Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 20^th December 2023

Good morning – Well only 5 days to Christmas and whereas it is unlikely it will be a white Christmas it may well be cold in some parts of the mainland. This week we have seen the lowest minimum temperatures so far at – minus 7.1C at Sabugal in Guarda District and yesterday morning 54 IPMA Online weather stations out of a total of 135 showing temperatures at 0800 hrs at OC or below. This is especially being felt in the valleys and more sheltered areas.

The social media predictions that Portugal would experience the highest ever atmospheric pressure (which is influencing this very dry, clear and cold weather) did not come to fruition falling well short of the record of 2015 of 1054.

With such cold weather it is important to keep warm both indoors and those working outdoors. One of the greatest risks indoors is carbon monoxide poisoning and we frequently give advice on this topic. During the cold weather there are certain precautions to take when it comes to protecting from low temperatures. Many domestic accidents are due to the effect of carbon monoxide, a toxic gas which is odourless and colourless. Reminders from the ANEPC are: not to try and keep warm using appliances intended for other uses: such as grills etc… ; keep the room ventilated; not to store gas bottles in basements or near heat sources; before you go to bed or leave the house, check if you have turned off the heating equipment; avoid sleeping next to heating equipment and to Install a carbon monoxide alarm.

Turning to overseas, it has been a tragic week with the earthquake in China that has resulted in the death of over 130 people from a 6.3 Magnitude earthquake. Although not particularly high (there are an average of 150 earthquakes of Mag 6 each year) the impact would have been greater due to the fact it was very shallow (10 kilometres) and many of the buildings were poorly constructed, as we saw in the earthquakes in Morocco, Turkey and Syria earlier this year.

Certain areas of Portugal are at high risk of earthquakes and whereas most buildings these days are constructed taking into account seismic risk, older buildings are not. In the event of an earthquake of similar magnitude, there would likely be extensive damage the number of casualties depending on the time of day. Earthquakes occurring overnight tend to have a higher number of casualties. It is important therefore in planning resilient communities this matter is addressed, by providing incentives and assistance in order to improve the safety standards of older residences, as many owners (themselves probably elderly) cannot afford to do so themselves.

With a week away from Christmas a reminder to avoiding drinking a driving. The ANSR (Road Safety Authority) GNR and PSP have launched awareness campaigns of the dangers of drink driving and will be following this up with enforcement action. Another campaign the police are undertaking is the safety of business over the holiday period, by advising owners/managers particular of bars to take care of cash holdings as takings (hopefully) will likely be much higher.

 Protecting your property and its contents from thieves is another priority and there is much owners can do to give the property an “occupied feel” if you going away for a few days as well as it is not exposed to “opportunist crime” when you go out. Keeping some lights on, a radio playing music, windows not left open and of course doors closed and locked, will help reduce break-ins. Concerning lights we would advise for safety reasons not to leave Christmas Tree lights switch on when the property is occupied. Read more of our safety tips on our Facebook posts in the coming days.

Our gratitude to all the security forces and civil protection agents who have worked hard, sometimes away from their family for extended periods, in keeping us safe throughout the year. There will be many working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day attending to emergencies as well as providing vital services, ranging from health care to dealing with, traffic accidents and keeping our communities safe

Although the 12 Days of Christmas traditionally starts on 25^th December Safe Communities Portugal is launching it from today in the form of its safety campaign covering both Christmas and New Year’s Eve periods. Based on the song “Twelve Days of Christmas”, the Campaign provides advice over the 12 days ending 31^st December.

Our team at Safe Communities wish you ALL a very happy and Safe Christmas

News

MAI presents a “medium and long-term political agreement” on forest reform

Lisbon, 19 December 2023 (Lusa) – The Minister of Internal Administration today presented “a medium and long-term political agreement” between the main political parties on the ongoing forest reform and the fight against forest fires.

At the presentation ceremony of the final report of the group of experts that analysed the 2022 rural fires, which took place eight months after it was released, José Luís Carneiro stated that the ongoing policies for forest reform take “at least the time of a generation” and which require “a medium and long-term political agreement between the main political parties with seats in the Assembly of the Republic”.

“It is not possible to have policies for three or four years and then be permanently breaking lines of work, which has very harmful effects on the effort to spend resources”, he explained, considering that it is necessary to continue the current policy of reforming the forest.

