The Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) detained a foreign citizen, at Porto airport, for using a falsified Greek identity card, intending to travel to Dublin.
The man, about 35 years old, was later identified by SEF as being based in a country in Eastern Europe. He was arrested as well as for being in Portugal illegally.
A 37 year old Brazilian was recently arrested for drug trafficking when he was found to be in possession of a suitcase containing 1.94 kgs of cocaine. The drugs were sufficient for 9700 individual doses.
He has appeared in court and has been placed in custody pending trial.
The Daily Mail report states that the personal details of 13,000 Barclays customers were in the hands of fraudsters for up to seven years, it emerged last night.
The treasure trove of information – including names, dates of birth and addresses – was on a memory stick found by chance in a police raid.
The data extended even to jobs, salaries, debts, insurance policies, mortgages and passport and national insurance numbers. It is feared that thieves may have made multiple copies of the sensitive files.
Furious customers rang the Mail to denounce Barclays for offering just £250 in compensation for the appalling breach.
‘It’s a total insult,’ said Anthony Gibson of Scarborough. ‘I have not had a proper explanation of who was responsible for this data theft and why, as presumably neither have thousands of their loyal clients.’
The memory stick was found in February when police arrested a man in Brighton on suspicion of ticket fraud. The information, which dates from 2008, came from a defunct Barclays unit that sold investments and pensions.
Other details included the results of psychometric tests about customers’ attitude to risk – which could be exploited by fraudsters cold calling people in investment scams.
Over the past few weeks Barclays has written to all affected customers with the offer of compensation.
Mark Garnier, a Tory member of the Commons Treasury committee, said: ‘Barclays must accept any losses incurred by customers as a result of this pretty colossal breach of trust.
‘This is appalling and will cause even more reputational damage for the lender.’
John Mann, a Labour member of the same committee, said: ‘This breach is extraordinary and has endangered thousands of customers. The level of compensation is clearly inadequate. We have no idea who this data has been sold on to.
‘Banks thrive because they are meant to be reliable. This undermines the whole concept of the bank.’
Last year another memory stick was discovered containing encrypted files with information on 2,000 Barclays customers.
The bank is thought to be investigating whether the data in both breaches was stolen by an employee.
Barclays says there is no evidence the files have been exploited by fraudsters.
It added that customers will be able to check their credit records for free for 12 months to ensure there has been no unusual activity. In the letter apologising for the debacle, Matt Hammerstein, Barclays director of customer experience, says: ‘We regret to inform you that a copy of some historic information you provided to Barclays Financial Planning has been recovered by police during a criminal investigation unrelated to Barclays. We are very sorry this has occurred.’ A spokesman for the Information Commissioner’s Office, which investigates breaches of the Data Protection Act, said: ‘We are aware of the incident and we will be making enquiries.’
‘It is simply a separate USB data stick that was not received at that point in time and was recently discovered by the police. We have proactively contacted the affected customers to apologise, as well as to offer them enhanced fraud protection and monitoring. We have also proactively reviewed all data that we hold to see if we can see any sign of suspicious activity and will continue to do that. We continue to co-operate with the relevant authorities on pursuing those responsible for this criminal act.’
Under the supervision of mistreatment of pets, Law No. 69/2014, in force since October 2014, the National Republican Guard (GNR) through the Nature Protection Service and the Environment ( SEPNA), recorded from October 2014 until the end of June this year, 2239 complaints (248 / month and about eight / day) of pet cruelty
Of these 50 were classified under the law as crimes (average of approximately five / month); and there were 2240 cases where a contravention (average 248 / month and about eight / day), took place.
The GNR is available 24 hours / day and throughout the country coverage (mainland and autonomous regions) the “SOS Environment and Territory” line through the blue number 808 200 520 or via link http://goo.gl/1zRBfA, where people can report any cases that might violate the environmental legislation and / or an animal.
More detailed statistics can be found here
The findings come from research commissioned this month exclusively by the Institute of Advance Motorists, which asked 500 drivers how they use their smartphones and tablets in the car.
19% of 25-35 year olds admitted taking selfies whilst driving
Despite this, it seems that many drivers are clearly getting away with these activities as the number of drivers given penalty points for using a smartphone at the wheel fell by more than 40 per cent in 2014.
