Year: 2025

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 2nd July 2025

Overnight stays in tourist accommodation in the Azores increased by 3.1% in May

The Azores recorded more than 444.8 thousand overnight stays in tourist accommodation in May, an increase of 3.1% compared to the same period last year, according to data revealed today by the Regional Statistics Service (SREA).

“In May, 444.8 thousand overnight stays were recorded in all tourist accommodation establishments (hotels, local accommodation and rural tourism) in the Azores, a figure 3.1% higher than that recorded in the same month of the previous year”, reads the SREA Tourism Activity report, released today.

According to the document, the increase is higher than that recorded at national level (1.3%).

In the first five months of the year, the Azores exceeded one million overnight stays in tourist accommodation (1.4 million), an increase of 7.3% compared to the same period last year.

In May, the region recorded 136.5 thousand guests (up 5.2%), with an average stay of 3.26 nights, which increased by 2% year-on-year.

Residents abroad accounted for more than half of overnight stays in May (70.6%), totalling 313.9 thousand, 5.2% more than in the same period last year.

With 130.9 thousand overnight stays (29.4%), the national market registered a drop of 5.8%.

Cory’s shearwater is a bioindicator of marine pollution in the Atlantic, as proposed by Portugal

A proposal presented by Portugal for the adoption of the Cory’s Shearwater as a common bioindicator of floating plastic pollution in Region V of OSPAR (Wider Atlantic) was approved, in an initiative led by the Government of the Azores.

The new environmental indicator will allow the evaluation of the quantity, composition and temporal evolution of plastic ingested by juvenile shearwaters found dead during the period when they leave their nests.

This species, abundant in Macaronesia, appears as an alternative to the Arctic fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), used in other OSPAR regions, but absent in the southernmost latitudes, the Azorean executive added.

On the Regional Government’s website, it is stated that the Cory’s Shearwater “belongs to a group formed by several species of seabirds (Procellariiformes) that includes albatrosses, shearwaters (…) and storm-petrels. (…) The Cory’s Shearwater is the most characteristic seabird of the Azores and one of the oldest on the planet. Cory’s Shearwaters spend a large part of their lives at sea (pelagic birds), coming ashore only when it is time to breed, to build their nests, mate, incubate their eggs and care for their young.”

This is a proposal presented by Portugal for the adoption of the Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris borealis) as a common bioindicator of floating plastic pollution in Region V (Greater Atlantic).

It is led by the Regional Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries – Regional Directorate for Maritime Policies, with scientific support developed by Yasmina Rodríguez and Christopher Pham, researchers at the OKEANOS Institute for Marine Sciences Research (University of the Azores) and is the result of a monitoring program initiated in 2015, within the scope of the internationally recognized “SOS Cagarro” citizen science campaign.

In addition to the Cory’s Shearwater as a bioindicator, an environmental assessment threshold was also approved: a maximum of 20% of the birds analysed must contain more than four plastic particles in their stomachs, based on a minimum sample of 200 juvenile birds collected over five consecutive years.

It is now expected that the ministerial meeting will reaffirm the political commitment to the implementation of this new indicator, reinforcing regional collaboration and contributing to the objectives of the Environmental Strategy for the Northeast Atlantic 2030 (NEAES 2030)”.

 

 

ALGARSAFE’25 – Portimão International Civil Protection and Rescue Fair

 

Presentation to the foreign community 1400 hrs 22^nd May 2025

Between the 22nd and 25th of May, Portimão Arena and the Parque de Feiras e Exposições will be the venue for ALGARSAFE’25 – Portimão International Civil Protection and Relief Fair at the Portimão Arena.

This is the 4th edition of what is considered the largest civil protection and relief fair south of the Tagus, which has been held every two years since 2016, marking the calendar when it comes to this important area of ​​society.

Event tailored for the foreign community

Included in the presentations will be an event in English tailored for the foreign community on the subject of risk awareness and preparedness against various disasters such as rural fires, earthquakes and storms. This will take place at 1400 hrs on Thursday 22^nd May 2025. Safe Communities Portugal will be presenting together with the GNR, Civil Protection and ICNF. This will include how to recognize the risks brought about by various extreme weather conditions which Portugal faces and, by understanding these risks take steps to reduce the impacts, such by minimizing damage to property and avoiding loss of life. The GNR will be presenting land cleaning. There will be opportunities to ask questions as well as tour the various exhibits on display. The event is free. Registration eventos@ahbvp.pt

This fair once again brings together in a single space more than fifty public and private entities

The exhibition space inside the Portimão Arena will have a direct connection to the outside, in the Fair and Exhibition Park, where the public will be able to watch demonstrations and training activities, and be able to visit the exhibition of resources and equipment from the different Civil Protection Agents and participating exhibitors. There will also be live demonstrations, training sessions, and drills carried out by operators in simulated emergency scenarios, including extrication and fighting urban fires.