If this “political agreement” does not happen, there is a risk, according to José Luís Carneiro, “of all the efforts that are made – and which are many and expensive – being lost and destroyed due to the lack of continuity in policies”.

In September 2022, the Government set up a panel of 32 experts and scientists to independently analyse the responses given to the large rural fires recorded in 2022, such as the fire in Serra da Estrela.

The report was released on April 13, but only today did the Government decide to make a public presentation of the conclusions and recommendations proposed by the experts, in a ceremony in which the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, was also present.

 “The document is ready now and that was when it was possible to put the book in the public domain and what better way than to do so in the facilities and auditorium of the Ministry of Higher Education”, he said, maintaining that “the most important thing is that 12 of the approximately of 30 recommendations made by experts were incorporated into the 2023 firefighting strategy”.

Among the recommendations already introduced, José Luís Carneiro highlighted that this year “all resource projection times in the theatre of operations” were reduced, reducing re-ignitions by 50%.

Regional multidisciplinary teams were also created and training and coordination between air and ground resources were improved.

The minister also said that “there is still a lot to do”, with “the most important” being the reform of the National Firefighters School, which must “seek to incorporate the knowledge that is produced by all research centers and the knowledge produced by experts”, in addition to sharing within the framework of the European Union.

The document, published on April 13 on the website of the Agency for the Integrated Management of Rural Fires (AGIF), presents a set of recommendations in the areas of prevention, combat and organization, management of large fires and protection of populations after an analysis of fires Serra da Estrela, Murça and Vila Pouca de Aguiar Ourém, Ansião and Leiria and Albergaria-a-Velha.

In the report, experts criticized “the option of multiplying human resources” in different entities and question the mobilization of a large number of combat resources, which sometimes presents “deficient preparation or leadership”.

The experts also argued that the professionalization of volunteer firefighters should be encouraged, especially the elements that make up the Permanent Intervention Teams and command staff.

The experts also consider that the damage caused by forest fires should be calculated at the “parish scale and not the municipality scale”.

According to the document, the criteria defined by the Government to assess losses “are not adequate”, as they benefit municipalities with small areas and do not cover “fires that hit a parish in a municipality with a large surface area”.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 13^th December 2023

Good morning. I would like to highlight in this weekly feature some of the excellent work undertaken by police. These cases show examples of thorough and painstaking investigations followed by well-coordinated and planned operations, resulting in seizures and recovery of stolen property and the arrest of those involved.

We start with yesterday – The case involves a mega-operation conducted by the Judicial Police against drug trafficking in the capital which resulted in the arrest of one of the biggest drug traffickers in the capital, Heitor Brandão, in the cafe he owned at the time of his arrest. The detainee is considered by the authorities to be one of the biggest Portuguese traffickers, as a result of the many kilos of drugs he trafficked into national territory. We are awaiting more details.

Another case, also yesterday, involved a mega GNR operation resulting in the arrest of 12 persons in Braga and Porto for the theft of over 100 vehicles. During the investigation, the GNR managed to return 27 vehicles to their owners. Ten men and two women were arrested on Sunday, in the districts of Porto and Braga. According to the GNR, they are suspected of stealing more than 100 vehicles, with an estimated value of three million euros. According to the press release, the action culminated in the execution of 12 arrest warrants, 54 search warrants, and 10 preventive seizures of bank accounts.

A different type of theft – but one that causes heavy losses to olive producers. The GNR in a more protracted operation have recovered more than 10 tonnes of olives and detrained 62 suspects of theft of agricultural products. These are the results of the GNR operation aimed at the present harvest season in the district of Beja. The data, indicated in a statement by the Beja Territorial Command of the GNR on Monday, relate to the period between June 26th and December 4th of the “Campo Seguro 2023” operation, which is still taking place in this Alentejo region. According to the GNR, in this period, 199 awareness-raising actions were carried out, in which 595 people were covered and 376 officers were involved.

A big thank you, therefore, to the security forces.

Turning now to the subject of fuel management (land cleaning). A research project in Coimbra has concluded that there is no significant difference in fire behaviour between managed and unmanaged areas close to infrastructure, and revealed a lack of scientific support for the current fuel management policy (Land cleaning).

