Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 21st May 2025

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all, With the start of a new service from Faro to North America making the headlines it was also the start of a new electronic system to monitor arrivals into the continent. It seems that this new system is causing issues with regards to queues of up to three hours at peak time for arrivals to clear passport control. According to the authorities the new system will take time to settle down and the hope is that the queues will be reduced. In the meantime people coming to faro will find it more time consuming depending on the time of day the flights land. Also this week the code of conduct which Albufeira Municipality have drawn up to combat excessive drinking and bad behaviour has been passed unanimously by the full council on Tuesday.

Now for more of what’s been happening across the region this week.

The Bathing Season Starts In Albufeira

Albufeira officially started the bathing season on May 15th, with a symbolic ceremony at Praia dos Pescadores, marked by the presence of members of the municipal executive, as well as several other entities in the municipality.

The bathing season will last until 15 October and, during this period, all the beaches in the municipality will be monitored by lifeguards. The increased safety was demonstrated by a simulated drowning and rescue, carried out by lifeguards, assisted by members of the Maritime Authority and the Albufeira Volunteer Firefighters . In the presence of students from several schools in the municipality, and users of the Algarve Association for the Support of Exceptional People (APEXA) and the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Albufeira, the rescuers demonstrated how the rescue and subsequent transport of victims is carried out.

For the Mayor of Albufeira, José Carlos Rolo, “all the conditions are in place for another excellent bathing season”. Shortly before watching another demonstration, this time by the people responsible for driving vehicles that collect rubbish from the sands, the Mayor also highlighted the “important work carried out by the Municipality’s cleaning teams, who ensure that the beaches are in good condition every day”.

The start of the bathing season in Albufeira took place just two days after the publication of the list of “Gold Quality Beaches”. The award is given annually by the environmental association Quercus, which distinguished 15 beaches in Albufeira – the same as in Almada, and just one less than Vila Nova de Gaia, the municipality with the most beaches with this title.

The “Blue Flag” status was once again awarded to all 25 beaches in Albufeira.

According to José Carlos Rolo, these results “demonstrate the quality of the municipality’s beaches”.

The opening ceremony included several moments of interaction with students from the schools present. The Albufeira Municipal Environmental Unit van was on site, where young people were able to play an educational game designed to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity in the ocean.

PJ Arrest 5 Real Estate Agents In the Algarve for House Scams

The Judicial Police (PJ) arrested, in the Algarve, five women who sold properties online to foreign investors, without the knowledge of the owners, and who are suspected of crimes that caused losses of more than seven million euros. In a statement, the PJ explains that the women are suspected of committing crimes of qualified fraud, document forgery and money laundering in the real estate sector.

The crimes, committed in the Algarve region , are believed to have harmed more than two dozen people. The “Turnkey” operation resulted from an investigation into the illegal activity of a businesswoman in the real estate sector, who, online, for at least a year, promoted the sale of properties in the Algarve, essentially to foreign investors, without the knowledge of the owners, who were surprised by the existence of provisional sales records for their properties.

The woman entered into contracts promising to buy and sell the properties in question at solicitors’ offices in the region or through documents authenticated by them, without the knowledge or intervention of the property owners. The PJ also added that there were buyers who ended up handing over amounts exceeding one million euros to this businesswoman, corresponding to the value of the respective deposit.

During the operation, three house searches and four searches were carried out at solicitors’ offices, during which a “large collection of documentary evidence”, computer equipment, cash and jewellery were seized.

The PJ admits the existence of other victims, since during the operation documents relating to businesses still unknown to the investigation were located, “and attempts to contact supposed clients were also perceived”.

According to the Judiciary, new complaints have been filed in recent days, for payments of more than two million and seven hundred thousand euros.

The turnkey operation was developed by the Portimão Criminal Investigation Department, with the collaboration of the Southern Directorate. The investigation, led by the Regional DIAP of Évora, had started in 2024.

Man Arrested in Faro for Knife Crime

Last Sunday, Faro’s PSP arrested a 21-year-old suspect for assaults using a bladed weapon. “At around 12:00 last Sunday, Faro Police Station was informed that a citizen had been attacked in the back with a sharp weapon in the centre of that same city ”, states the PSP in a press release.

The PSP immediately called the police on duty, who located the victim. She had injuries to her back, apparently resulting from blows with a sharp weapon, and was taken to Faro hospital to receive medical treatment.

“Based on information gathered from the victim, witnesses and the video surveillance system installed on the public road, it was possible to confirm all the facts reported and determine the identity of the attacker, who, for no apparent reason, in a very violent manner and using a large knife, repeatedly attacked the victim in the back. A police operation was carried out to locate and arrest the suspects, which was successful, having been intercepted and detained shortly afterwards, close to his residence”, it adds.

The knife used in this crime was deposited by the detainee in a container near the crime scene, immediately after the attack. With the help of the company responsible for managing this waste, it was possible to locate and seize it.

Man Spared Jail For Killing Father in Tavira

A young man who stabbed his violent father to death in a small village in Tavira in an attempt to protect his mother has been handed a five-year prison sentence – but won’t spend a day behind bars.

The court chose to suspend the sentence, acknowledging the years of abuse the young man and his mother had suffered, Jornal de Notícias reports.

Maurício Cavaco, aged 19 at the time and now 20, admitted in court to killing his 63-year-old father with seven knife wounds in December 2023. The act, he said, came in a moment of desperation to protect his mother, who had been the target of regular violence and death threats at home.

The presiding judge explained that the court had decided to “specially reduce the sentence” and “give him a chance,” citing Maurício’s age, his clean criminal record, and his cooperation during the trial. He had turned himself in immediately after the killing, calling emergency services himself.

However, the suspended sentence comes with strict conditions: Maurício must continue psychiatric and psychological treatment and remain employed. “We’re giving you this opportunity, we hope that you deserve it and the court believes you will”, the judge said. During the trial, Maurício described his childhood as marked by “constant threats and humiliation”, stating that he and his mother had endured a decade of psychological and physical abuse. The night of the incident, his mother had fled their house in the parish of Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo seeking help from neighbours. The young man said he could not remember the exact moment he delivered the fatal blows.

He has been under house arrest at an aunt’s home, with limited permission to work, attend medical appointments, and appear in court. While the court acknowledged that the father was abusive, and that domestic violence is a public crime that had gone unpunished, the judge underlined that “that was not a motive to kill”.

The court’s decision aligns with pleas by hundreds of people who signed a petition calling for his release, arguing that he was a victim, not a threat to society. Outside the courtroom this week, his lawyer, Elisabete Romão, said: “Maurício will always live with the fact that he killed his father. But today, he is a free man,” she told JN.

“There are mixed feelings: happiness because Maurício can try to start his life over again, but we cannot forget this was a murder crime. People cannot think that they can take justice into their own hands if they are the victim of a crime. What this must mean is that domestic violence crimes must be reported. We have to stop avoiding more cases like Maurício’s”.

And Finally, Safe Communities is at the Algarve Safe Exhibition in Portimao from the 22-25 May. 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. 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 22nd May 2025. This will be presented by Safe Communities Portugal, civil protection, GNR and ICNF and 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. There will be opportunities to ask questions as well as tour the various exhibits on display. The event is free. Registration via email at 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.