With an exhibition area of 4,000m2 inside the Portimão Arena, plus a further 30,000m2 in the Fair and Exhibition Park, this event is co-organised by Portimão City Council and Portimão Firefighters, with the support of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), the National Firefighters School, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), and the Portuguese Firefighters League, in addition to other Civil Protection Agents and cooperating entities.

 

 

Recipe to minimize the impacts of a “blackout”

 

By Duarte Costa Former President of ANEPC

 

Let’s start from the beginning. We are never prepared for low-determinism, high-impact contingency situations, but planning and implementing well-worked and tested routines prevent wasting time, guide actions and, in crisis and catastrophe situations, save lives.

The situation that Portugal experienced this Monday cannot be called a crisis or anything like that, but for citizens who have become accustomed to living dependent on a set of resources and capabilities, the lack of one of them ends up creating disruptions where everyone complains and no one is right, not forgetting that the proximity of elections exacerbates the desire to take advantage of what happened, both positively and negatively. And seeing this from the outside, as is my case now, ends up providing me with the necessary distance to analyse the model of action in a situation like this.

Let’s be pragmatic and leave value judgments to those who seek causes and not solutions. Personally, I prefer solutions.

Portugal has an organized response structure that, when used under the correct conditions as per the legislation, allows us to avoid deviations in the response and the consequent loss of time. Thus, in a situation like the one that occurred or a similar one, there are 4 fundamental actions foreseen in our organization as a State. Namely:

1. Immediately convene the National Security Office in order to understand how what is happening may impact the protection profiles to be applied to infrastructures, especially those that are critical.
2. Convene the Higher Council for Internal Security, which operates within the scope of the Internal Security System (SSI) and assists the Prime Minister and the Government (which has members present) in the exercise of their powers in the area of ​​internal security, namely in adopting the necessary measures in situations of serious threat to internal security (it worked excellently during the World Youth Days and would be a way of integrating all the information and operational conduct of all security and civil protection agents and forces).
3. Immediately hear the President of the National Council for Civil Emergency Planning, to assess what was done previously to safeguard the continuity of institutional normality (The National Civil Emergency Planning System, created by Decree-Law No. 43/2020, of July 21, aims to guarantee the organization and preparation of the strategic sectors of the State to face crisis situations, with the aim of ensuring, in particular, the freedom and continuity of government action, the regular functioning of essential State services and the safety and well-being of the population. This President is inherently the President of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) and participates in the meeting of the Superior Council for Internal Security, mentioned in the previous point, hence the relevance of the SSI in this response system).
4. Within the scope of the Internal Security System, promote only one single point of institutional communication in order to maintain the connection with the Government, coordinate the communication manoeuvre, and avoid alarmism and misinformation.

All four of these actions can and should be carried out simultaneously, and actions 2, 3 and 4 have already been tested (with excellent results) and trained during the organization of the World Youth Days. The key word is “coordination”, which avoids scattered, inconsequential manoeuvres that waste resources and can generate confusion and chaos.

 

From this point on, it is a matter of conduct and contingency, and everything must be managed, at this level of crisis, by the Secretary General of the SSI and with the presence of those responsible for the institutions mentioned above and others that may become necessary. Always bear in mind that more serious crises may require another type of decision-making process.

In terms of government action and for this specific case that occurred this Monday, it is important to highlight the following aspects that help to minimize the impacts of what happened:

1. Activate the Energy Emergency Plan and declare a state of energy emergency if the crisis continues, or if it has a major initial disruptive impact, while simultaneously prioritizing essential sectors: hospitals, public safety, communications, water supply, civil protection.
2. Provide transparent, centralized and frequent communication, informing the population immediately about the situation, explaining, if possible, the causes, expected duration, and above all what is being done to maintain normality. Above all, disseminate clear instructions for responsible energy use.
3. Mobilize emergency power sources, activating available power stations that can be quickly operationalized and informing people of their availability in case of need, in order to reassure people. Also use emergency generators in hospitals, public transport and logistics centers (which must be tested in normal times and subject to fines if this is not observed).
4. Ensure strategic reserves of diesel, natural gas and gasoline for essential services and, if necessary, control and prioritize the sale of fuels.
5. Support the vulnerable population, creating Population Concentration and Support Zones (ZCAP), support centers for people without access to energy, especially the elderly, the sick and vulnerable families (ANEPC already has a long history and experience in creating emergency ZCAP, with guaranteed food, water and shelter, especially in the event of a worsening crisis).

