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Safe Communities Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 14th June 2023

 

Good morning: Our weekly report summaries a number of current topics.  Firstly – The GNR, as of June 19, as part of the annual planning carried out by RoadPol, will conduct an intensive monitoring operation targeted those driving under the influence of alcohol and psychotropic substances, aiming at promoting safer behaviour by drivers and reduce serious road accidents, throughout the continental national territory. Driving under the influence of alcohol or psychotropic substances is a risk factor that contributes to serious and fatal accidents.

On another topic we have learned that there have been a number of reports of fraud concerning the letting of holiday accommodation. We cannot emphasize enough the need to do proper research when booking a holiday villa especially if using social media. We recommend using established letting platforms such as Booking.Com or B&B which are generally more secure than advertisements offering a holiday let when it is more difficult to establish the integrity of the advertisement and indeed the advertiser. A simple mobile phone number or a Hotmail email address with little details may indicate a risk. Also if you are booking using a website take time to check the site has not been copied. Do the photos look original, do all the links work and are their verifiable contact details.

There has been in the news recently concern over the street selling of drugs often offered to tourists in some of Portugal’s main holiday destinations. In one of the articles the headlines stated that these were “drugs” but some way down in the same article these were stated that were “fake drug”. The same article criticised the police for lack of action against the sellers.

The truth of the matter is that these are mainly fake drugs often dried thyme leaves that the sellers describe as drugs and charge accordingly. It is not a crime under the current law to sell these and hence the police cannot take action. It may however be an administrative offence, but then this would fall on the councils depending on the area concerned.

This however is tarnishing Portugal’s image and we understand there are now moves to try and get this criminalised. It is also a concern in that the buyer could be unknowingly buying a harmful or even poisoning substance – so advice is the same if offered something claiming to be drugs – refuse!

Lastly yesterday I attended the “Algarve Seguro” reinforcement of PSP, GNR, SEF, INEM and Civil Protection resources for the region during the peak season of tourism, held at Regional Tourism Algarve.

This is the traditional presentation of the “Algarve Seguro” program which, once again, provides for a reinforcement of PSP, GNR, SEF, INEM and Civil Protection resources for the region during the peak season of tourism.

Also in attendance were President of ANEPC Duarte da Costa, National Director PSP Magina da Silva and General Commander GNR Tenente-General José Manuel Lopes dos Santos Correia and around 150 members of the security forces, civil protect, Algarve mayors, local government officials and Bombeiros.

With regard to Algarve Seguro, the minister said he expects the summer to be… “safe in the region”. In his speech, José Luís Carneiro also acknowledged the example of Safe Communities Portugal led “by David Thomas (who had been invited) in terms of good collaboration between foreign nationals and the government”.

Earlier in the day the Minister of Internal Administration, Josè Carneiro, accompanied by the Secretary of State, Patricia Gaspar, as well as the President of ANEPC, Duarte Costa, gave a speech to motivate the brave volunteers who decided to leave and support those in needs.

The task force is composed of elements from the Força Especial de Proteção Civil, of the GNR, of the ICNF, as well as of the fire department of the Central Region and Madeira.

A big round of applause for those who have left Safe Communities wishs them all a safe mission!

Our team at Safe Communities wishes you a good week ahead

News

Effects of the fires in Canada should reach Portugal from Sunday

Lisbon, June 14, 2023 (Lusa) – The gases and particles emitted by forest fires in Canada are expected to reach the Iberian Peninsula from Sunday, but without any threat to human health, the IPMA said today.

In a statement on the fires in Canada and the effects in Portugal, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere reports that the forest fires that have been plaguing Canada for weeks have emitted into the atmosphere “significant amounts of gases and particles that are transported and scattered by the winds”.

According to the IPMA, a cyclonic circulation, associated with a depression cantered northwest of the Azores, will have promoted the large-scale transport of these pollutants, mainly carbon monoxide, along the North Atlantic, which arrived in the Azores region last Tuesday. .

However, it states that “the concentrations of these pollutants are lower than the established legal limits and, therefore, should not represent any threat to human health”.

The IPMA advances that these pollutants will continue to be transported and should reach the Iberian Peninsula from Sunday, but in lower concentrations than in the Azores.

The IPMA also recalls that, last week, the Norwegian Institute for Environmental and Climate Research confirmed the presence of particles originating from the fires in Canada in air samples collected at the Birkenes Observatory, in southern Norway.

Portugal sent today to Canada a joint force made up of 140 operatives to help fight forest fires, which will intervene in the province of Quebec.

Thousands of firefighters from various countries around the world were fighting the 458 active fires in Canada today, with the province of Quebec being the most affected region.

Since the beginning of this year, considered unprecedented in terms of forest fires, more than 4.6 million hectares have burned in Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

The Algarve Situation Report 14 June 2023

 

by Mike Evans

 

Good day to you all across the Algarve and beyond. Despite the few days of rain we have seen in the past week or so the drought situation is still a very real occurrence as we move into the summer months. This week we saw AMAL, the Intermunicipal Community of the Algarve promoting training actions on reducing water losses in the urban sector, and was aimed at the 19 management entities of the water supply systems in Baixa, more specifically municipalities and municipal companies. The initiative is part of a set of projects that the Intermunicipal Community has been carrying out within the scope of the Algarve Water Efficiency Plan, with the support of the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

This was the second training action promoted by AMAL, and took place in Faro , and is included in a contract established with the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC), in order to guarantee “the necessary support to the management entities in identifying the problems of management of urban water supply infrastructure, defining strategies to be implemented in the medium and long term, prioritising water supply subsystems and proposing measures to reduce real water losses”, says AMAL in a statement.

The Intermunicipal Community manages one of the various measures that make up the Algarve Water Efficiency Plan. This is Measure SM1 – Reducing water losses in the urban sector, which has an endowment of 35 million euros. In this context, it has been developing other actions, having, also in partnership with LNEC, carried out an in-depth study identifying the areas with the greatest potential for reducing water loss in the region and defining the measures to be taken. This study was completed in March last year and helps “to support the applications submitted by the management entities to benefit from this measure managed by AMAL”, continues the note.

In a first phase of submission of applications, 22 were selected, for an investment of 13.7 million euros, which is allowing “to intervene in 55 kilometres of water supply network in Baixa, with an estimated saving of more than 500 thousand m3 of water to natural systems”, he specifies.

The second Call for submission of applications, with an allocation of seven million euros, is currently in force and runs until the 16th of June, and is directed towards the implementation of Measurement and Control Zones, with the objective “to invest in the monitoring and active control of water losses in sections of the supply network”. According to AMAL, there will also be a third and final Notice of Applications, which is in preparation and should be launched “at the end of this month of June”. It will have an endowment of 14 million euros and will be focused on supporting investment in the renovation and rehabilitation of water supply networks in low waters, with high levels of real losses.

