detainee was present at the Judicial Court of Faro, for the application of coercive measures.

Man Arrested in Tavira, author of threats to police who was wanted for murder

Police authorities arrested a man for threatening and insulting police officers, in Tavira, and who was wanted for other crimes, including murder, abroad, the PSP announced today .After appearing before the Court of Appeal of Évora, which has jurisdiction to decide on cases of extradition of foreign citizens subject to European arrest warrants, the 53-year-old detainee entered a prison, where he will wait until he is extradited, according to the PSP in a statement, without specifying the man’s nationality.

In the note, the PSP reveals that the police officers were carrying out civil service and, during a conversation with other people, “the detainee, without any reason to predict it, addressed them with threats and insults”.

The agents identified themselves as police officers, but the man “maintained his aggressive behaviour” and made “death threats”, ending up being “handcuffed and handcuffed, with the help of citizens, given the resistance and violence” he demonstrated, even according to PSP.

“As he is a foreign citizen, information was requested through international police cooperation channels, and it was found that the citizen had already been convicted of serious crimes, such as the crime of qualified homicide in 2005”, reads the note from the District Command of Faro from PSP.

According to the PSP, the detainee was also “indicted, after 2020, for other violent crimes such as robbery, sexual abuse and offenses against physical integrity”, in addition to being the target of complaints for other crimes, “such as damage, theft and rape of domicile”.

GNR chase Truck Driver from Tavira to Guadiana Bridge

The GNR chased a truck on the A22 on Friday night, all the way from the Tavira junction to the Guadiana bridge.

Several other drivers on the A22 had alerted emergency services to the irregular driving of a heavy vehicle weaving “between the left and right lanes” of the A22.

The GNR pursued the truck driver from the Tavira junction, all the way to the Guadiana bridge, alerting the Spanish Guardia Civil of the situation.

The Guardia Civil in Spain eventually managed to intercept the vehicle on the A-49, in the Huelva area, and the driver was detained.

Road inspections and infractions rise across the whole of the country

During the first seven months of the year, 81.5 million vehicles were inspected in person and through automatic means, 12.6% more compared to the same period in 2022, and 694,000 infractions were detected. According to the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), regarding infractions, there was a similar increase (12.2%), according to the road accident report across the whole of Portugal.

The vast majority (67%) were due to speeding (+21.6%): “There were increases in almost all types of infractions, highlighting, in addition to speeding, those relating to the system child restraint (+40.0%) and lack of insurance (+19.4%), among others”, reads the document

Regarding driving under the influence of alcohol, between January and July 2023, 1.12 million drivers were tested, which represents an increase of 29.3% compared to the same period in 2022. Road crime, measured in total number of arrests, increased by 12.2% compared to 2022, reaching 21.2 thousand drivers. Of the total, 55.4% was due to driving under the influence of alcohol (+12.9%), followed by 35.0% due to lack of a legal driving licence (+17.4%).

Since the points licence system came into force in June 2016, the number of drivers who lost points on their driving licence was 618,800 by the end of July 2023.

Since June 2016, 2,666 drivers have lost their licence (due to revocation), according to the same source.

Finally as we get closer to the Christmas period we all need to be mindful of safety and security issues both when we are out on the roads as well as when we are in our homes. Here are a few hints to be mindful of at this time of the year.

When it comes to Christmas decorations in the home, never leave candles unattended and make sure you put them out before going to bed. Never put candles on the Christmas trees. Beware of trailing cables and wires. Tripping on lights cables may result in trees falling over or worse accidents.

If you are spending Christmas away from home, It’s always exciting to share holiday memories, but avoid posting too much information about your travel plans on social media. The wrong people may find out you are away from home and take advantage of your absence.

Glimpsing a twinkling Christmas tree through a neighbourhood window makes most of us warm and fuzzy inside. Unfortunately, not every passer-by has good intentions, so make sure to obscure outsiders’ views into your living space.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 22nd November 2023

by Mike Evans

A very good day to you all. With the weather due to get cooler in the next few weeks, it is probably a good time to get rid of any old garden waste as the fire risk is very low. This year has been one of the best on record for the lack of rural fires across the whole of Portugal including the Algarve, more on this further in this report, so make sure if you are burning waste that you follow the rules and stay safe.

With Christmas approaching, Safe Communities hosted an event in Sao Bras de Alportel. The event organised by Safe Communities Portugal and Amigos do Museu do Traje São Brás de Alportel was well attended with just under 50 participants. We were grateful that Marlene de Sousa Guerreiro Vice-Presidente Câmara da Municipal de São Brás de Alportel and Coronel Carlos Almeida GNR Commander Faro District Territorial Command were able to attend.