 

6. Prepare for the restoration and safeguard against future crises, immediately initiating a critical analysis of the electrical infrastructure through the CNPCE and investing in strengthening the electrical grid, energy storage and redundancy of energy dependence (for a country that occupies the westernmost tip of the European continent, this redundancy must be a strategic objective of the Portuguese State).

 

If everything mentioned above is done, will the crisis situation be resolved? Of course not, but the impact on people will be largely minimized, and that is what we should strive for as civil servants, that is, to serve the people. And when we serve the people in general, we are also serving the State. And because, at the end of the day, it is the people who pay for the State.

 

Former president of ANEPC

 

 

 

 

 

More than 400 Portuguese beaches have a blue flag this year: find out where they are

 

For the first time, the municipalities of Cuba and Alcanena nominated their beaches, which were awarded

More than 400 Portuguese beaches have a blue flag this year, six more than last year, with the beaches of Sintra being highlighted as receiving the award, the Blue Flag Association for the Environment and Education (ABAAE) announced today.

The distinction of good quality was awarded to 404 beaches – of which 354 are coastal and 50 are inland beaches -, 18 marinas and 22 ecotourism vessels, in a total of 444 awards given to Portugal by the international jury in 2025.

According to the president of ABAAE, José Archer, all Portuguese coastal municipalities have award-winning beaches this year.

The beaches of Sintra, which had not participated in the program for ten years, were also distinguished, allowing “the entire coast to be covered with a blue flag, from north to south and in the autonomous regions”, highlighted José Archer.

For the first time, the municipalities of Cuba and Alcanena nominated their beaches, which were awarded.

The 404 beaches are distributed among 105 promoters.

The North, with five fewer in the overall count, and the Algarve, with one fewer, were the regions that lost blue flag beaches in total this year compared to last year.

In total, the North has 75 award-winning coastal beaches (last year it had 79) and nine inland beaches (one less than in 2024).

The beaches of Árvore (Vila do Conde), Frente Azul, Seca and Silvalde (all in Espinho), Vila Praia de Ancora (Caminha) and the river beach of Merelim São Paio (Braga) no longer have a blue flag in the North. On the other hand, a new beach, Cavadinho (river beach), in Braga, has been added to the list.

The Algarve has 85 distinguished coastal beaches, having lost, compared to last year, the blue flag of Batata beach (Lagos).

In the Center, a total of 33 coastal beaches (one more than in 2024) and 16 inland beaches have been awarded.

New to the Center’s list are the river beaches of Ançã, Olhos de Fervença and Sete Fontes (Cantanhede) and Cornicovo (Penacova) and the coastal beaches of Barra do Sul (Aveiro) and Costa Nova Sul (Ílhavo).

In the Center, São Pedro da Maceda (Ovar) and the river beaches of Côja (Arganil), Louçainha (Penela), Mâmoa (Santa Maria da Feira) and Bogueira (Lousã) no longer have a blue flag.

In the Tagus river basin, 66 coastal beaches have been awarded (five more than last year) and 15 river beaches (one more).

According to EBAAE, the Olhos d’Água do Alviela river beach (Alcanena) has a blue flag for the first time in this hydrographic region and the Alvares river beach (Góis) has been reinstated.

The coastal beaches of Adraga, Grande, Maçãs and Magoito, in Sintra, and São Julião, in the municipality of Mafra, also re-entered.

The river beach of Sesmo, in the municipality of Castelo Branco, has lost its blue flag in this region.

In Alentejo, there are 31 award-winning coastal beaches (two more) and 10 inland beaches (one more).

The river beaches of Albergaria dos Fusos (Cuba) and the coastal beaches of Monte Velho and Porto das Carretas/Albarquel, in Santiago do Cacém, are new beaches with a blue flag.