The Algarve Water Efficiency Plan foresees a global investment of 200 million euros, through funds from the PRR, is managed by the Portuguese Environment Agency and involves several entities. AMAL is in charge of implementing Measure SM1, which aims to intervene in 125 kilometres of water supply networks in downtown, contributing to a reduction of water losses in the urban sector of around two million m3.

Lest hope this helps alleviate the problem which could happen over the summer if nothing is done to ease the situation. We will kee you up to date on developments as we receive them.

Now a look at some of the other stories across the Algarve.

 

Navy Detects High-Speed Vessel Off The Algarve Coast

On Monday, the 12th, the frigate D. Francisco de Almeida, while surveying Portuguese territorial waters, detected a vessel “behaving suspiciously”, advanced the Portuguese Navy.

30 fuel jerry cans were also seized, which were dropped into the sea by the seized vessel.

“The material thrown overboard was promptly collected and recovered by the crew of the Navy ship”, can be read in a statement.The elements of the high-speed vessel, “probably related to drug trafficking, took to flight”, adds the Navy note.

9-year-old Boy Seriously Injured After Being Hit By Car

A nine-year-old child was seriously injured after being run over by a light vehicle in Portimão, on Monday, the 12th, said a Civil Protection source.

The alert for the accident was given at 20:17, for the running over of a young man of Brazilian nationality in the city of Portimão, said a source from the Algarve Sub-regional Command.

The child was assisted on site and transported to the Portimão Hospital, he added.On site were the firefighters of Portimão, INEM and PSP, in a total of 17 operational, supported by seven vehicles.

More than 140 Road Traffic Accidents Registered in the Algarve in the last Week Alone

The police authorities recorded 147 accidents on the roads of the Algarve in the last week, between last Monday and Sunday, with only injuries reported, was released today by the GNR .

In a balance of its operational activity in the last week, the Faro Territorial Command of the GNR said, in a statement, that the accidents caused two serious injuries and 25 minor injuries. In terms of road inspection, the GNR arrested 70 people: 21 for driving under the influence of alcohol, 20 for driving without a legal licence and 17 for drug trafficking, detecting a total of 517 offences. According to the GNR, 189 doses of cocaine, 159 of hashish, two shotguns, and seven bottles of nitrous oxide were also seized.

PSP Arrests 2  Men for Aggravated Theft and Drug Trafficking

The Faro District Command of the PSP, through the Criminal Investigation Squadron of the Portimão Police Division, arrested two men, aged 18 and 22, accused of committing the crimes of aggravated theft, payment card abuse and drug trafficking, he said. today that security force .

Following the news of a theft in a residence in Portimão on the afternoon of June 9, the Portimão Criminal Investigation Squadron “immediately started investigative measures”,according to the statement.

“It was found that the two suspects broke into the door of a residence, stealing 400 euros from the interior, as well as several bank cards that they later used to pay for various items in four commercial establishments in Portimão”, continues the note. The two suspects were located “on Saturday morning, the 10th, and 67 doses of hashish and items that had been acquired illicitly with stolen bank cards were seized”, specifies the PSP.

Based on all the evidence collected, the suspects were detained having been caught in the act, through a warrant issued by the Criminal Police Authority.

The detainees will be present for the first judicial interrogation this Monday, for the application of coercive measures considered appropriate while awaiting trial.

Surfer With Head Injuries Helped at Praia de Faro

The elements of the ‘SeaWatch’ project, belonging to the National Maritime Authority ( AMN ), helped on Sunday, the 11th, a surfer who suffered head injuries while practising the activity in Praia de Faro, it was announced today.

The alert was given by elements of the ‘SeaWatch’ project, who were in the area, and elements from the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Faro and elements from INEM immediately went to the place .

The elements of the ‘SeaWatch’ project found that the surfer was conscious, with head injuries, having provided first aid to the victim until the arrival of INEM elements. The victim was stabilised at the scene and transported to a hospital unit by INEM’s Medical Emergency and Resuscitation Vehicle (VMER).

Man Goes into Cardiac Arrest on Alemão Beach

A 57-year-old man of Brazilian nationality was rescued on Sunday afternoon, the 11th, after allegedly feeling ill in the water, going into cardiac arrest, at Praia do Alemão, in the municipality of Portimão, reported AMN .

​Following an alert received at 4:05 pm, by the Portimão Volunteer Firefighters, informing that a man was in cardiac arrest on the beach, elements of the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Portimão, elements of the ‘SeaWatch’ project, as well as members of the Portimão Volunteer Firefighters, INEM and the PSP.

“The victim was found in a prone position in the water, having been removed by lifeguards on duty on the beach with the help of friends of the man. He was promptly assisted by two doctors who were on site, who would start the resuscitation manoeuvres, until the arrival of the elements of the ‘SeaWatch’ project and INEM, who continued the same”, says the National Maritime Authority (AMN) in a statement . “After several attempts, it was possible to revive the victim, with the elements of the ‘SeaWatch’ project transporting the victim off the beach, using the Amarok vehicle, where an ambulance from the Portimão Volunteer Fire Department was waiting, which transported him, in a very serious condition, to a hospital unit”, continues the note.

The Portimão Maritime Police Local Command ensured the security of the area and took care of the occurrence.

Fisherman Dies after Falling from a Cliff in Aljezur

A fisherman died on the 9th, following a fall from a cliff on Monte Clérigo beach, Aljezur municipality , said a Civil Protection source.

The Algarve Sub-regional Command said that the alert for the incident was given at 18:40, for the fall of a man who was fishing on a cliff.

After emergency services arrived, the man’s body was recovered and death was declared on the spot, he added. On site were means of the National Maritime Authority, the Firefighters of Aljezur and GNR, a total of 21 operational, supported by nine vehicles.

High-Speed Boat Seized in Monte Gordo

On the 8th of June, the Coastal Control Unit (UCC) of the National Republican Guard (GNR) seized a high-speed vessel (EAV), measuring 12 metres in length and equipped with three high-power engines, on the beach of Monte Gordo, in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António , announced that guard.

“After the location of the vessel was identified by the Integrated Surveillance, Command and Control System (SIVICC) of the UCC and the fact that the characteristics of the EAV correspond to those that are usually used in international drug trafficking, a maritime team from the Coastal Control sub-detachment from Vila Real de Santo António that went to the location”, can be read in a statement.

During the police investigations “it was not possible to locate any suspect next to the vessel or in the immediate vicinity, nor material inside it”, says the GNR. The EAV, with significant damage to the structure and engine, was removed from the site and seized.