Presenters were Dr.ª Raquel Viana Head of the Communication, Innovation and Special Projects Division, Autoridade Nacional de Segurança Rodoviária (ANSR) and  Capitão Samuel Afonso, GNR, Comando Territorial de Faro, who both delivered really excellent presentations in English that were very well received by the audience. These covered very wide topics concerning crime prevention and road safety and the operations planned over the Christmas and New Year periods.

Now a look at some of the stories from around the region for the past couple of weeks.

Man dies in collision between motorcycle and car in Castro Marim

A 47-year-old man died today following a collision between a motorcycle and a light vehicle on Estrada Nacional 122 (EN122) in Castro Marim.

According to a source from the Algarve Sub-regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, the accident, which occurred in the town of Azinhal, also caused two minor injuries. The collision, for which an alert was given at 3:46 pm, forced the road to be closed until 5:15 pm, he said.

There were 17 operatives on site accompanied by six vehicles and a helicopter, the source concluded.

Three Motorcyclists die on the Algarve Roads within 12 hours at the Weekend

Three young motorcyclists lost their lives in the Algarve in three separate accidents last weekend, two of the motorcyclists lost control of their vehicles on the EN124-1, between Silves and Lagoa and the third on the IC2, in Salir, Loulé.

The alert for the first accident was given early in the evening, at the roundabout on the EN124-1, between Silves and Lagoa,  near the access to the A22. Rogério Marques, from Lagoa, aged 36, was assisted at the scene by emergency services, but died soon after at Portimão Hospital.

Almost simultaneously, “about a kilometre away, another motorcyclist, Rafael Candeias, 28 years old, from Bensafrim, Lagos, who belonged to the same group of friends as the first victim, suffered a crash on the junction between the EN124-1 and the EN125. His death was pronounced at the scene.

The last fatal incident occurred at 9:39am and took the life of 29 year old Miguel Bentes, this time at the IC2, in Salir, Loulé. Death was pronounced at the scene.

The GNR Criminal Investigation Unit for Road Accidents is investigating the circumstances of the three fatal accidents.

Two arrested for drug trafficking in Carvoeiro

Two 28-year-old men were arrested this Friday, November 17th, in Carvoeiro , in the municipality of Lagoa , for drug trafficking, announced the National Republican Guard. The arrest was made by the Faro Territorial Command, through the Carvoeiro Territorial Post, during a patrol.

The military noticed that two men were inside a vehicle demonstrating suspicious behaviour, and proceeded to carry out an inspection. During the action, the occupants showed some nervousness and 16 doses of cannabis and 15 doses of hashish were seized.

The detainees were accused and the facts were communicated to the Portimão Judicial Court.

Collision between two vessels leaves four injured on the Gilão River

Two recreational boats collided during the night of Thursday, November 16, at the mouth of the Gilão River , in Tavira , causing four injuries, one of them serious, announced the National Maritime Authority. The alert was given by a member of the public at 8pm and members of the Tavira Maritime Police Local Command, Tavira Municipal Firefighters and INEM were immediately called to the scene.

Each of the vessels had two people on board, one of whom was thrown into the water and became unconscious.

A member of the public who witnessed the accident rescued the man from the water using a pleasure boat and immediately carried out resuscitation manoeuvres, transporting him to the Quatro-Águas pier. Firefighters subsequently continued to provide assistance to the victim and transported him to a hospital unit.

The people ended up returning to the scene and using a tow from one of the injured boats, they took it to land, where they were assisted by firefighters. The other vessel was later recovered and towed ashore by the Maritime Police, finding itself out of control.

The Tavira Maritime Police Local Command took charge of the incident, having seized the vessels as a precautionary measure and means of evidence, initiating a maritime accident process to determine the causes of the accident.

28 violations detected at a campsite

The Faro Territorial Command of the National Republican Guard (GNR) detected 28 violations at a campsite in the municipality of Albufeira on November 11th , the security force announced. The infractions were detected through the Nature and Environment Protection Service of the Albufeira Territorial Detachment during an inspection action aimed at illegal camping.

87 campsites were inspected, which were found to be in non-compliance with the standards established for the installation of septic tanks.

During the action, 28 infraction notices were drawn up for non-compliance with these standards, which will be sent to the Portuguese Environment Agency.

Burnt area of ​​2800 hectares in the Algarve in 2023, well below expectations

The area burned in the Algarve in 2023, around 2,800 hectares (ha), is “much below” expectations given the meteorological severity of the region, affected by heat and extreme drought , highlighted the regional Emergency and Civil Protection commander.

“It’s a positive year. Within what was expected, we had a very positive year, well below the area that would be expected to be affected. Much lower, which is due to the efforts of all Civil Protection agents and forces that make up the device”, said Vítor Vaz Pinto, on the sidelines of the presentation of the balance of the Special Device to Combat Rural Fires in the Algarve.