In the Azores, 46 coastal beaches have been awarded, one more than the previous year, Calheta dos Lagadores beach, on Terceira Island.

In Madeira there are 18 coastal beaches with a blue flag, including Prainha, in Caniçal, Machico.

The official ceremony of raising the first blue flag on a coastal beach will take place this year in Santa Cruz da Graciosa, in the Azores, on June 3rd.

The first blue flag on a river beach will take place at the Quinta do Barco river beach, in Sever do Vouga, on June 15th.

The first marina to fly the blue flag will be Vilamoura, on June 20th.

23 Blue Centers (information structures and environmental education activities located near beaches) distributed throughout all regions were also recognized.

Portugal ranks sixth among the 51 countries that develop the Blue Flag Program, taking into account the awarded locations.

The announcement of the Blue Flag Association was made today at the Vasco da Gama Aquarium, in Dafundo, Oeiras, district of Lisbon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Land Cleaning deadline extended to 31st May 2025

It determines that fuel management work/fuel management lanes can take place until May 31.

Considering the meteorological conditions that have been observed, with persistent precipitation and high water content in the soil, which limits the periods available for carrying out fuel management work, also creating conditions for an overgrown in the ecosystems, with the consequent higher accumulation of wood fuel;

Considering, further, that recovery actions are taking place following the passage of storms that hit several regions of the Mainland and which, locally, created large accumulations of fallen wood fuel;

3 — This order shall come into force on the day following its publication. Published today April 16.

Download here

 

 

Almost half of Europe with record annual temperatures in 2024

 

The number of days with strong, very strong and extreme thermal stress was “the second highest ever recorded”. The study also highlights fires in Portugal and increased rainfall and flooding.

Almost half of Europe will see record annual temperatures in 2024 and 60% of the continent will see more days than average with at least “severe heat stress” due to heat, a report released Tuesday said.

The joint report by the Climate Change Monitoring Service of the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation programme (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the number of days with strong, very strong and extreme heat stress was “the second highest on record”.

This meant, on average, “almost a month of at least strong heat stress and around 12 tropical nights”, says a Copernicus statement on the State of the European Climate 2024 report.

Thermal ‘stress’ is when the human body’s ability to regulate its temperature is hampered by environmental conditions that are too hot or too cold.

Study highlights fires in Portugal

Copernicus had already reported that in 2024, the hottest year on record, global warming exceeded 1.5°C (degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels for the first time, the desirable limit set out in the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.

The sea surface temperature (SST) in the European region was also the highest ever recorded, 0.7 °C above average, 1.2 °C in the case of the Mediterranean, and the same occurred in European lakes.

Regarding extreme weather conditions, the study refers to forest fires in Portugal, which in September 2024 burned around 110,000 hectares (1,100 square kilometers) in one week, which represents around a quarter of the annual total area burned in Europe.

“An estimated 42,000 people have been affected by wildfires in Europe,” the statement said.

At the same time, the area of ​​Europe with sub-zero temperatures is shrinking, and last year the area with fewer than 90 days of frost was the largest on record , while glaciers in Scandinavia had the highest rate of annual mass loss.

It was the “largest mass loss of any glaciated region in the world”, according to information released by the Copernicus programme.

More rain and floods

The report also highlights the fact that Western Europe had one of the ten wettest years since 1950 and the continent as a whole suffered more floods in 2024 than it has since 2013.

Almost a third of the river network experienced major floods that exceeded at least the floodplain, with storms and floods causing at least 335 deaths and affecting around 413,000 people.

 

In September, hundreds of thousands of people in Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Italy suffered the consequences of Storm Boris, which caused flooding, massive power outages, disruptions to transport networks and led to mass evacuations of residents in some areas.

Late the following month, torrential rains caused devastating flooding and deaths in the Spanish province of Valencia and neighbouring regions.

Europe is the “fastest warming” continent

The losses caused in Europe last year by extreme weather events were estimated at 18.2 billion euros (13.4 billion in 2023), 85% of which were attributed to flooding.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo says the report highlights that Europe is the “fastest warming” continent and is suffering significant consequences from climate change.

“An additional fraction of a degree of temperature rise matters because it increases the risks to our lives, economies and the planet. Adaptation is essential. That’s why WMO and its partners are stepping up efforts to strengthen early warning systems and climate services to help decision-makers and society at large become more resilient. We are making progress, but we need to go further and faster, and we need to do it together,” she added, quoted in the statement

 

 

European scientists use AI to predict and prevent wildfires

 

Portugal is also investing in artificial intelligence to monitor the cleanliness of fuel management strips in the NOVA FCT Clean Forest project.