The facts were communicated to the Judicial Court of Vila Real de Santo António.

Two Arrested and 700 kilos of Hashish Seized on the Algarve Coast

The Portuguese authorities detained two men on a boat off the coast of the Algarve suspected of drug trafficking in an operation in which 700 kilos of hashish were also seized, the Judiciary Police (PJ) announced on June 8 .

According to a statement from the PJ, “the detainees were presented to the competent judicial authority, and are in preventive detention”.

The investigation of this case, which continues under the responsibility of the PJ, began following a rescue mission to the crew of a vessel sailing on the Algarve coast” by the National Maritime Authority (Instituto Socorros a Náufragos and Maritime Police). Once the vessel was located and the “physical integrity of the crew” was ensured, the AMN identified “evidence of a relationship with drug trafficking activity”, and immediately contacted the PJ.

“When establishing the relationship between the two crew members of the vessel, of Spanish nationality, aged between 45 and 48, and the appearance of bales of hashish found floating in the vicinity, in the bar of Armona / Farol, in Olhão , they were arrested on suspicion of committing the crime of drug trafficking,” according to the statement.

The note adds that a semi-rigid vessel of national registration in recreational boating, navigation equipment and other instruments associated with the activity was also seized.

“This action resulted in the seizure of 20 bales of hashish, with a total weight of approximately 700 kilos”, specifies the statement.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 14th June 2023

 

By our correspondent in Axores

Access to Lagoa do Fogo in the Azores is now done on a ‘shuttle’ basis.

Access to Lagoa do Fogo, on the island of São Miguel, will be made, from Thursday, through a ‘shuttle’ transport service, announced today the regional secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure.

 

According to Berta Cabral, the ‘shuttle’ will be free for residents and will cost five euros for non-residents.

The minister signed today, in Ponta Delgada, the contract for the award of the ‘shuttle’ service to the company Atlanticoenergy.

This shuttle service to Lagoa do Fogo will leave from Caldeira Velha, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, and end at Casa da Água, in Lagoa, then take the opposite route.

Along the way, the ‘shuttle’ passes through six points of tourist attraction, added Berta Cabral.

This transport will operate on a ‘hop on hop off’ basis, will cover about 14 kilometres, from 09:00 to 19:00, every day of the week, including national, regional or municipal holidays, up to 30 of September.

Berta Cabral also announced that tickets will be purchased through a digital platform and that ‘rent-a-car’ cars will no longer circulate on the road between Caldeira Velha (Ribeira Grande) and Casa da Água (Lagoa).

The aim is for these rented vehicles to park in the existing car parks in the area and for passengers to use the ‘shuttle’ to reach Lagoa do Fogo.

The Caldeira Velha car park (101 spaces) and the car park next to Casa da Água (60 spaces) were increased by another 30 spaces each.

The use of the car park at the Lagoa do Fogo viewpoint (48 spaces) will remain free for the first 20 minutes and subject to payment in the following periods, with a total of around 200 parking spaces available.

Passage of Óscar depression causes 59 occurrences and landslide cut access to Ribeira Quente.

The Civil Protection of the Azores raised to 59 the number of occurrences recorded today, following the passage of the Óscar depression, including a landslide that completely obstructed the access road to the parish of Ribeira Quente, in São Miguel.

According to a statement released at 21:00, the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service (SRPCBA) said that the 59 occurrences, recorded since dawn today, were “all on the island of São Miguel, in the municipalities of Ponta Delgada, Lagoa, Vila Franca do Campo and Povoação”.

“The situations reported are related, above all, to falling trees, falling structures, landslides, floods and obstructed roadways”, highlighted the SRPCBA, which reported 23 more incidents since the last balance sheet.

At the end of the afternoon, there was a landslide that completely obstructed the access road to the parish of Ribeira Quente, with “clearing work in the affected area” being ongoing, stressed the Civil Protection of the Azores.

“In the municipalities of Povoação and Nordeste, mobile and fixed communications are already restored in both municipalities”, added the same source.

The islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria are under yellow warning until 06:00 on Wednesday, due to forecasts of rain, sometimes heavy, which could be accompanied by thunderstorms.

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) had also issued yellow warnings for those two islands because of the wind (north quadrant direction) until 21:00 today.

For the central group (Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial), the IPMA issued yellow warnings, until 00:00 on Wednesday, due to rain that could be heavy accompanied by thunderstorms.

A yellow warning was also issued for those five islands, taking into account the wind, in a northeasterly direction, between 09:00 today and 00:00 on Wednesday.

The yellow warning, the third most serious on the scale, is issued in “risky situations for certain activities dependent on the weather situation”.

 

Cleaning on the Ribeira Quente road completed in the next 15 days.

The Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure of the Government of the Azores said today that the next 15 days will be enough to clean the access road to the parish of Ribeira Quente, the target of landslides last week.

“Cleaning is a continuous job. When it’s over, it’s over. The next 15 days will certainly be enough”, Berta Cabral told journalists on the Ribeira Quente road, in the municipality of Povoação, the only access route to the parish located on the south coast of São Miguel.

On June 7th, that road was closed to traffic for about 15 hours, due to a landslide, forcing 50 people to spend the night in a social centre.

The road was blocked around 15:20 (16:20 in Lisbon) on Tuesday, following a large landslide, and was only reopened to traffic at 06:20 the following day.

Berta Cabral highlighted that the cleaning work will include the “removal of looser materials that constitute a danger”, through the provocation of controlled landslides.

“We must clean up. The work is gigantic. The means, those that are necessary, are all mobilized. There have already been inspections by ‘drone’ and there are materials that we are going to try to remove due to a fall instead of waiting for new landslides. We will have the collaboration of specialized teams”, she stressed.

“As for the semi-tunnel, from the point of view of its design, it strictly fulfilled the objective of protecting it from all landslides that occurred in that area. There were no obstacles or obstructions to traffic in the area. It was a little further ahead. We also have to find a solution for the other part of the section”.

The “solution” could involve “extending” that semi-tunnel that is in the final stages of construction and whose assignment took place in 2021.

 

 

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 7th June 2023

 

By Mike Evans

Good Day to you all and in the Algarve this week we have seen a lot of warm weather with the forecast of rain over the next few days. The temperatures are due to remain above the average for the time of year and the UV levels are expected to remain very high so make sure you and any guests you may have with you are well protected.