Joaquim Sande Silva, who coordinated the InduForestFire research project, together with João Paulo Rodrigues, stated “We were unable to prove, in statistical terms, that there is a statistically significant difference between managed areas and unmanaged areas [next to infrastructure],” For the researcher and professor at the Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra, the review of the legislation around fuel management bands that came out in 2018, after the large fires that had occurred the previous year, “has not produced with any scientific basis, nor experts in the field were not even consulted to produce this legislation.”

According to the researcher, the legislation currently in place forced “highly debatable work”, with trees of high heritage value being “cut down”, without any scientific support that could demonstrate that these same trees would be a threat to the safety of people and infrastructure. In the forestry component, the team focused on fuel management and the forest composition around infrastructures, “with the backdrop of the legislation currently in force and in the process of being reviewed and amended”. We await the outcome of this and how the results will impact on the fuel management laws currently in place and will monitor closely.

Lastly the Festive period for many means good food, good drink and great company. In the lead up to, and during, the festive period, however, we inevitable see an increase in alcohol related crime, especially drink driving and dangerous situations that people have little control over, resulting from excessive consumption of alcohol. The ANSR, GNR and PSP will be undertaking various operations to try and help people have and enjoyable and Safe Christmas and New Year’s festive period. We are promoting these through social media and newsletter etc., and as you all to follow the advice being given.

With that our team wishes you a very happy week ahead.

News

International operation detects 16 infractions for timber trafficking in Portugal

Lisbon, 12 December 2023 (Lusa) – Portuguese authorities registered 16 infractions linked to illegal timber trafficking in an international operation to combat networks involved in environmental crime, smuggling and tax evasion, among other crimes, it was announced today.

The “Madeira de Lei 2.0 2023” operation took place between the 13th and 17th of November and included the participation of the GNR, through the Nature and Environment Protection Service (SEPNA), the PSP, the Tax and Customs Authority (AT), the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) and the Maritime Police, reads a statement released today.

According to the statement, the inspection actions were encouraged by Europol and El PAcCTO (cooperation program between Europe and Latin America, based on assistance against organized transnational crime) and carried out within the scope of the Convention on International Trade in Species of Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

In addition to Portugal, they involved security forces and services from Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain and aimed to combat networks involved in environmental crime, illegal logging, smuggling, tax evasion, money laundering money and document fraud.

Of the 16 infractions for illegal timber trafficking detected in Portugal, five occurred due to lack of registration in the CITES national register and another five due to lack of registration and data recording in the Integrated Electronic Waste Registration System (SIRER), three due to lack of registration for the commercialization of exotic woods, two due to lack of registration as a wood commercialization operator and one due to lack of annual CITES endorsement.

29 infractions were also recorded for other reasons, namely the transport of goods and violation of the highway code.

The statement adds that, of the 213 inspection actions carried out, 108 were carried out on operators of trade and transformation of wood and wood products, 90 on transporters of wood and wood products and 15 on containers present in sea ports.

The operation also included the collaboration in certain inspection actions in the Districts of Braga, Porto and Santarém, from an expert from the Brazilian Federal Police in wood identification and forest information analysis.

At an international level, the entities highlight that, out of a total of 226 inspection actions, wood from Myanmar (formerly Burma) was seized, worth €12,000, and wood from Brazil worth €67,000.

“The illegal timber trade is an abominable practice that involves the devastation of an area of ​​forest equivalent to a football field every two seconds around the world. The illegal timber trade depletes natural resources in countries of origin and has a direct impact on deforestation and, consequently, climate change,” noted Europol.

The illicit timber trade is one of the most financially profitable transnational criminal activities, generating almost 6.5 billion euros annually.

Various types of wood – such as teak, rosewood, ipê and Pernambuco – are highly sought after in European countries, where they are used for various purposes, including the creation of ornaments and construction in general.

Organized criminal groups mask the origin of wood through falsifying documents and bribery to get through customs controls, which is why this crime includes numerous environmental crimes, illegal logging, smuggling, document fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Thursday 7^th December 2023

Good morning everyone. The 3rd December marked the International Day of persons with disabilities.  More than 1.3 billion people experience significant disability today, which represents 16% of the global population. Many persons with disabilities die earlier, are at increased risk of developing a range of health conditions, and experience more limitations in everyday functioning than the rest of the population. Persons with disabilities are often disproportionally affected by disasters and have different and uneven levels of resilience and capacity to recover.