European researchers, including Portuguese ones, are using artificial intelligence to revolutionize forest fire forecasting.

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts has developed a new model called “Fire Probability” that uses machine learning to analyse large volumes of data and more accurately predict where fires might start.

In Portugal, artificial intelligence is being used to prevent fires with the “Clean Forest” project developed by researchers at NOVA FCT, which monitors the cleanliness of fuel management strips.

Predict the exact location where a fire could break out

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing wildfire forecasting, enabling more accurate assessment of risk, not just based on weather conditions, but also factors such as the amount of vegetation available to burn and potential ignition sources.

The model developed by scientists at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) promises to identify more accurately the places with the greatest potential to burn.

It’s more than predicting danger: it’s pinpointing the exact location where a fire could break out.

“In some ways it’s a step change in fire forecasting because we’ve gone from suggesting where fire danger might occur to saying: this is where we think fires are actually going to occur. So it’s a big step forward,” ECMWF climate scientist Joe McNorton told Reuters.

An intelligent model to predict fires

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) has developed a new model called Fire Probability, which uses machine learning to analyse large volumes of data and more accurately predict where fires are likely to start.

Current forecasts are based on the Meteorological Fire Index, a system that considers four variables: temperature, wind, precipitation and humidity. However, this method has several limitations, explained Joe McNorton.

“Historically, to predict wildfires, we’ve used what’s called the Fire Weather Index. It’s a simple, physics-based model that uses four weather variables – temperature, wind, precipitation and humidity – to predict how intense a fire will be if it does happen. But we know that this model leaves out a lot of important factors – it doesn’t take into account fuel, it doesn’t take into account ignition sources,” the scientist said.

By integrating data on the vegetation present – the fuel – and on possible ignition sources, such as lightning or human activity, the ECMWF model can go beyond simply identifying danger – it can now indicate the real probability of a fire starting in a specific location.

 

“With all of this, we can predict not only the fire danger, but the actual probability of a fire starting in a specific location,” McNorton said.

New model predicted the start of the Los Angeles fire

One of the most striking recent examples occurred in January in Los Angeles, when wildfires killed 28 people and destroyed around 16,000 structures.

For example, in a recent case in Los Angeles, the fire started right in the transition zone between the urban area and the forest, which made the situation particularly serious. This is because the previous season had been marked by very wet conditions, which led to an abundant growth of vegetation – that is, fuel – that ended up burning during the fire. ”

This new method, based on the probability of fire occurrence, “incorporates the ‘memory’ of this abundance of fuel into its formulation, which allowed us to identify the regions that could be most severely affected – unlike models that only consider meteorological conditions. Therefore, in this case, our prediction was much more accurate and was even able to indicate the exact location, very close to Los Angeles, where the fire ended up breaking out”, he said.

Monitor the cleanliness of fuel management strips

In Portugal, Artificial Intelligence is also used to prevent fires.

The Floresta Limpa project , coordinated by NOVA LINCS at the Faculty of Science and Technology of Universidade Nova de Lisboa , focuses on continuous monitoring of fuel management zones (FGCI), using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to detect faults and monitor the evolution of combustible material. The platform automatically assesses compliance with legislation requiring the cleaning of these areas to stop the spread of fires.

One of the main innovations is the mobile application for local authorities and the population to report, consult and monitor the cleaning status of the FGCI in municipalities such as Almada, Mação and Santarém, with the ambition of extending coverage to the entire national territory .

The system integrates satellite data, namely vegetation index patterns, and allows the collection of updated and reliable information on the state of the strips, helping to plan cleaning actions and reinforcing monitoring.

Hottest year on record has worsened fires

In 2024, record levels of greenhouse gases contributed to the hottest year on record , with extreme weather events affecting several continents. Wildfires displaced 800,000 people, the highest number since systematic data collection began in 2008.

 

 

 

False rental scams in Portugal have increased in complaints to the PSP

 

The schemes “often occur through online advertisements and newspaper classifieds”, and in the end, “the victim ends up losing the amount sent and never has access to the promised property”.

The number of false lease scams recorded by the PSP in the first quarter of this year increased by 25% compared to the same period in 2024, totalling 390, the police revealed this Wednesday, warning of the increase in this phenomenon.