With the news this week that tourism in the region is now well on the way to equalling the summer of 2019 this means that the roads are beginning to get clogged up especially the N125. With the added factor of possibly very wet roads it is imperative we keep our distance and stick to the speed limits to make sure everyone is safe. We have seen a number of accidents in the last week with one yesterday on the A22 which saw three vehicles involved and four people were taken to hospital, luckily with minor injuries. The same cannot be said however for the motorcyclist who sadly lost his life in a crash near Olhao on Monday.

Here is a more detailed look at these stories and others from around the region in the past week.

Man Dies in Motorcycle Crash in Olhão

A man aged around 40 died this Monday in Olhão, following a collision with the motorcycle he was riding, said a Civil Protection source. A source from the Algarve Sub-regional Command also said that the accident resulted in a slight injury, a woman aged around 40.

The alert for the screening was given at around 7:50 pm and the death of the fatal victim, a man aged around 40, was declared on the spot by the doctor from the Medical Emergency and Resuscitation Vehicle (VMER). There were also firefighters from Olhão, Cruz Vermelha and São Brás de Alportel, a total of 17 elements, supported by seven vehicles.

The GNR took care of the occurrence.

Three Vehicle  Collision Forces Closure of the A22

An accident involving three light vehicles on the A22 (Via do Infante), in the Alcantarilha area, caused four minor injuries on Tuesday 6 June and forced the road to be cut, in the Faro -Portimão direction, Civil Protection reported .

Rescue teams received the alert at around 8:27 am and were helping the injured, who were transported to the hospital, and removing vehicles from the road for more than two and a half hours, with circulation having been restored by 11:05 am, said a source. of the Algarve District Relief Operations Command (CDOS).

“It was an accident at kilometre 40, in the Alcantarilha (Silves) area, towards Faro-Portimão, with three light vehicles and which resulted in four injuries”, said the source, stressing that the victims were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Providing assistance on site were around 30 operators, with 12 vehicles, including members of the GNR, Silves Firefighters and the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), according to Civil Protection.

Two Men  Arrested for Robbery in Portimão

 The Faro District Command of the PSP , through the Criminal Investigation Squadron of the Portimão Police Division, arrested two citizens, aged 21 and 31, for committing the crime of robbery, it was announced today.

“Following the news of a robbery carried out on one of the avenues of the city of Portimão, in the early hours of June 1, the Portimão Criminal Investigation Squadron immediately began investigative measures”, can be read in a statement.

“It was found that two men, through physical aggression and threat with a knife, took a wallet from a citizen, as well as tried to withdraw money from ATMs in the vicinity”, continues the note. After collecting the evidence, which included the collection of images obtained through the CCTV system, installed in the Praia da Rocha area, the two suspects were located “on Friday afternoon,, through a warrant issued by the Criminal Police Authority”, reveals the PSP.

The detainees were present for the first judicial interrogation on Saturday, the 3rd, being applied the coercive measure of periodic presentations at the PSP while awaiting trial.

Woman Seriously Injured by Hit and Run Driver on N125

A collision between two vehicles on National Road (EN) 125 followed by a person being run over, in Vila Nova de Cacela, in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António , this Monday caused a serious injury, said a Civil Protection source.

A source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command said that the victim of the hit-and-run is an 80-year-old woman, transported to the Basic Emergency Service in Vila Real de Santo António.

According to the same source, the EN 125 was closed to traffic in both directions on that section from 08:56. The accident also caused two other victims who at 09:40 were still being assisted and whose health status was not known.

Sixteen operational personnel went to the site, including elements from the Vila Real de Santo António Firefighters, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) and the GNR,  supported by six vehicles.

More than Half a Ton of Hashish Seized in Southern Portugal

The authorities seized on the 2nd June in the early morning, more than half a ton of hashish thrown into the sea by the crew, who fled, from two high-speed vessels in international waters, in the south of Portugal, announced the Portuguese Navy .

Under a joint operation between the National Maritime Authority, the Portuguese Navy and the Portuguese Air Force, suspicious movements of two vessels related to drug trafficking were monitored, which were detected and pursued, the Navy said in a statement.

“During the pursuit, the suspects on board the high-speed boats threw all the narcotic product into the sea, having collected 16 bales of hashish, corresponding to 560 kilos”, reads the note. The operation involved a Navy ship, nautical resources operated by Marines and resources from the National Maritime Authority, operated by the Maritime Police, and an aircraft from the Portuguese Air Force.

The drug was transported to the local command of the Faro Maritime Police and handed over to the Judiciary Police (PJ), in order to carry out the investigation steps.

2.4 tons of Illegally Transported Sardines Seized

The Coastal Control Unit (UCC) of the GNR seized on Thursday, in Portimão , 2.4 tonnes of sardines that were being illegally transported in a vehicle without having gone through the auction, the police corporation announced today.

The seizure was made by the Portimão Coastal Control Sub-detachment and the 2.4 kilos of sardines (sardina pilchardus) were then sold at auction, with the resulting value of the operation being placed “captive to the order of the process”, explained the GNR in a statement .

The security force stressed that the fish was located during an inspection carried out in the fishing port of the Algarve city, aimed at “controlling the rules for capturing, landing and marketing sardines”. During the inspection, the UCC military detected “an infraction for transporting fish outside the auction grounds, in violation of legal norms”, identified the driver of the transport vehicle, a 69-year-old man, and “drafted the respective report of administrative offence”, clarified the GNR.

“The Coastal Control Unit recalls that the capture of the sardine species must be carried out in order to guarantee, in the long term, the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the fishery, in accordance with the guidelines of the national and community entities that monitor the sector”.

Man Arrested who Tried to Steal a Car with Passenger Inside

The judicial authorities ordered the preventive detention of a man who tried to steal a car, threatening the passengers with a gun, in Paderne ( Albufeira ), as well as a house, in the area of ​​Tunes ( Silves ), announced the Public Ministry.

The 71-year-old detainee was accused of two crimes of attempted theft, after failing to complete the theft of the car and its passengers, or the theft of the house, committed with another person and in which the owners were attacked, said the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the district of Faro in a statement.

The Faro district attorney’s office specified that, on “May 19, 2023, at around 3 pm, in a parking lot in the Paderne area, the detainee, armed with a pistol, got into the back seat of a car, where the driver was already there. and a passenger”, and threatened the occupants of the vehicle with a gun, ordering them to leave the scene.

“The driver started the vehicle and immediately sounded his horn to alert passers-by. Meanwhile, the passenger got out of the car. Immediately, under the threat of a pistol, the detainee forced the driver to also leave the vehicle and sat in the driver’s seat”, added the same source, stressing that the man was unaware of the vehicle’s automatic shift system and could not start. .

Unable to move forward with the car, and wielding the gun, he ended up getting out of the car and threatening the passenger who had left the vehicle to hand him her wallet, added the Public Ministry.