Many are socially or logistically isolated and lack access to evacuation warnings and appropriate transportation for themselves, for those who care for them and any medical equipment necessary for their well-being. When we consider and take action concerning disaster preparedness, be it rural fires or flooding we can do our part by ensuring that family members those we know with disabilities are also prepared. We can do much to help them.

Turning to the subject of using phones whilst which despite being a dangerous practice is the cause of many serious and fatal road accidents. In Portugal, despite the results obtained in the last two decades, on average, 650 people lose their lives on the road each year. A number far from the only acceptable number: ZERO.

The temptation to respond to calls and notifications from your cell phone is the cause of many accidents, whilst driving. Texting whilst driving is the most dangerous distraction. Campaigns being conducted by the ANSR, GNR and PSP emphasise that: Using a cell phone while driving increases the likelihood of having a car accident by four times; at 50 km/h, looking at your cell phone for 3 seconds is the same as driving a distance of 42 meters blindfolded, the equivalent of a line of 10 cars and, using a cell phone while driving increases reaction time to unforeseen situations greater than the effect of a blood alcohol level of 0.8 g/l. It begs the question therefore why would anyone use their phone whilst driving given these facts?

To reduce the risk while driving and avoid this dangerous distraction, opt for one of the following strategies: Turn off your cell phone, or activate silent mode; place the cell phone in the glove compartment or in a place that does not allow access; turn on voice messages so people can leave messages while you travel; stop at an authorized and safe location to check or return urgent calls; avoid, whenever possible, using hands-free mode and take the initiative to say that you will call back later, whenever you realize that the person you are calling is driving. Fines range from €250 to €1250, driving ban from 1 to 12 months and 3 points deduction on licence.

With the winter season upon us there is a bigger demand on heating appliances and other equipment used for keeping us warm at this time of year. It is also a time when there is an increase in household fires. Many electrical fires can be prevented by following some simple electricity safety tips. These include checking electrical wires for wear and tear – replace any that are damaged; avoid overloading plug/power sockets; checking that you’re using the correct wattage in all your fixtures and appliances and switching off and unplug Christmas them before you go to bed or going out.

Whether you own or rent your home, it’s important to know the signs of a potential electrical problem. Look out for scorch marks, flickering lights, hot plugs and sockets, fuses that blow or circuit-breakers that trip for no obvious reason. These could all be signs of loose or dangerous wiring. If in doubt get them checked by a qualified electrician; you are within your rights to ask this of your landlord if you are a tenant.

We congratulate the organisers and volunteers who support The Food Bank’s campaign against Hunger who collected almost 2,300 tonnes of food from last Friday to Sunday, 10% more than in the same period last year. The president of FPBACF Isabel Jonet, recalled that there are more and more people experiencing serious financial difficulties: “When people ask for help with eating, it is when all other requests for help have been exhausted. It’s not easy to ask for help with eating.” There are around two million people who live on less than 591 euros per month remembering that half of these people live on less than 224 euros. A most worthy cause.

Our team wishes you a safe week ahead

News

Lisbon – Earthquake Emergency Response Planning

Lisbon, 05 Dec 2023 (Lusa) – The organized response of emergency services to an earthquake can take up to around 72 hours, which is why the Municipal Civil Protection Service (SMPC) of Lisbon is working with parish councils to plan relief.

According to Margarida Castro Martins, director of the SMPC in Lisbon, the experience of other earthquakes suggests that it is estimated that the organized response of the emergency services “may take up to around 72 hours”, that is, three days, and that in this period 95 % of the help is provided by the population, family, neighbours and friends.

The person responsible, who was speaking at an initiative promoted by the association Lisboa E-Nova – Lisbon Energy-Environment Agency, on “Local Emergency Planning”, explained that the city council is thus preparing with the parish councils the prevention and response to the occurrence of an earthquake and ‘tsunami’.

This takes into account that no one knows the territory and the populations better than the parish councils, their workers and their residents.

The SMPC leader highlighted that the seismic risk in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML) is considered “high to very high” and that the basis of the capital’s municipality’s response is the Civil Protection Special Emergency Plan for Seismic Risk in AML and neighbouring municipalities.

The Lisbon municipality, with 24 parishes and 545,796 inhabitants, has Lumiar as the most populous parish, with 46,334 residents, and Misericórdia as the least populous, with 9,658 residents, who naturally have “different realities”, and only Local Units of Civil Protection (ULPC) in the parishes of Alcântara (2016), Misericórdia (2020) and Penha de França (2021).

