The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 22 February 2023
– by Mike Evans
Good day to you all and in a week where we saw so many smiling faces at the return of Carnival across the Algarve we also saw the news in the past couple of days was the accident with a pleasure cruise boat off Portimao where 36 people had to be rescued from the water. Luckily no one was injured but this does remind us that as we get further into the spring and summer there will be more and more people taking to the water and it is very important that people are aware of the risks involved and what to do to counteract these risks. Our website has a lot of good information about safety and security on both beaches and while on the ocean and although we have it under our tourist area it is something we should all be aware of as we know that it is not just tourists who enjoy the many different activities on offer along the Algarve beaches. For more information go to this link: https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/for-tourists/
Now lets take a look at what else has been happening in the last week.
Man Arrested for Suspected Sexual Assault of a Minor.
The Judicial police have arrested a 27 year old man in the Algarve, suspected of sexually abusing a minor, his 12 year old cousin. The defendant’s had violated terms of his arrest warrant in Santarém, fleeing and hiding in the Algarve region, where he was later located.
“The incidents took place between the summer of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, with the man taking advantage of moments alone with his female 12 year old cousin, while family were in close proximity”. The defendant lived in the same house as the victim., but according to a police source, the complaint eventually came from the minor and later from family members.
The PJ explained that, “at the time of the complaint, the accused voluntarily presented himself at the police station, denying the facts”.
“Once the investigations were completed, all the incidents denounced were confirmed, so efforts were made to bring the accused to court, which was delayed because of the man fleeing to hide in the Algarve.
The man is a foreign citizen, with no criminal record in Portugal, but is now detained for 15 crimes of sexual abuse of children.
Senegalese Man Arrested on Suspicion of Murder
A 32 year old Senegalese man has been arrested, suspected of a murder committed on the night of February 12th 2023, in Portimão.
The case involves two foreigners who shared the same house in Portimão for several months. According to the PJ, “conflicts were recurrent “. Following an argument on February 12th, “provoked for a futile reason and triggered by excessive alcohol consumption, the arrested man, armed with a razor, stabbed the victim in the neck area, causing her death”.
After an investigation initiated by the PSP, and in conjunction with the PJ, it was possible to collect evidence, which culminated in the arrest of the suspect, who was working as a bricklayer in the local area.
Large Drug Seizure and 3 People in Portimao
After an investigation that has been going on for about a year, the GNR have detained two men, and seized 14,000 doses of drugs, most of which were found in the storage room belonging to one of the detainees, in Portimão.
In a statement released today, the National Republican Guard (GNR) announced that, yesterday, they arrested two men, aged 51 and 53, and accused a woman, aged 38, of drug trafficking.The 51-year-old lives in Porto Covo, in Sines, while the other detainee, the 53-year-old, lives in Portimão with the accused woman.
The seized narcotics consisted of 7,367 doses of cocaine, 5,761 doses of heroin and 907 doses of hashish, with the GNR also seizing 16,155 euros in cash.
After searching the detainees’ homes, the GNR also seized four vehicles, “two in Porto Covo and two in Portimão”, five mobile phones, five precision scales and various materials related to drug trafficking.
Vandals on Tractors Cause Damage in Real de Santo Antonio Sports Complex
The Vila Real de Santo António sports complex was the target of a vandalism attack in the early hours of yesterday morning, causing damages of more than 15,000 euros.
The “damage” was made by “two tractors”, “making dangerous manoeuvres inside the municipal stadium”.
It is thought the sports complex was “the target of an attempted theft” using tractors to break in, but also causing “damage on the athletics track, on the lawns, in the vegetation and to the equipment and training areas”.
“The municipality of Vila Real de Santo António has strongly condemned the acts of vandalism, reporting the case to the authorities, with whom they are collaborating to find those responsible.
Assessment of the damage was carried out yesterday morning by councillor Álvaro Leal, who is in charge of the sports complex.
In a statement councillor Álvaro Leal said that municipal officials are “seriously committed to stopping this type of vandalism” and stressed that the equipment in question is one of the “most important in the municipality”, being “used daily by hundreds of athletes” that carry out sports internships in the county.
“In addition to strengthening surveillance, the municipality will extend the video surveillance system to the entire perimeter of the equipment, in order to stop future episodes of vandalism and protect the infrastructure”, said the councillor.
And to end this report we remind everyone that the Covid 19 virus is still amongst us all, be it not in the same severity as we saw in the past couple of years. The average number of infections, on average over five days, rose from 188 to 244 daily cases nationwide, being lower on the continent (199).
In the weekly report issued by INSA on the evolution of cases of covid-19 in the country, the RT rate, which is the rate at which infection spreads across the country, was at 1.12. The Rt – which estimates the number of secondary cases of infection resulting from each person carrying the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus – thus increased from 0.99 to 1.12 at the national level.
However, the Algarve has the highest secondary infection rate on continental Portugal at 1.36 and is only lower than the Azores.
The data shows that the indicator is above 1.00 in all regions of the country, with the North registering 1.13, the Center 1.01, Lisbon and the Tagus Valley 1.14, the Alentejo 1.07 ,the Azores 1.43 and Madeira 1.28.
“In the European comparison, Portugal has a 14-day cumulative notification rate of between 20 and 59.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and an Rt greater than 1, that is, a reduced notification rate with an increasing trend”, says INSA.
Until the next time Stay Safe.