The man again tried to carry out a robbery on May 26, in an isolated house in Tunes, in the municipality of Silves, “accompanied by another person” and wearing a balaclava, said the Public Ministry.

The same source noted that the companion of the detainee “went inside the house, having butted the head of the owner who was at the street door” and, inside the residence, “the detainee demanded ‘the card and the money’”, a request that was refused by the owner, and the two got involved in a fight that resulted in the removal of the balaclava from the detainee’s head and the two men fleeing the scene.

“Beginning in 1985, the detainee served several prison sentences totaling more than 18 years and was now on parole”, highlighted the Faro Prosecutor’s Office, stressing that the Public Prosecutor’s Office requested the application of the prison coercion measure and the request “was granted” by the investigating judge, after the first judicial questioning of the detainee.

Algarve Had The Highest Number of Child Victims of Crime and Violence in 2022

Faro is the district in Portugal with the highest prevalence of children and young people victims of crime and violence in 2022, with 674 cases, followed by Lisbon and Braga, revealed the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV).

The study “Children and Young People Victims of Crime and Violence – Statistics 2022” carried out by APAV, shows that Faro registered 674 cases of children and young people victims of crime and/or violence (26% of the total registered by APAV), Lisbon registered 392 cases (15.1%) and Braga 288 (11.1%).

The technical advisor to the APAV board, Carla Ferreira, said that one of the reasons is probably related to the fact that it is a region where there is seasonality and many people transit. The other possible reason may be related to the offer that APAV provides in the Algarve region. In the case of Faro “there are fewer support entities and, therefore, eventually more requests for help are channelled to our support services. But we’re also talking here about many situations, for example, seasonal, people who come here temporarily, there is a situation of violence and they also end up coming here. Therefore, this greater concentration of responses from APAV also tends to give expression to the district itself”, considered Carla Ferreira.

Until the next time Stay Safe…

 

 

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 7th June 2023

 

Good morning – We start with the drought conditions in the Algarve, far different to the very heavy rain experienced in the north of the mainland and Madeira over the last few days.

Safe Communities is a member of the Local Council for Monitoring Climate Action in the Municipality of Loulé (CLA) and therefore participated in the 8th meeting of the CLA on Monday. The meeting was aimed at learning new ways of adapting to droughts, mitigating floods impact, and tackling water shortage in the Algarve. All very relevant.

It was clear from the Minister who attended that, despite the measures already adopted in the Algarve, such as reducing the quota of water for agriculture and golf at the Odeleite dam or the closure of municipal swimming pools, there may be more in the pipeline. If consumption increases substantially and the measures we have adopted are not enough, we will probably have to take more», he admitted.

“We must progressively introduce rational measures, but we also know that we must bet a lot on reducing consumption: the level of consumption this year, in the Algarve, is higher than last year”, he added.

It is not surprising water consumption has increased as in April/May we experienced higher than normal temperatures and there was an increase in tourism. It is important therefore that everyone does their best to conserve water – it is an individual, municipal and national responsibility.

The Madeira is how suffering from an unseasonable depression which has caused record breaking rainfall of over 600 mm of rain in parts of Madeira. We also have folds and heavy downpours accompanied by large hailstorms in parts of the north especially, and also the centre. I between all this there has been some moderate fires but not of a major scale.

What do fires and floods have in common? Simple the effects of extreme weather caused by climate change. In the short term there is little we can do to change this course, but there is much that can be done in reducing the impacts. This why climate adaptation and being prepared by taking the right actions now is so important.

Safe Communities is very much involved in this process in terms of disaster management through risk communication, awareness and preparedness.

On a completely different subject yesterday we posted an item of security of passwords. Many families have internet connected devices for their child or home. Internet connected devices are devices or toys that are connected to the internet via WiFi, Bluetooth or a physical connection like a USB cable. They can also be connected to each other.

Internet connected devices can send and receive data, respond to voice commands and be controlled remotely using a smartphone app. They can also be called ‘the internet of things’. Internet connected devices can have similar risks to devices like smartphones and tablets. For example: baby monitors, children’s tablets and even remote-control helicopters or drone toys, can be hacked and used by people outside of your home These can be more likely to happen if the devices aren’t set up properly and this includes the setting pf passwords. Many will come with a pre-set password for instance 00000000 so it is important to change this to a secure/strong password which you have not used elsewhere. Also check the default setting as this may include a GPS locator which has been activated! A frightening thought for a young child vulnerable in so many ways

News:

Oscar Depression in Madeira: number of homeless people continues to

The Civil Protection Service of Madeira registered a total of 71 occurrences and in Funchal alone there are already 22 people displaced. The rain, meanwhile, began to give a truce.

In Madeira, the rain has started to slow down but the effects of the Óscar depression are still present on the island. SIC reporter Marta Caires updated the latest data on the effects of depression.

“The number of evacuees increased throughout this Tuesday and there are now 22 people left without housing in Funchal alone”, said the journalist.

The Civil Protection Service of Madeira registered a total of 71 occurrences between Monday and Tuesday related to the passage of the depression through the archipelago, mobilizing 72 means and 178 operators.

The south coast and the mountainous regions of the island have been under red warning since 15:00 on Monday due to the forecast of heavy and persistent rain due to the passage of the Óscar depression.

According to the SIC journalist, “the number of landslides and homelessness continues to increase”, taking into account the conditions, the Municipal Civil Protection decided that the best thing is to remove people.

 

Electrical failure affects services of telecommunications operators

Customers of the three telecommunications operators – Meo, Nos and Vodafone – began to report constraints in accessing the internet, shortly before 1600 hrs on Tuesday. The situation was due to a failure in Equinix’s Lisbon ‘data centre’, confirmed the technology company, which has already ensured that all services were “quickly restored”

Today there was a brief interruption in the ‘data center’ of Portugal LS1 International Business Exchange (1BX), which affected some Equinix services”, reads a note made public at 19:00.

The ‘data center’ platform assured that the situation – which was said to be an electrical failure – was “quickly controlled” and that services have already been restored. According to the same note, Equinix is ​​investigating the cause of the problem, which affected, among other companies, several telecommunications operators.

Equinix is ​​present on five continents with more than 200 data centers and provides servers that allow companies around the world to connect with customers and partners anywhere in the world, in addition to storing information.

According to the GigaPIX website, which aggregates national traffic statistics, there was a sharp drop from 15:55 onwards. Traffic values ​​started to recover from 16:30, but still at half-gas.

Caixadireta service suffers breakdown

A malfunction also caused inconvenience to customers of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD), with the Caixadireta service out of operation. The situation was considered resolved by the bank at 18:00 this Tuesday.