In a year that was “particularly demanding from a meteorological point of view”, with high temperatures, lower than normal precipitation and all municipalities in severe or extreme drought, meteorological severity, a parameter that allows comparing the meteorological conditions to which fuels are subject, was “ very high” in the Algarve.

The weighted burned area for the region based on this meteorological severity “pointed to 17,800 hectares”, but in reality it was “considerably lower”, said the regional commander of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC).

“Only 16% of this expected area was affected, that is, just over 2,700 ha [2789.21 ha]. It is, in fact, quite significant and here you can see the work that was done by all the forces of the device”, highlighted Vítor Vaz Pinto.

Between January 1st and October 31st, 269 fires were recorded, which were ignited in the region and resulted in a burned area of ​​789.77 ha, according to published data.

Compared to the history of the previous 10 years, in 2023 there were 16% fewer rural fires and 44% less burned area compared to the annual average for that period.

Compared to last year, these values ​​indicate a 28% increase in the number of fires and a 62% reduction in the total burned area.

On the other hand, the fire that broke out in August in the area of ​​Baiona, municipality of Odemira, district of Beja, whose burned area was more than 7,500 ha, also affected the Algarve municipalities of Aljezur (1,635.85 ha) and Monchique ( 363 , 59 ha).

Of the 269 fires that broke out in the region, 259 were controlled in the initial attack, before reaching the 90 minutes counted from the time of the alert, and average dispatch times were recorded for resources of 50 seconds, “well below” the maximum fire time. two minutes scheduled for the entire continental territory.

In 2023, fires with a burned area of ​​less than one hectare were the most frequent in the Algarve, representing 94% of the total, and there were only three fires with a burned area greater than 100 ha.

The investigation of all fires allowed the attribution of a cause for 161, the most frequent being misuse of fire (36% of the 269), accidental (14%) and arsonism (10%).

The ANEPC regional commander also highlighted the “substantial increase” in false alarms, which mostly correspond to authorised burning and represented 51.6% of the 556 occurrences between January 1 and October 31.

“Just because there are many false alarms, it does not mean that it is necessarily negative. This means that the population is more aware of these situations and naturally activates the system. […] I think it’s positive for people to activate the system and not wait. It is best to call 112, even if other people have done so, it is always preferable to communicate. The faster the alert arrives, the more likely it is that the fire will be put out”, maintained Vítor Vaz Pinto.

Algarve Fraudster Arrested in Brazil

Algarve fraudster Luís Estiveira, a 58 year old Portuguese businessman, who was on the run after being sentenced to seven years in prison for nine crimes of aggravated document forgery, has been arrested in Brazil.

The suspect was in a restaurant in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil, when he was detained by the Federal Police after being on the run, wanted by Portuguese police and with an Interpol Red Diffusion alert.

The Federal Police of Brazil reported that the arrest was carried out with the support of the Special Action Group Against Organized Crime (Gaeco/MPPB) and the Civil Police of Paraíba.

The businessman will be handed over to Brazilian authorities to be extradited to Portugal.

The Portimão court had convicted the man for using false bank guarantees to purchase fuel from oil companies, through the consignment system. Previously, he had already been convicted of the same crimes in Faro. The scheme, which took place in 2010 and 2011, was dismantled by the Judiciary Police (PJ) in 2014.

The forged bank guarantees, coming from a local bank, included the banking institution’s seal and the signatures of two administrators, allegedly forged by the defendant. To provide greater credibility, the guarantees were authenticated by a notary. Through this scheme, which involved the participation of three defendants, the businessman managed to acquire, from Sopor (currently Petrogal) and CEPSA, approximately one million euros in fuel, the supply of which was never paid for, according to reports.

At the time the trial was taking place, Luís Estiveira vehemently denied having falsified the bank guarantees, claiming to be the victim of a conspiracy on the part of the oil companies.

And Finally with the sad reports of the death of 4 motorcyclists on the Algarve Roads..

Motorcycle road safety campaign

The Christmas Campaign “And suddenly, everything changes!”, starts on Wednesday (15 November) with the aim of raising awareness among motorcyclists about reducing road accidents, according to the National Republican Guard (GNR).

Provisional data from ANSR indicates that in the period between January 1 of this year and August 31 there were 6,466 road accidents involving motorcycles, resulting in 85 fatalities.

Between January 2019 and August 2023, according to ANSR data, 35,233 road accidents involving motorcycles were recorded, resulting in 581 fatalities.

The campaign will run until December 15th and also aims to practise defensive driving and adopt safe behaviours on the road.

To everyone on the Roads, Stay Safe.