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Three men, two of them Romanians, were detained by the Judiciary Police on suspicion of forcing women to prostitute themselves in the Bombarral, Lourinhã and Leiria areas.

According to the board of the Center of the PJ, the trio is charged with trafficking in human beings, in ​​sexual exploitation and also the crime of aggravated pimping.

The investigation was initiated following a complaint lodged by a victim, who escaped control of the defendants. At the beginning of December a number of domestic and non-domiciliary searches were carried out and the suspects were arrested, the two Romanian citizens aged 30 and 33 and 80-year-old Portuguese.

According to the PJ, “foreigners recruited the victims in their native country, being brought to Portugal with the false promise of working on farms, very well paid. Instead, they were forced to engage in activities related to the practice of prostitution on the public highway, and the proceeds were intended for the perpetrators.

The victims had their personal documents confiscated and were subject to control both on the public highway and in the homes intended for them, said the PJ, who found and seized “various objects and documents correlated with the crimes committed”

The detainees were subjected to a first judicial interrogation, and the two Romanians required to make presentations at the police station in the area of ​​their local residence was applied to the two foreigners.

A trio who was involved in the theft of tobacco machines were apprehended up by the GNR, one of the detainees being sent to the Caldas da Rainha Prison as a subject of an arrest warrant.

The operation of the GNR, triggered by the Criminal Investigation Nucleus of the Territorial Detachment of Torres Vedras, culminated on December 4 with the arrest of two men and a woman, aged between 25 and 59 years, for theft of in the districts of Lisbon and Santarém.

The investigation took place about six months ago and aimed at the commission of crimes of qualified theft, in which the group acted in an organized way pre-selectiing commercial establishments, proceeding to break in the doors, taking the tobacco machines and other articles and equipment. Subsequently the individuals dismantled the machines and sold their pieces, distributing the tobacco to several private vendors in the district of Lisbon.

This group operated in the municipalities of Torres Vedras, Lourinhã and Cadava. The police operation was carried out in the cities of Torres Vedras, Alenquer and Santarém, with 14 searches conducted, of which 12 were domiciliary and two in vehicles, resulting in the seizure of 84 packets of tobacco, seven firearms, an extendable baton, an automatic flick knife (tip-and-spring type), nine televisions (LCD, plasmas), 12 gas cylinders, three tablets and a laptop, two game consoles, a moped, 19 mobile phones, a camera and a Bluetooth speaker, various household appliances and power tools used in the practice of theft, various articles and parts of machines dismantled, and 1810 euros.

The group is also suspected of stealing religious articles in cemeteries, seizing dozens of religious figures and ornamentation.

This operation involved 80 soldiers from the various branches of the GNR and was supported by the PSP

During a routine traffic control operation mounted on one of the accesses to the city of Funchal, on the dawn of Sunday, December 2, a car driven by the 39-year-old Social Democrat deputy, serving his first term in the Madeiran parliament, was ordered to stop by a PSP transit brigade, but allegedly ignored the order. Reported by PSP 12^th December.

Instead of stopping, Luís Miguel Calaça accelerated and drove off. On the way, he almost hit a police officer, who fired two warning shots into the air.

The deputy finally intercepted later in the moening, after a police chase in downtown Funchal, where PSP reinforcements were deployed. Detained and taken to the police station, he was later released with a term of identity and residence.

In addition to the crime of driving under the influence of alcohol (a blood alcohol level of 1.87 g / l was recorded), there is a crime of disobedience of a police order and another of attempted injury of the police officer.

In a statement Luís Miguel Calaça, stated he was “fully available to collaborate with the justice system”

 

 

The Forest Police Corps was yesterday activated by the Regional Civil Protection Service to rescue a tourist who was lost in the mountains after having started the PR2 Curral das Freiras – Lombo do Urzal, in Boaventura.

Immediately the members of the Forest Police began searches in the area of ​​Boaventura, eventually finding the tourist in the Fajã do Penedo.

The 74-year-old tourist of British nationality is well and has been accompanied by members of the Forest Police to the hotel unit where he is staying.

Read about safety when hiking in Madeira by downloading our guide here.

Automated news-feed website madeiraisland.news has picked up on a story that an easyJet plane from Manchester heading for Madeira yesterday evening had to make an emergency landing at the Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto.