 

Minister does not exclude further restrictive measures due to lack of water in the Algarve.

On 5th June 2023 Safe Communities as a member of the Local Council for Monitoring Climate Action in the Municipality of Loulé (CLA) participated in the 8th meeting on climate change adaptation in the municipality of Loulé.

The meeting was aimed at learning new ways of adapting to droughts, mitigating floods impact, and tackling water shortage in the Algarve.

Duarte Cordeiro, Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, addressed the audience about, inter alias, waste management and recycling, and what the government is doing in order to reach the same recycling standard as most European countries. Other sessions addressed the role of the private sector in promoting adaptation measures to the changing climate.

Mar Shopping was an emblematic example of how to best make use of renewable energy to make the centre the most sustainable. Practices included implementing solar panels, recycling practices, reusing rainwater, installing sustainable internal lighting system among others. It was indeed a great meeting and we look forward to the next one to follow up on the developments of the initiatives presented today!

Duarte Cordeiro, did not exclude, in the coming months, there will be even more restrictive measures due to the lack of water in the Algarve.

Speaking to journalists, on the side lines of the initiative, Duarte Cordeiro admitted that, despite the measures already adopted in the Algarve, such as reducing the quota of water for agriculture and golf at the Odeleite dam or the closure of municipal swimming pools, there may be more in the pipeline.

If consumption increases substantially and the measures we have adopted are not enough, we will probably have to take more», he admitted.

Asked about what kind of actions could be foreseen, Duarte Cordeiro did not want to “make speculations”.

“We must progressively introduce rational measures, but we also know that we must bet a lot on reducing consumption: the level of consumption this year, in the Algarve, is higher than last year», he added”.

 

 

Madeira Situation Report Wednesday 31st May 2023

by Daniel Fernandes

Luxembourgish tourist rescued

A regional Civil Protection helicopter carrying a rescue-swimmer successfully rescued a Luxembourgish tourist at Vereda do Pesqueiro, in Ponta do Pargo.

The authorities were alerted to the emergency yesterday at 15h58. Eight personnel from the Calheta Fire Service were immediately deployed to the area, where they made contact with the victim and found she was unable to move. As a result, they asked for air support. The helicopter’s rescue-swimmer then winched the tourist to safety. She was then taken to Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça.

The Civil Protection praised everyone who was involved in yet another rescue mission.

Extra Porto Santo ferry services on June 25th

Porto Santo Line informed there will be extra ferry services to and from Porto Santo on June 25th.

These are intended to provide additional travel choices for passengers and to encourage more

visitors to visit Porto Santo during the summer.

The timetable of the ferry services on June 25th will be:

– Funchal – Porto Santo: 08h00 & 16h30 (extra service)

– Porto Santo – Funchal: 13h00 (extra service) & 20h00

Passengers wishing to amend their booking (free of charge) must do so by visiting one of the Porto Santo Line branches:

– Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses, number 20, Funchal (open from Monday to Friday – 08h30-18h00)

– Estrada Monumental, number 175C, Funchal (open from Monday to Sunday – 09h00-20h00)

– Cais do Funchal (open Monday to Sunday – 10h00-13h00 & 14h00-19h00)

– Rua D. Estevão de Alencastre, Loja 6/7, Porto Santo (open from Monday to Friday – 10h00-18h00)

Alternatively, passengers can call (+351) 291 210 300 or (+351) 962 025 500 from Monday to Sunday (09h00-12h30 & 14h00-19h00) or send an email to infopsl@gruposousa.pt

Convent of Santa Clara has reopened

The Covent of Santa has reopened after 6 years of restoration work on the 400-year old building. Restoration work had been carried on the roof, covers, ceiling, and furniture. A total of €2,5 million was invested in the restoration work.

Its opening hours are from Tuesday to Saturday (10h00-12h30 & 14h00-17h00).

Traffic disruption at ER 223

The ER 223 was closed to traffic on May 30th due to reconstruction work that is being carried out on a support wall. As a result, no vehicle traffic will be allowed on ER 223 for an estimated period of 30 days.

Drivers are asked to comply with all the temporary road signs that have been placed in the area.

The following roads are possible alternatives:

From Paul do Mar to Fajã da Ovelha – Estrada Regional ER 101 (VE3)

From Fajã da Ovelha Tabua to Paul fo Mar – Estrada Regional ER 101 (VE3)

Power cut

Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts due to scheduled work on the electricity supply network. These cannot be postponed and will take place in the following days and places:

FUNCHAL

May 31st – 09h00 to 11h30

– Estrada Comandante Camacho de Freitas (number 287)

– Caminho das Encruzilhadas (numbers 20 and 22)

– Caminho da Ladeira (numbers 101 to 168)

– Ladeira da Chamorra

CÂMARA DE LOBOS

June 1st – 08h30 to 12h30

– Rua Padre Pita Ferreira (partial)

– Caminho da Lourecinha (partial)

– Travessa do Lombo da Lourecinha

PORTO SANTO

June 1st – 09h00 to 09h10

– Porto dos Frades

PORTO SANTO

June 1st – 09h10 to 09h20

– Serra de Dentro

PORTO SANTO

June 1st – 09h20 to 09h30

– Serra de Fora

PORTO SANTO

June 1st – 11h30 to 12h00

– Pé do Pico

FUNCHAL

June 2nd – 09h00 to 11h30

– Caminho da Igreja (numbers 35 to 38)

– Caminho do Velho da Igreja (numbers 5 to 41)

– Beco do Largo da Fonte (numbers 5 to 11)

However, power could be restored during the time frame mentioned above. So, for safety purposes, it should be assumed that there will be power at any time during this period of time.

If necessary, customers can contact the free Customer Support Service number (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.

 

 

Portugal Safety and Security report Wednesday 31st May 2023.

Good day to you all. The big talking point for many across the whole of the country has been the weather! Why are we all so fascinated by it? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that in Portugal we are all so dependent on water whether to consume or to use as irrigation. The fact that we are a very hot dry country for the most of the time also makes us look more closely when the weather pattern doesn’t run true to form.

The storms which included large hailstones and over 70,000 instances of Lightning across the country but mainly  affecting the North of the country have been very welcome for some and not so welcome for others. Wine Growers in the North of the country are reporting that many thousands of Euros will be lost as a result of the hailstones smashing into the vines.

In Castedo do Douro, in the municipality of Alijó, dozens of vineyards were affected by rain and hail. The municipalities of Alijó and Murça were among those most affected. The hail destroyed many vineyards and the producers speak of a loss of thousands of euros.

The storm that swept across the Douro region on Sunday afternoon, especially in the Vila Real district, lasted less than 10 minutes, but left its marks on hundreds of hectares of vineyards and olive groves.

