The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 22 March 2023
by Mike Evans
Good day to you all and with the weather starting to warm up there are a lot of things which we should be aware of regarding personal safety as well as the safety of our pets.
Make sure you are aware of the UV index for your area each time you or your family venture out into the hot sun. What is the UV index? The ultraviolet index, or UV index, is an international standard measurement of the strength of the sunburn-producing ultraviolet (UV) radiation at a particular place and time. The UV index is designed as an open-ended linear scale, directly proportional to the intensity of UV radiation that causes human skin to sunburn. A light-skinned individual would experience sunburn in about 30 minutes at UV index 6, without sunscreen. That same individual would experience sunburn in only 15 minutes if the UV index was at 12.
The scale was developed by Canadian scientists in 1992, and then adopted and standardised by the UN’s World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization in 1994. An index of 0 corresponds to zero UV radiation, as is essentially the case at night. An index of 10 corresponds roughly to midday summer sunlight with a clear sky when the UV index was originally designed.
As far as pets go make sure they have regular water available and plenty of shade when needed. For many animals they will not show signs of heat exhaustion until it is too late.
With more people turning to artificial grass rather than turf the heat can be an issue for your pets.
While artificial grass looks good, it can be dangerous for your dogs during warm summer weather. The temperature of a fake lawn can get very hot quickly – sometimes double the heat of a real grass lawn. This could lead to burnt paws, your dog wanting to avoid your garden, and even heatstroke. Be careful about fake grass (e.g. AstroTurf, etc) as tests have shown that this can actually get hotter than the asphalt when in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. As with most things in life, following a common sense approach will be the right way to go regarding how long to leave your pet out in the sun.
Now let’s look at some of the stories from around the region that have been happening this past week.
3 Arrested for Robbing Elderly in Olhao
The GNR arrested on Thursday, in Olhão , a man who, together with two other suspects arrested last week, was violently engaged in robbing elderly residents in isolated areas of the Algarve, the security force reported today.
In a statement, the GNR said that the 20-year-old suspect, indicted for co-authoring four crimes of theft and four of theft, committed on the afternoon of March 7 in Olhão, Tavira and São Brás de Alportel, will await trial in preventive detention , a coercive measure decreed by the Court of Faro.
According to the GNR, this suspect had managed to “escape police action” which resulted, last week, in the initial arrest of two other suspects, a 20-year-old man, who is also in pre-trial detention, and a 22-year-old woman. , who is free but obliged to report daily to the police station in her area of residence. “The ‘modus operandi’ of the suspects was to act violently towards the elderly, especially vulnerable people living in isolated areas, and in one of the robberies one of the victims suffered serious injuries and is still receiving hospital treatment”, reports that security force.
Drug Dealers arrested in Albufeira are in Custody
The six men arrested in Albufeira on suspicion of drug trafficking last week, in an operation that led to the seizure of 1.2 tonnes of cocaine, were remanded in custody, the Public Ministry (MP) announced.
According to a note released by the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP), which is directing the investigation with the support of the Southern directorate of the Judiciary Police (PJ), the six defendants appear for the first judicial interrogation at the Central Court of Criminal Instruction, in Lisbon, in which the heaviest measure of coercion was applied to them, as requested by the MP.
In addition to the seizure of more than a ton of cocaine, the authorities also seized around one million euros in cash, a heavy goods vehicle, other objects and documents. The six detainees have different nationalities (Portuguese, Brazilian, Croatian and Italian) and are suspected of the crimes of aggravated drug trafficking and criminal association.
“There are indications that the detainees are part of an international organisation of a criminal nature that is dedicated to transporting large quantities of cocaine by sea from South America, where it is produced, to Europe, with entry through Portugal”, it can be read. if in the press release.
According to information disclosed by the PJ on Thursday at a press conference, the group belongs to “a very powerful network” and which would have a logistical base in the Algarve, with Portugal being a “gateway” for subsequent distribution in Europe.
“We are, in fact, facing a very powerful network, both in terms of logistics and control of the narcotic product itself, until it reaches the final markets and, above all, a network that has a very, very large financial power to be able to have access to these amounts”, said the person responsible for the PJ’s South directorate, Fernando Jordão. According to Fernando Jordão, it is also being investigated whether this network has connections to others operating in the country, possibly with the groups that have been increasing hashish trafficking off the Algarve.
18 year old Man remanded in Custody Accused of Violent Crimes
An 18-year-old youth was held in custody for committing robbery and aggravated theft in Portimão , announced the Public Security Police (PSP).
The arrest was made by the Faro District Command of the PSP, through the Criminal Investigation Squadron of the Portimão Police Division, which has been investigating the case in recent months, associating the suspect with several crimes such as two robberies on the public road and two thefts in garages.
