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Today 3rd May 2014 marks the 103 rd Anniversary of the founding of the GNR.

The GNR have commemorated this by opening their barracks Carmo (Lisbon) to the public.  So far 16,869 people have visited. The barracks and exhibitions are open until 11th May from 100 to 18000 hrs each day.

Besides the exhibition, you can still visit the Museum of GNR, watch historical recreations (medieval characters and fights) etc. For the amusement of the children the GNR will show their dogs and horses, and even our mascots: the “Guardoo”; the “Guardoo” and “Guard Nature.” We await you!

In Loule on 3rd May 2014 the GNR will hold a display of their various work and responsibilities by the Municipal Council Building from 1000 to 1300 hrs.

 

The crime prevention displays held by Safe Communities Algarve, the GNR and PSP police during the Easter period proved popular with over 400 people visiting the stands at Praia da Luz, Praia da Rocha and Algarve Shopping Guia.

As part of the displays tourists were asked to rate how “safe” or “unsafe” did they consider the Algarve as a tourist destination, as well as the level of safety when going out at night. Of the 250 people from 16 different countries surveyed, 89.2 % rated the Algarve as “very safe”, 10% as “safe” and only 0.8% as “not safe”. As far as going out at night time were concerned 80% considered it “very safe”, 18.4 % as “safe” and 1.6%” as “not safe”.

Many of the tourists spoken to stated that they considered the Algarve was much safer than their own countries with many examples given. Some expressed concern that any disturbance late at night they encountered on holiday here was from fellow tourists mainly young people who were drunk.

Another interesting trend was that all the Portuguese tourists who participated in the survey opined that the area was much safer than Lisbon and Porto (where they were living), an observation borne out by recent crime statistics.

The displays also gave visitors an opportunity to learn more about the work of the PSP police and the GNR Safe Residence Programme. The GIPS display at Algarve Shopping proved popular with youngsters in particular, with the opportunity to dress up in GIPS uniform and sit in their “emergency” vehicle.

David Thomas President of SCA commented: “I am not surprised by the results of the survey. A number of visitors who have been coming on holiday here for many years noted that they felt more secure than they did a number of years ago, a perception that is reflected in actual recorded crime which is at a 12 year low”.  Of course there are a few crimes that will make media headlines but these have to be seen in the broader context”

“One area where more emphasis is required is to reduce the level of disturbance caused by some tourists who become so drunk that they pose a risk to themselves, annoyance to other holiday makers and unnecessary extra work for the police. More education is required in respect of this in the lead up to the summer holiday period”.

The Judicial Police South Division reported on 29th April 2014 that they had arrested a 57 year man for sexual abuse.

The facts are that at the beginning of 2014, in a locality of Baixo Alentejo, the offense took place with the victim, a girl, now aged 14 years.

The detainee has appeared at the first judicial interrogation, taking appropriate measures including prohibition to travel to the area where the offense took place and contact with the families concerned.

 

The European Police Futsal (5 a side football) tournament organized by the GNR/APG  Associacao dos Profissionais da Guarda will be held at Pavilihao Municipal de Loule from 1st to 3rd May 2014. This is located close to the roundabout on the Loule byepass at the junction with the N396 to Querenca.

The event is sponsored by Turismo do Algarve and the Council of Loule and brings together 12 teams from Portugal and France in what will sure to be an exciting tournament.

This will coincide on 3rd May with the 103 rd Anniversary of the GNR display/parade which will be held in Loule outside the Municipal office.  The display will take place from 0900 to 1300 hrs, followed by the tournament semi- finals, 3rd and 4th place playoffs and the finals at 1900 hrs.

Entry to the matches is free to the public.

Al details of the events which are open to the public can be found at

http://www.europolicefutsal.pt/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Pub1-europeu.jpg 

 

 

On 22nd April 2014 at about 1810 hrs, the Police Criminal Investigation unit of PSP Portimão  arrested a foreigner aged 43 years , for trafficking in narcotics in the city.

Following a 6 month investigation in which  another suspected had been arrested and is awaiting trial, PSP caught the suspect in the act of selling drugs. Upon arrest 67 individual doses of heroin, 4 individual doses of cocaine, 1 cellphone, 400 Euros in cash, various materials for handling and packaging of narcotics were seized.