Following the heavy hail and rain, the Municipality of Alijó has been on the ground surveying the damage caused to agriculture, with the aim of moving forward with a measure to help the affected farmers to bear the cost of calcium-based treatment needed for the healing of the vines.

The Municipality will pay for the treatment of the vineyards affected by the intense hail that hit an area of about 1,600 hectares, revealed the president.

From one area with heavy rain to another where there isn’t enough. The Alentejo farmers are having to sell off their cattle because their pastures are so dry and the cost of feed is so high they cannot afford to feed them so they are sending them to market much earlier than they would normally. This will impact on their value and their yearly income and many fear for the long term of farming livestock.

The forecast for the coming week is more of the same in some areas but with sunshine and clouds along the way. Temperatures will be around 1 degree higher than the average while some areas can expect up to 30 mm of rain.

So with that our team at Safe Communities wishes you a Safe and happy week ahead

News

Campaign “Tax Zero at the Wheel” registers almost 14 thousand infractions on the roads

Lisbon, May 30, 2023 (Lusa) – The road safety campaign “Taxa Zero ao Volante” recorded almost 14,000 infractions and around 2,500 accidents between May 23 and 29, security forces revealed today.

In a statement sent to newsrooms, the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), the Public Security Police (PSP) and the National Republican Guard (GNR) revealed that 54,953 vehicles were inspected, translating into 13,846 infractions, of which 747 were related to driving under the influence of alcohol.

During the period during which this awareness-raising action on the risks of driving under the influence of alcohol, as part of the 2023 National Inspection Plan, took place, there were still eight deaths, 48 ​​serious injuries and 761 minor injuries in around 2,500 accidents.

This year’s figures reflect a decrease compared to the figures for the same period in 2022, with 87 fewer accidents, three fewer deaths, 11 fewer serious injuries and 85 fewer minor injuries.

The authorities also clarified that the accidents with fatalities occurred in the districts of Braga, Porto (2), Castelo Branco, Leiria, Lisbon, Évora and Faro, with the victims (5) between 21 and 82 years old. At the origin of these deaths were five light vehicles skidding, two being run over and a collision between two light vehicles.

The vast majority of inspection actions in Portugal were carried out by the GNR, with 39,076 vehicles inspected, while the PSP inspected 15,877 vehicles. In terms of infractions, the difference between the two security forces is smaller, with the GNR registering 8,649 (494 related to alcohol) and the PSP registering 5,197 (253 related to driving under the influence of alcohol).

310 drivers and passengers were also made aware by ANSR of the risks of drinking alcohol while driving, in the locations of Alenquer, Faro, Beja, Portalegre and Estremoz, in addition to publicizing the road safety campaign in digital media.

Drought: Brussels could provide 250 million euros to help farmers

This fund was made at the request of the Minister of Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes, who had the support of the countries of southern Europe, which were the most affected by the lack of precipitation.

The European Union could provide 250 million euros to help farmers affected by drought. The request was made by the Portuguese Minister of Agriculture, supported by the delegations of Spain, France and Italy. Maria do Céu Antunes said this Tuesday that the decision will be taken soon.

“The commissioner made himself available to study the possibility of mobilizing 250 million euros from the agricultural reserve to deal with these situations and for the Member States most affected by this dimension. It’s going to study, it’s going to regulate, it’s going to propose later so that we can present it”, informed Maria do Céu Antunes.

This Tuesday, the Environment Minister assured that the situation of the reservoirs is better and with more capacity than last year, but that there are some regions in worrying situations that will have to be analyzed in order to implement new measures.

With this scenario, there are already records that, without pastures for the cattle, due to the drought, and with feed and straw at high prices, cattle breeders in Baixo Alentejo are getting rid of the animals at auctions or at slaughterhouses. .

“Extensive livestock farming is having very serious problems because the pastures have not been developed and with that we are witnessing the use of compound feed ahead of time and with very high prices”, he developed

In view of this, the Minister of Agriculture stressed the urgency with which the funds had to be implemented to resolve the situation and to take precautions for next year.

Israeli and Italian secret agents were on the boat that sank Sunday in Italy

A vessel carrying Italian and foreign tourists sank on Sunday in northern Italy. Four people died and about 20 passengers were pulled from the water or managed to swim to shore.

Today, in a statement, Alfredo Mantovano, of the Italian Information Security Services, mourned the death of Claudio Alonzi, 62 years old, and Tiziana Barboni, 53 years old, both members of the Italian secret services who were on the ship “to commemorate the anniversary of one of the members of the group”.

Also killed in the sinking was Israeli Shimoni Erez, 50 years old and a retired Mossad agent, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The fourth victim is Anya Bozhkova, a Russian citizen and the wife of the boat’s owner, who rented it to tourists.

The remaining passengers on board the ship were also Italians and Israelis and there were certainly other members of the secret services, according to local media.

The vessel, on which a group of 22 people and the two crew were traveling, sank in the Lisanza and Dormelletto region, in the Lombardy region, due to a strong storm that caused it to capsize.

Most people managed to swim to shore between Lisanza and Piccaluga, while others were rescued by boats in the area.

According to the Italian media that reconstructed the event, after the accident there were suspicions that there were more secret service agents on the boat.

Authorities are investigating the causes of the accident, as the boat was carrying more than 20 people and had capacity for only 15 and also the reason why they did not return to land when the storm approached.

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 31 May 2023

by Mike Evans

With the country experiencing some heavy rains in the past week, the prospect of drought conditions in some areas are receding. However, the Algarve is still in a state of drought conditions and unless we see more rain there is a distinct possibility of rationing in some municipalities as we enter the summer period. It is not just the Algarve where the situation is dire. In the Alentejo there are reports of farmers having to send their animals to market earlier than normal as they don’t have enough water and to buy it is causing many farmers to make the decision to get rid of their animals. With no pasture for the cattle, due to the drought, and with feed and straw at high prices, cattle breeders in Baixo Alentejo are getting rid of the animals at auctions or at slaughterhouses.

Unless we see a lot more rain this sort of issue will only get bigger across the Algarve so it is in all of our interest to save as much water as we can and hope that the next few weeks sees a large amount of rainfall in our area.

Now a look at some of the other stories that have been in the headlines in the past week across the Region.

Promotion Association of Albufeira Call for Bigger Police Presence in Summer

The largest association of businessmen in Albufeira will ask the Government to increase the number of police officers during the summer season and adapt their number to each season of the year, said the president.

The president of the Promotion Association of Albufeira (APAL), Desidério Silva, said that security in activities linked to tourism is the main concern of its members.