Nine per cent of drivers admitted to taking a selfie. This increases to 15% of young drivers aged 18-24 and 19% of 25-35 year olds. Women are less selfie obsessed than men, with just 5% of women citing they have taken a selfie while driving compared to 12% of men.
Eight per cent of drivers admitted to driving while using a video-calling application such as FaceTime and Skype to make and receive video calls, rising to 16% among 18 to 24 year olds.
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The results also showed that 18% of drivers have accessed the internet using their smartphone or tablet, rising to 27% of drivers aged 18-24 and 34% of drivers aged 25-34 while driving ‘in the last month’
16% of 18-24 year olds making or receiving video calls whilst driving
An IAM study in 2012 showed that using a smartphone while driving is more dangerous than driving at the legal alcohol limit or when using cannabis. Drivers have much slower reaction times, difficulty staying in the same lane and are less able to adapt to even slowly changing circumstances.
IAM’s chief executive officer, Sarah Sillars said: “Everyone knows how dangerous using a smartphone or tablet is while driving. That’s why it’s shocking to see new trends like taking selfies and making video calls becoming common practice.
34% of 25-34 year olds accessed the internet via smartphone or tablet whilst driving
“Safe driving is everyone’s responsibility and more must be done to catch drivers using these devices dangerously by increasing the fines and points for smartphone and tablet use at the wheel – there is simply no excuse.
“Campaigns must also be introduced that raise awareness of the prevalence of the issue in society and make this behaviour socially unacceptable as drink-driving.
During the last 3 years up to in the 1st half of 2015 the Public Security Police (PSP) have arrested 75,243 people suspected of having committed any type of crime (to the 1st half of 2015).
Nationally it appears that there has been a sharp decrease in the number of arrests in 2014 compared to 2013, considering that 2 years ago the PSP recorded 32,183 arrests and last year that number decreased to 27,774 arrests. In 2015 in the first 6 months of operating activity this year by PSP, there has been an upward climb in arrests at 15,286 arrests.
The five districts that contribute most to the more than 75,000 detainees are:
The five districts that have recorded the least number of PSP arrest are:
The 10 types of crime with the highest number of arrests are
5 age groups weighing most in the arrests:
This group is interesting to note that there are at least 40 suspects who were arrested more than 10 times in those three years there two of them that were over 20 times in the same period.
Note: This is only in the main city areas covered by the PSP police and does not include arrests made by the GNR, Judicial Police and SEF.
Safe Communities Portugal is constantly striving to form partnerships with organizations that are promoting crime prevention and other ways of helping to keeping their communities safe.
Consequently we have now established a partnership with the community security project Azeitão+Seguro.
Despite some natural differences, both entities share the same values and principles:
Azeitão+Seguro is a community security project based in Azeitão region, in Setúbal municipality, just south of Lisbon. Through the engagement of the local community and cooperation with the relevant social stakeholders, its goal is to improve and promote Azeitão’s security in order to keep this region a secure place to live, work and visit.
The partnership with Azeitão+Seguro consists, essentially, in the sharing of relevant information related to criminal activity and modi operandi, experiences of each project, best security practices and advice and the most important police activity. In the future, this partnership may evolve to other areas of common interest.
For more details about Azeitão+Seguro, visit the website www.azeitaomaisseguro.wordpress.com or its Facebook page
The PSP have announced on 20th July that since 15th June when they began Operation Safe Summer 2015 – Police Always Present, nationwide, they have deployed over 15,000 police, 5,000 police vehicles and mounted over 2,000 enforcement operations.
To date more than 1,300 arrests were made, including: 324 arrest warrants, 38 arrests for illegal possession of weapon, 176 detentions for drug trafficking, 16 for irregular situation in the country, 469 for driving with excess alcohol, 170 for lack of legal documentation, 55 arrests for contempt, 25 arrests for assault police including 6 by injuries, 92 larceny / theft. The Public Security Police seized 165 vehicles, 689 documents, 68 firearms, 43 knives and 831 other weapons. In addition seized were 27,500 kg of explosives and over 63,000 individual drug doses (2,716 of cocaine, 2,411 of heroin, 8,421 hashish, ecstasy and 51 698 of other drugs).
In monitoring the over 85,000 vehicles our police identified several violations which include: verification and direct assessment of 5,879 offenses and 9,307 indirect assessments, 1,241 failure to produce documents.