The suspect appeared at the Court of Portimão.

During Easter the GNR conducted Operation Easter 2014 – to increase patrols and roadside checks between 00:00 hours on the 17th and 24:00 on the 20th April, with a particular focus on the most critical areas, with the aim of combating road accidents, regulate traffic and ensure support to all road users providing them with a safe movement. 

During the four days, and compared to the “Operation Easter 2013” (28-31 March), there were 591 accidents (less 212 compared to 2013); three killed (minus five); 23 serious injuries (plus 14) and 191 minor injuries (minus 99).

From 14th to 20th April 2014 the PSP conducted “Security Operation Easter in 2014”. The following three objectives were fully achieved:

· Decrease in road accidents ;

· Increased visibility in Areas of Concentration of People ;

· Increased pro active police activity through creating and crime prevention ;

As for road accidents  there were  zero fatalities (two less than in 2013 ) , 11 serious injuries (4 less than in 2013 ) , 228 minor injuries (27 less than  2013 ) and a total of 810 accidents ( 120 less than last year).

Easter is a period with some demographic changes and which also translates into more people including tourists , shopping and walking in the main cities of Portugal. The PSP has built on visible policing to promote the  feeling of security by the community.

Compared to 2013 , we continue to record a decrease in crime rates in our areas of responsibility (the major cities) down 6 % in the first quarter of the year). Actives aimed at preventing burglaries, thefts on public roads, in car thefts, pickpockets , thefts of non-precious metals were conducted during this period.

The European Commissioners , a project of Iberian cooperation  has once again been put in place by the PSP and the Cuerpo Nacional de Policia in Spain. This is aimed at supplementing police patrols in tourist destinations in each country by joint police patrols. Lisbon and Braga received elements of the National Spanish Cuerpo de Policia , especially between 17 and 20 April with the PSP visiting Spain.

The PSP was also present in Torremolinos (Spain ). and also provided support to the elderly population through the PSP Special Program ” Senior Security “.

During the period 279 arrests were made, which include 17 for theft, 12 for possession of illegal weapons, 35 as a result of an execution of arrest warrants, 22 drug trafficking and 112 for driving with excess alcohol .

More than 33000 vehicles inspected and more than 6700 drivers test for drink driving. 111 cars of various kinds were checked for various irregularities .

A total of 25 vehicles, 11 weapons ( including 3 firearms ) and more than 11,500 doses of drugs were seized.

The GNR is conducting until the 14th of May, a number of awareness campaigns at national level, especially directed at schools on measures to prevent fires by cleaning, removal of undergrowth and maintenance procedures,  fuel management, with the aim of reducing the risk of forest fire.

In 2013, the GNR experienced about 23,801 fire incidents, 43 persons were arrested and 750 suspected arsonists identified. This year, by the end of March, there were 928 occurrences of fire, four arrests had been made and 53 suspects had been held held.

The problem of forest fires in Portugal has become increasingly important, especially due to the negative impacts of fires on natural resources. In this sense, with the completion of these actions to raise awareness the GNR intends to encourage good practices and respect for nature, ensuring, ultimately, sustainability and the future of our forests.

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Portugal, Miguel Macedo, and the Interior Minister of Spain, Jorge Fernández Díaz, announced the launch joint patrols by the security forces of the two countries over Easter. This measure aims to ensure a police service  in their own language for  Spanish and Portuguese nationals travelling across the border during the Holy Week vacation.

The joint patrols fall within the “European Squadrons” project that was jointly presented for the first time in Lisbon on March 25, 2013, referred the Ministries responsible for internal security of the two countries.

This is the second year the project has been conducted and takes into account the movements of Portuguese and Spanish tourist in certain areas in both countries including Torremolinos and Benalmadena in Spain from 5th – 14th April and Lisbon and Braga in Portugal from 16th – 21st April.

During XXVI Luso-Spanish Summit, held in Madrid on 13th May 2013, the two ministers decided to reissue this initiative and agreed on conducting joint patrols during holiday Holy Week 2014.