Data from the Public Security Police show that this crime, generally associated with computer fraud, “ is increasingly covered by a greater diversity of criminal typologies ” and has “ a growing expression ”, with those reported in 2022 standing at 1,214, which increased to 1,542 in 2023, with a small decrease to 1,511 in 2024.

In the last three years, the PSP registered a total of 4,267 crimes of fraud through false leasing of real estate and, between January and March of this year, 390 complaints were recorded, an increase of around 25% compared to the same period in 2024 (+77).

This security force states that there has been “a high number of daily occurrences reported”, adding that, as a result of digital evolution, the methods used are not easily detectable, being more sophisticated and dangerous.

The police explain that, in the world of computer fraud, scams on online accommodation platforms have become “a growing problem”, with the fraudulent scheme inducing victims to pay in advance for non-existent or already occupied properties, believing that they are guaranteeing a legitimate reservation.

These schemes, according to the PSP, “often occur through online advertisements and newspaper classifieds”, offering accommodation and attractive prices, often with real images and addresses.

The scammers then establish contact by email or telephone, negotiate payment and instruct victims to transfer money, either by bank transfer, check or cash, and in the end, “ the victim ends up losing the amount sent and never has access to the promised property ”, he adds.

How such scams work

In a statement, the PSP provides several practical examples: once the money has been deposited in the bank account, the suspect removes the property advert from the internet , disconnects all contacts used in the process, stops responding to emails , and the victim immediately realises that they have been scammed; or after the money has been deposited in the bank account, the suspect maintains contact with the victim and takes his stance to the end, responding evasively to any suspicions raised by the victim, who only becomes aware of the scam  afterwards , often after having travelled to their destination and realising on site that the house they thought they had secured did not exist.

Prevention

The PSP advises people to look for websites, newspapers or classifieds companies that guarantee confirmation of the veracity of the advertisements, to be suspicious of advertisements in which prices are below market value, comparing them with other properties with similar characteristics and located in the same geographical area.

It is also advisable to search for property details on the internet, as there may be references to previous scams, and to request additional details about the property, such as photos of the interior, copies of electricity, light or gas supply contracts, checking the identification details and address provided.

Pay attention to the details of the property and check whether they match.

Tenants must immediately contact the bank if the advertiser informs them that they have not received any amount or that there are problems with the payment processing, requesting a new transaction and, if fraud is found, immediately cancel the payment already made

 

 

 

 

RASI – Overall crime decreases and violent crime increases in 2024

 

Violent and serious crime increased by 2.6% last year compared to 2023, with 14,385 crimes registered, while general crime fell by 4.6% with 354,878 reports, according to the Annual Internal Security Report (RASI). Alist of the highest general crimes is at the end of this post.

General crime is similar to that in 2015 when 356,032 crimes were registered, a difference of 0.3%.

A preliminary version of the 2024 RASI, a document that has been approved by the Superior Council for Internal Security, shows that in violent and serious crime, the crimes that increased the most were robbery by snatching (up 8.7%), car theft (up 106.3%), robbery in commercial or industrial buildings (up 21.7%), rape (up 9.9%) and robbery at banks or other credit institutions (up 128.6%).

Violent crimes that fell the most last year compared to 2023 were harrasment in the work place (-16.2%), serious assualts (-6.1%), robbery on public roads except by snatching (-0.3%), other robberies (-8.3%) and robbery at a fuel station (-12.3%).

Regarding the crime of rape, the preliminary RASI document indicates that last year there were 543 rapes, 49 more than in 2023, when 494 were registered. Another crime with the biggest increase was bank robbery, which in 2024 totaled 32, 18 more than in 2023.

Homicides registered a small decrease, with 89 crimes being reported, one less than in 2023.

RASI states that, of the 89 homicides, 23 were in the context of domestic violence (one more than the previous year), with knives and firearms continuing to be the instruments most used for homicides.

General crime, which is recorded by the GNR, PSP, PJ, Maritime Police, Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE), Tax and Customs Authority (AT) and Military Judicial Police, totaled 354,878 reports in 2024, 17,117 fewer than in 2023.

In terms of general crime the highest was again Domestic violence with 26,041 cases reported. This was a reduction of 0.5% compared with 2024.followed by simple assaults 24,383.

The full list of the most reported crimes in 2024 is as follows.

“However, it continues to show very high partic