They have been tested around 17,500 drivers for alcohol. The following table reflects the number of offenses as to their classification in the light of the Highway Code:
Light – 1002
Graves – 4315
Very Serious – 437
Also highlight the infractions by phone misuse while driving (969), lack of inspection (651) lack of insurance (147), lack of “seat” / child restraint system (327) and 189 violations of traffic lights.
Under the Residences surveillance program this summer we watch 592 houses through the Direct Key program and a 100% success rate – no theft and / or robbery finished. The program I am Aqui® has more than 46,000 delivered and activated bracelets and highlight this particular different nationalities who have joined, on holiday in Portugal, the Program.
The PSP will continue to combine security for vacations of Portuguese citizens and our visitors, and this operation will terminate on 15 September
On 16th July 2015 the Public Security Police Command of Porto Division of Criminal Investigation (COMETPOR), the Special Police Unit – Intervention Corps Intervention and Cinotécnico Task Force, plus teams from the Police Intervention and Control Squadrons of COMETPOR, undertook an operation targeting a wide range of individuals wanted for drug trafficking in the metropolitan area of Porto.
The investigation started nearly two years ago, under the direction of DIAP Porto, and the latest operation involved conducting 56 house searches and non-domiciliary searches located in the metropolitan area of Porto, in particular Nuno Pinheiro Torres Quarter and the Pasteleira Rainha D. Leonor, resulting in the detention of 13 persons (10 men and three women). The following was also seized:
This is the third phase of the 3 phases of the operation which has seen the arrest of 29 citizens, 11 (eleven) are already in custody; 106 house searches and seized 6.5 kg of heroin , 5.05 kg of cocaine , € 160,000 in cash, four guns, eight knives, more than a hundred rounds of ammunition different calibres, 64 mobile phones and other articles used in the preparation and direct sale of drugs.
The detainees, will appear before the Judicial Authorities.
It was reported in the UK’s Daily Telegraph on 18th July that migrants applying for a visa to set up a business or invest in the UK will be required to show proof of police checks for every country they have lived in during the previous 10 years.
Immigrants will be forced to prove they have had police background checks or be banned from entering the UK, under plans for a sweeping crackdown on foreign criminals.
From September, anyone applying for a visa to set up a business or invest in the UK will be required to show proof of criminal records checks for every country they have lived in during the previous 10 years.
Family members travelling with them will also have to show the same evidence. Anyone found to have lied about their criminal records will be banned from Britain for 10 years.
Ministers want to extend the tougher rules to other visa routes next year, once the first “trial” phase of the scheme has been evaluated.
The crackdown follows concerns over rising immigration levels and the government’s inability to deport hundreds of foreign criminals each year, often on “human rights” grounds.
Latest figures showed that “net migration” – the difference between migrants arriving and people leaving the UK – stood at 318,000, higher than when David Cameron Prime Minister and far above his target to tens of thousands.
James Brokenshire, the Immigration Minister, said: “Foreign criminals have no place in the United Kingdom and this scheme will help keep them out.
“Since 2010, checks on foreign nationals going through the UK criminal justice system have increased by more than 1,000 per cent, helping ensure more foreign criminals are taken off our streets and making our communities safer.
“But we want to go further still by preventing these people getting into the country in the first place. Mandatory police certificates will serve as an additional tool to help us achieve this.”
The initial phase of the scheme will apply to “Tier 1” visa applicants who are seeking entry as investors or entrepreneurs, and their dependants. These are migrants from outside Europe who want to set up a business, in the case of entrepreneurs, or to invest at least £2 million in the UK, in the case of those using the investor route.
Anyone unable to provide proof of criminal records checks for the past decade will be refused a visa. Records for minor offences, committed a long time ago, will not automatically lead to a visa application being rejected.
However, migrants will be banned for more serious crimes that resulted in lengthy custodial sentences.
The initiative is likely to be extended to other visa routes in 2016/17 but will not be introduced for short-term visas as this would be a “disproportionate requirement” for millions of visitors to the UK.
Last year, Home Office data showed that 602 appeals against deportations for foreign offenders were successful at immigration courts in 2012-13. These cases included 324 criminals who won the right to stay in Britain under the controversial “right to private and family life” set out in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.