The Diario reports that after a change of plane, the passengers were able to continue their journey. Flight U2 1971 should have landed at Madeira Airport at 18:55, but eventually arrived on the island at 22.16.

The Metropolitan Command of Lisbon of the PSP, through the Division of Criminal Investigation, on December 12, 2018, at 00h05, in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, in Lisbon, arrested one man, a foreigner, aged 32 years, suspected of committing the crime of Theft, Computer Crime, Illegal Immigration, Document Falsification and False Declarations.

A variety of crimes against tourists of Asian origin, most of them women, were carried out a man who chose victims mainly unaccompanied tourists, essentially in the Baixa of Lisbon.

He approached and spoke to them and subsequently through the induction of alcohol and other substances, and whilst they were under the influence the culprit was able to access the victim’s credit cards.

After several investigations, it was possible to arrest him whilst caught in the act after withdrawals with a credit card from one of the victims, with whom he attended nightlife establishments. After theft of the credit card, taking advantage of the fact that the victim was under the influence of alcohol, he made withdrawals of 4750 Euros of the account of the victim.

After a house search was conducted, the following items were seized: 10 doses of  Cocaine; 5465 Euros in cash: 13 victim credit cards; Photographic Machines; 1 jacket and a shoulder bag, clothing that usually used in the illicit.

The suspect, who resisted his detention, possessed a document of a foreign citizen. Through various steps, more specifically in coordination with the SEF, it is concluded that the document was counterfeit raising doubts as to his true identity.

The criminal activity of the suspect in Portugal extends over the last two months where he amassed about 30,000 Euros, in at least 8 identical situations.

Information was surfaced that he has already served a prison sentence in Spain where he carried out the same activity criminal. There are also reports of sexual abuse of victims, facts that only the investigation can confirm. In the course of the Domiciliary Search, it was possible to identify a 26-year-old woman who was involved in one of the eight situations mentioned, the latter being the defendant providing IRR under the aforementioned records.

He has appeared for the 1st Judicial Interrogation with an application to be remanded in custody.

 

Comment

Excellent work by the PSP Lisbon Metropolitan Command

A new report from the Portuguese Firemen’s League revealed that 84 percent of fire brigades failed to report to Socorro district commanders any operational information.

The LBP said on Tuesday 11^th December that 84 percent of fire brigades failed to report any operational information to District Relief Operations (CDOS) commanders, a protest LBP says will continue “indefinitely.”

“This process will continue indefinitely. It is only stopped if there is a calamity, a catastrophe or a serious accident and then it is restarted, “said LBP president Jaime Marta Soares at a press conference to take stock of the ongoing lawsuit.

Jaime Marta Soares said that CDOS are “collecting information through INEM and the security forces”.

LBP data indicate that 348 of the country’s 414 fire brigades have joined the protest, with the Algarve being the only district reporting information to CDOS.

The Portuguese Association of Volunteer Firefighters (APBV) on Wednesday 12th December demanded an apology from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) for its statements and requested several urgent hearings to discuss the situation of the sector.

The APBV met on Wednesday evening its national bodies in plenary at the headquarters of the Volunteer Firefighters of Campo de Ourique, in Lisbon, to analyse the entire situation of firefighters in the country.

“The firefighters are discouraged and do not see themselves in the declarations that the minister has made and also that Portugal could be at risk because of the measures announced by the [Portuguese Firefighters] League,” João Marques, vice president of the APBV told Lusa.

The APBV also argues that it should be heard in parliamentary committee on the proposal to reform the Organic Law of Civil Protection, which is the origin of the controversy, expressing discontent at not being chosen for this hearing.

According to João Marques, the association decided to send letters to the President of the Republic, the President of the Assembly of the Republic and all parliamentary groups with a request for an urgent hearing, and also requested hearings from the MAI and the Secretary of State for Civil Protection.

“We had already asked the MAI and the Secretary of State for hearings, but since we have not received a response, let us ask for it again. We also asked for an audience with the president of the Firemen’s League, who we had asked before, to try to join forces to resolve the current situation “he stressed.