The municipality is preparing local emergency plans in the parishes of Avenidas Novas, Beato, Belém, Campo de Ourique, and updating those of Arroios and Olivais.

In addition to seismic risk plans, the municipality is also promoting an evacuation plan for the riverside area in the event of a ‘tsunami’, with a warning and alert system, following an earthquake.

The municipality already has two sirens installed, in Praça do Império, in the parish of Belém, and in Ribeira das Naus, in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, and has two more planned for 2024, in Doca de Santos, (Alcântara) and Estação de Santos (Estrela), foreseeing at least six more sirens in riverside parishes, by 2026.

The national director of risk prevention and management at the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), Carlos Mendes, presented the work carried out on the seismic risk assessment in AML, which is also used for the plan for the Algarve region.

The official also highlighted that in these types of events “the first response is mainly a proximity response”, which “often is not even carried out by organized relief structures” and that, in the first hours, “citizen mutual aid mechanisms” operate mainly. .

The emergency plan for AML and neighbouring municipalities involves more than a hundred entities “for a coordinated response” to an earthquake situation, and in the case of an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale, means of support from districts of outside the area, and the definition of runways for international assistance, namely the air bases of Monte Real and Beja, or Sintra and Montijo.

International support mechanisms can come from France, Spain and Morocco, but Carlos Mendes noted that, in the case of an earthquake like the one in 1755, Spain and Morocco could also be affected, and therefore help will have to be provided within the framework of other European countries.

The Lisboa E-Nova session, according to Eduardo Silva, from the organization, despite some technical problems, aimed to raise awareness of the seismic risk in the city of Lisbon and in AML, with the aim of guaranteeing a culture of prevention, urgent to anticipate not only “the capacity to respond, but also the way in which the response is given”, in a situation of possible catastrophe.

 

Portugal Situation and Security Report Wednesday 29^th November 2023

Good morning – Firstly I would like to cover the 17th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness. Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the GPI is the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness.

Europe remains the most peaceful region in the world and is home to seven of the ten most peaceful countries. Portugal was in 7th place globally, (5^th in Europe) up one place since last year, compared to neighbours Spain in 32nd place and France 67th place. The UK was in 37th place.

Portugal was 16th place in the Safety and Security domain, up one place from last year, but 7 places lower than 2020. Globally this domain has deteriorated 5.4 per cent between 2008 and 2023. Of the 11 indicators in this domain, nine deteriorated and two improved. The largest deterioration occurred in the violent demonstrations indicator, with 120 countries seeing the impact. This domain evaluates the level of harmony or discord within a nation; eleven indicators broadly assess what might be described as Societal Safety and Security. The assertion is that low crime rates, minimal terrorist activity and violent demonstrations, harmonious relations with neighbouring countries, a stable political scene and a small proportion of the population being internally displaced or made refugees can be equated with peacefulness.

What caught my eye, however, in studying this report was that 2022 was the deadliest year for armed conflict since the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the deadliest year in the history of the GPI. This was driven by more than 100,000 deaths in the war in Tigray in northern Ethiopia. The battles between the Ethiopian Defence Force, ally Eritrea and rebel group TPLF is the single deadliest event since 1994. Ukraine also saw at least 82,000 conflict deaths in 2022. Conflict-related deaths in Mali increased 154 per cent in 2022, with violence against civilians rising by 570 per cent, while in Myanmar, conflict-related deaths increased by 87 per cent. In contrast, the level of violence in other conflict affected areas fell sharply over the past year. Conflict-related deaths fell by 91 per cent in Afghanistan, and by 63 per cent in Yemen.

Unfortunately both violence and peacefulness can be contagious. Actions in one region or country can spill over into bordering regions and countries, leading to virtuous or vicious cycles where peace and conflict move in tandem. We await the GPI report for 2024 to see how far current major conflicts currently ongoing have impacted on neighbouring countries, especially the war between Hamas and Israel.

As most people are aware there are many fraudulent schemes and scams that operate through social media. Most are there to get you to part with your money, usually through offering items at unbelievably low prices or through illegitimate or illegal means.   An example of the latter was surfaced yesterday by the Institute of Mobility and Transport (IMT) who gave a public alert related to a fraud scheme in obtaining a driving license.