After collecting the evidence supporting the accusation, the Public Ministry of Portimão issued arrest warrants, which took place on Thursday, March 16, in the afternoon. The suspect was present before the Criminal Investigation Judge this Friday, March 17th, and he was ordered to be held in pre-trial detention and the possibility of being changed to an obligation to stay in the house when technical means of control are installed.
Vessel seized and four men arrested off the Algarve coast
A high-speed boat was seized and four men were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking in the early hours of this Friday, March 17, on the Algarve coast, announced the National Maritime Authority.
During this joint action with the Portuguese Navy and the Air Force to combat drug trafficking in international waters, 67 fuel jerry cans were also seized, after at 3:30 am suspicious movements of a vessel were monitored.
After an operation to approach the suspicious maritime-tourist vessel, through another Maritime Police vessel and another from the Navy, operated by marines, the four men aged between 30 and 40 were arrested, three of them of Moroccan nationality and one of dual nationality, Spanish and Moroccan. The suspected vessel was allegedly stolen earlier this month, in Portimão, where it was later taken, like the four suspects, to carry out the due diligence of investigation.
More than 400 counterfeit items seized in the Algarve region
The National Republican Guard ( GNR ) seized on Wednesday, March 15, more than 400 counterfeit articles in the Algarve region, announced the security force.
This seizure was carried out by the Fiscal Action Unit, through the Faro Fiscal Action Detachment , as part of an investigation into crimes against industrial property involving counterfeiting, imitation and illegal use of trademarks, which had been going on for over a year.
The GNR military located a woman who sold various counterfeit items such as clothing, footwear and fashion accessories, through social networks. After the execution of three search warrants, one at home and two in vehicles, 411 counterfeit items, a mobile phone and various elements of documentary evidence were seized.
The total value of the articles exceeds 9400 euros and will have caused damage to the State in the amount of around 2162 euros.
The 35-year-old woman was accused and the facts were referred to the Judicial Court of Faro.
And finally not just for the Algarve but for the whole of the country –
Portugal To Have a Warning System for the Population Faster than SMS
Portugal will have a new system of warnings to the population in the event of adverse events, such as bad weather or rural fires , based on a mobile network technology that is faster and more effective than the current SMS messages.
The ordinance aimed at implementing the cell broadcast warning system (“cell broadcast”), a technology that allows emergency alerts to be sent to thousands of users simultaneously in a few seconds, was published in Diário da República.
The document, signed by the Ministers of Internal Administration, José Luís Carneiro, and of Infrastructures, João Galamba, determines that the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration (SGMAI) and the Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM) to initiate actions with a view to creating a cell broadcast warning system. To this end, these three entities must deliver to the Government , by June, a report with the conclusions of the work and the formulation of proposals.
According to the ordinance, ANEPC, SGMAI and ANACOM have to identify the constraints associated with the implementation and propose suitable measures for the respective solution, determine the needs for a technological ‘upgrade’, assess the need to change the legal framework, present a timetable, with the list of actions to be developed, for the implementation process and come up with an estimate of the necessary financial investment.
Since 2018, the Civil Protection has a preventive warning system to the population by SMS (text messages via mobile phone), which is sent to citizens who are in the districts where the adverse meteorological phenomenon occurs.
The “cell broadcast” system allows sending emergency alerts to all mobile networks, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G, does not cause saturation in the mobile network, they are received according to the citizen’s location at the time, reach visitors from other countries in the affected region, in the desired language, and in near real time (4 to 10 seconds).
In the ordinance, the Government refers that the National Strategy for Preventive Civil Protection 2030 establishes that, by 2027, high-reaching technological solutions are used, taking into account the increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme meteorological phenomena, and the importance of strengthening warning and early warning mechanisms for emergency situations.
Anything that can help make lives safer is welcome. Have a good week.
Good day to you all wherever you are along the Algarve or further afield. This week marks the one year anniversary of the War in Ukraine and the Algarve has been in the forefront of supporting those Ukrainians who were displaced when the war started, As a way of honouring all Ukrainians affected by the effects of the war, but also all those who have collaborated in helping their people, the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal organised a gathering of supporters in several Portuguese cities.
According to the GNR, the suspected vessel was already dry when the military arrived at the scene, without a crew on board and in Spanish territory, and the agents verified “the presence of small vessels in the vicinity, which sought to start an escape from the GNR by sea. ”.
A group of 36 people, 4 of which were children, were rescued earlier this week after the tourist boat they were on sank, just off the coast at Lagoa near the Alfanzina lighthouse.
The Foundation’s president, Dieter Morszeck, stressed “the importance of being able to help children, who are our future. With this project we are going to make some dreams come true and I am very proud to be able to help you”. With investments in several sectors, all over the world, this is the second project in the health area in Portugal supported by Dieter Morszeck.
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: 
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.
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).