Among the main claims the APBV are seeking are the reinstatement of the time of service for retirement purposes, the updating of the insurance system, the creation of a medical-sanitary surveillance program for the operatives and exemptions from university fees and technical-professional courses re

The Minister of Home Affairs assured the presidents and fire department commanders that “every avenue of dialogue is open” to “build the best solutions” and respond to expectations.

“Because this is a reform designed to value Portuguese firefighters and encourage volunteering, all the ways of dialogue are open in order to build the best solutions to respond to your legitimate expectations, for the sake of the quality of protection and relief and safety of Portuguese, “Eduardo Cabrita wrote in a letter sent to the presidents of voluntary humanitarian firefighters and their commanders, which Lusa had access to.

The minister said he hoped that “in dialogue, the process could be concluded.”

The letter was sent after the National Council of the Portuguese Firemen’s League (LBP) decided to suspend all operational information forwarding to district relief operations (CDOS) commanders.

 

 

The degree of terrorist threat remains “moderate” in Portugal, but the PSP wants to ensure that security awareness is also unchanged and undertakes to strengthen the presence on the streets of several cities.

The terrorist attack on the Christmas market in Strasbourg – whose author was shot dead by police tonight – has left European authorities on alert, including Portugal.

According to the office of the Secretary General of the Internal Security System (SSI), “Portugal did not change the degree of threat, while remaining moderate.” However, the deputy prosecutor, Helena Fazenda, pointed out to the Diario de Noticais, “security forces and services will keep vigilance and safety concerns in areas and places of greatest concentration of people.”

It is precisely with the aim of “preventing acts of terrorist character as well as other serious and violent crime” that PSP – the police that protect the cities of the country – will reinforce its presence in the streets, with greater visibility from this Friday, “Ever Present Police: Secure Holidays 2018-2019” under the motto “Long live your Christmas with our security”.

In this operation there will be a visible side – mainly with the uniformed police and patrol cars – but also a more discreet element. Agents of the so-called Covert Tactical Reaction Teams (ERTE) will be distributed at several points considered most sensitive, accompanied by elements of the Special Operations Group (GOE), with unmarked cars that patrol and react immediately in case of threat.

Officers posted to the most critical areas, such as airports, transportation terminals or areas with more people, are trained and armed with MP5 machine guns. They are operational from the Intervention Corps of the Special Police Unit.

As with the Eurovision festival and the Web Summit, the PSP will install at some perimeters of squares, for example where there are more people, the so-called “hedgehogs” – metal balls with steel spikes – to avoid attacks with vehicles for mass hit-and-run.

According to an official source of PSP, the police also in the areas “where it is predicted greater concentration of people”. In “historical, tourist and commercial areas and where, where possible, larger events” will be established, “security perimeters” will be established.

In this operation, “there will also be protective measures, such as physical barriers in the premises where festivities are scheduled and large clusters of people,” and PSP promises to increase “the number of control and inspection operations to be carried out, especially in the area road safety, throughout the PSP’s area of ​​responsibility.”

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Eduardo Cabrita, made a positive assessment of the fight against forest fires in 2018, during the delivery, at Batalha, of 47 vehicles to the GNR Nature and Environmental Protection Service.

Eduardo Cabrita said that 44 thousand hectares were burned, “compared to an average of 140 thousand hectares in the last ten years”. According to the Minister, this result was possible due to “the effort of all: voluntary and professional firefighters, Civil Protection, Armed Forces and Special Firefighters”.

The Minister also highlighted the decisive role in raising awareness of the forest clean up, monitoring and combat that the Republican National Guard has developed, adding the “public awareness of the community”, which should be a dynamo to “do even more and better in the coming years”.

“We will do everything possible so that the prevention and cleaning efforts will be further intensified in the coming months, so that 2019 will be a safe year for the Portuguese,” he said.

The 47 vehicles, which are intended for the Nature and Environmental Protection Service (SEPNA), are delivered under the public tender which provides for the allocation, until 2021, of more than 2000 vehicles for security forces and services. It is recalled that the SEPNA was reinforced this year with another 100 elements.

This is the largest centralized vehicle contracting procedure since the State Vehicle Park centralization scheme was implemented in 2008.

The measure, under the Infrastructure and Equipment Programming Law of the Security Forces and Services, involves a total investment of about 50 million euros.