According to the organization, there is a scheme being shared on social media and via SMS that promises to obtain a legal license to drive in exchange for a sum of money. IMT stated on its official website: “The IMT does not communicate payment for any of its services through these means, and therefore should not proceed, at any time, with the requested payment”. If you receive one of these SMS, and do not drive, DO NOT be tempted to try and obtain a licence through illegal means. There is no short cut to obtaining a driving licence which requires the passing of a test and obtaining a licence through the IMT

We remind people that accidents resulting from the use of a mobile phone whilst driving are one of the largest causes of road deaths. Between November 28 and December 4, ANSR, PSP and GNR are launching the campaign: “At the wheel, the mobile phone can wait”. The campaign integrates moments of monitoring and awareness among drivers and passengers. Unfortunately it would appear from the fact that many drivers ignore this, they do not understand the consequences of their actions, and the impact this may have on other road users who do follow the law.

Lastly we thank all of you who visited our stand at the Christmas Fair organised by Amigos de Museu do Traje in São Brás de Alportel, held on Sunday 26th November. By far the largest number of enquiries concerned the Emergency ID Card which was initiated by Safe Communities Portugal and developed by us in conjunction with the INEM, PSP and GNR. This can be completed and downloaded from our website, and carrying this with you means that if you have an accident, the emergency services have vital information that facilitates life support at the scene. More details and download here;

With this message our newsletter team, Susan, Mike, Chris and I wish you a safe week ahead.

News

Judicial Police seize more than 4 Tonnes of Cocaine from a warehouse in Lisbon

Lisbon, 28 Nov 2023 (Lusa)- The Judiciary Police (PJ) announced today the seizure of more than four tons of cocaine hidden in boxes of bananas in a warehouse in Lisbon, as part of an operation to combat international drug trafficking.

In a statement, the PJ said the process of detecting and removing the 4.4 tons of drugs was difficult, as they were disguised in several boxes of bananas, which in turn were housed on pallets inside maritime containers.

The cocaine came from Ecuador, reached national territory by sea, and had its final destination in other European countries, which are not specified.

During this operation, no arrests were made in Portugal, however the PJ considers that relevant evidence was collected, and the information was shared with authorities in other countries.

“Operation Anchor”, launched in recent months, had the support of the Tax and Customs Authority and is part of the effort to combat illicit cocaine trafficking, developed by the Judiciary Police in conjunction with foreign authorities.

Montalegre Municipality captured 14,654 Asia Hornets in the 2023 Campaign.

Montalegre, Vila Real, 28 Nov 2023 (Lusa) – The municipality of Montalegre captured 14,654 Asian wasps in the trap network and eliminated 56 nests in the 2023 campaign, which took place within the scope of the municipal plan to combat this invasive species, it was announced today.

The municipality in the North of the Vila Real district took stock of the 2023 campaign to combat the velutina wasp, also known as the Asian wasp, and reported that, this year, 14,654 wasps were captured, dispersed throughout the municipality’s territory.

The Asian wasp is a predator of bees and other native pollinating insects, and is a threat that has expanded in the country.

According to the Montalegre council, the vast majority of captures made in the municipality were foundress wasps, that is, wasps capable of creating their own nest (future queens).

The plan is being implemented by the Forestry Technical Office and is led by technician José Luís Tavares.

“The trap network presents excellent results, capturing a significant number of velutina wasps, however, it is important to bear in mind that these wasps are never all captured and that the participation of all citizens in identifying and signalling nests is increasingly necessary, . (Primary and secondary)”, said the person in charge, quoted in a statement.

As he explained, this year began with “a mild winter, in which the less extreme cold was favourable to the survival of many hibernating wasps, which in more adverse circumstances could perish”.

“In addition, the high temperatures in spring and summer were favourable for the wasps to disperse,” he added.

In 2023, the network of traps to combat the velutina wasp 2023 included 250 units spread across the municipality. The campaign took place between May and August, that is, it lasted four months, with eight fortnightly monitoring sessions.

According to the municipality, the parishes of Cabril, Salto and Ferral account for around half of all catches made, which “evidences that the lowest and bordering areas of the municipalities of Vieira do Minho, Terras de Bouro and Cabeceiras de Basto are the most affected by this plague.”

So far, he said, five primary nests (diameters between five cms and 10 cms) and 51 secondary nests (diameters between 30 cms and 80 cms) have been identified and duly eliminated.