“Of course, we are going to ask for an increase in staff during the bathing season”, he said, defending a police presence “adaptable throughout the year”, which depends on the number of tourists in the Algarve. According to the official, there is an important presence of tourists throughout the year and the security forces should adapt on a monthly basis, avoiding a system that reinforces security only during the summer.

The former mayor of Albufeira indicated that these claims will be transmitted during a Municipal Security Council, at a meeting scheduled for the first half of June, which will be attended by the Secretary of State for Internal Administration, Isabel Oneto.

This issue has already been addressed in a meeting between APAL representatives and the mayor of Albufeira, José Carlos Rolo, to discuss “various matters concerning the dynamics of the city and its tourist offer”.

Accelerating the process that will lead to the installation of a video surveillance system, a matter for which the municipality is responsible, is another aspect linked to security that businessmen would like to see progress quickly.

On the other hand, according to the also former president of the Algarve Tourism Region, there are still not currently a sufficient number of lifeguards on the county’s beaches, a joint effort that “is being done”.

In addition to these topics, the same meeting also discussed the creation of a tourist tax in the municipality, which is being studied by the Chamber, as well as the possibility of creating a monitoring commission for the allocation of funds resulting from it.

Desidério Silva also alluded to the problems created by the lack of housing for workers and labour for the tourist sector, which leads “some restaurants” to, “very likely”, having to serve only one of the main meals this summer.

Over Four Tons of Hashish Seized in Cabanas de Tavira

Authorities seized in the early hours of Saturday, May 27, more than four tons of hashish on board a high-speed vessel in the Cabanas de Tavira channel , announced the Portuguese Navy.

The vessel with 125 bales, with an approximate weight of 4,375 kilograms of hashish, “was detected stranded and abandoned and with still warm engines”, specified the Navy in a statement.

The seizure resulted from a joint operation by the Portuguese Navy and the National Maritime Authority (AMN) that took place on the south coast of Portugal, with the participation of the Marines and the Maritime Police. During the operation, suspicious movements of vessels related to drug trafficking were monitored, with the authorities detecting and chasing two vessels, “the same having not been approached”, said the Navy.

The vessel found stranded in the Tavira channel with the drug on board was taken to the port of Faro and handed over to the Judiciary Police for investigation.

According to the Portuguese Navy, this year and so far, 779 bales of hashish, equivalent to more than 27 tonnes of hashish, and 20 vessels have been seized in joint operations with AMN.

Exercise Between Algarve and Alentejo Civil Protection Against Fires “Fulfilled Objectives”

The interregional exercise to test the articulation of the operational means of the Algarve and Alentejo in the fight against rural fires, identified “weaknesses and strengths, but fulfilled the objectives”, announced the Civil Protection. The regional commander of the Algarve, Vítor Vaz Pinto, said that the exercise that tested the articulation between the two regions and that ended on Friday, May 26, took place “within what was expected” in a fictional scenario of a rural fire in high complexity.

“Some situations, strengths and weaknesses were identified, which will be analysed in detail as soon as the reports reach us to understand what we have to change”, said the official. According to Vítor Vaz Pinto, the Civil Protection system “is dynamic and these training sessions serve exactly to make the response forces more and more efficient”.

The exercise called “DECIRALEX’23” simulated a highly complex rural fire in an area with great potential for fire development, which involved the municipalities of Aljezur and Monchique, and Odemira (Alentejo).

According to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC), the “fire took place in an unfavourable context for combating it”, boosted by an adverse weather situation. It was a scenario “to test the strategic decision processes, institutional coordination and operational command of the Integrated Protection and Rescue Operations System (SIOPS), as well as the tactical execution of the manoeuvre and logistical support that the Operations Management System (SGO) provides at different levels of action and command, specified ANEPC.

At the same time, the responses of medical-sanitary support and emergency psychological and social support were tested, areas led by the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM) and by Social Security, respectively, with the support of the social action services of the municipalities.

Civil Protection added that the context of the exercise also made it possible to “test the activation of the municipal emergency plans and civil protection of Aljezur and Odemira that brought together their Municipal Operational Coordination centres (CCOM) on the ground.

These structures ensure institutional coordination in the face of a serious accident or catastrophe, in full articulation with the sub-regional and regional levels, he says.

In the DECIRALEX’23 exercise, 323 elements and 130 technical means from the different Civil Protection services and agents of the Alentejo and Algarve Region took part.

PSP Detains Two Men for Aggravated Drug Trafficking

The Faro District Command of the PSP , through its Criminal Investigation Squadron of the Portimão Police Division, arrested on Thursday, the 25th, two citizens aged 23 and 25 for drug trafficking in Portimão, reported that police force .

The arrests took place within the scope of an investigation carried out in recent weeks, where it was possible to obtain “strong indications that one of the suspects was dedicated to the practice of this criminal type repeatedly, including in the vicinity of an educational establishment”, says the PSP in communicated.

During a surveillance operation, the authorities arrested two citizens in flagrante delicto when carrying out a drug transaction. During the investigations, “668 doses of hashish, 75 doses of amphetamines, 37 doses of cocaine, a brass knuckle, an airsoft gun, 4,415 euros suspected of illegal activity and various materials for cutting and packaging a narcotic product were seized” , details the note.

The detainees were present at the Court of Portimão, where they were imposed the coercion measure of daily presentation at the PSP Police Station, prohibition of contact with the co-accused and witnesses, prohibition of being 300 metres from schools and prohibition of using and or buying weapons.

Over 8 Litres of Brandy Seized by Police in Loule Warehouse

Police authorities seized, on Thursday, 8,021 litres of arbutus brandy in three “unauthorised” distilleries and warehouses in Loulé , Silves and Tavira, the GNR announced today .

The brandy seized “outside the production warehouse” would have a value of 257,469 euros and “its introduction for consumption” would cause a loss of 97,050 euros to the Portuguese State related to taxes (Special Consumption Tax and Added Value Tax), estimates the security force, in a statement.

The seizure was made on Thursday by the Faro Detachment of the Fiscal Action Unit (UAF) of the GNR within the scope of operations “ARBUTUS III; IV and V”, which led to the identification of eight men and one woman, aged between 40 and 72 years old, the facts having been communicated to the judicial courts of Silves, Tavira and Loulé, reads in the note. Also according to the GNR, the operations were carried out after “three investigations that had been going on for about a year”, aimed at combating the “parallel circuit for the sale of medronho brandy outside its production warehouse”.

At issue is the practice of the “customs crime of fraudulent entry into consumption”, with the authorities having “complied with 24 search warrants in three distilleries and seven warehouses not authorised for deposit and without customs control, thus escaping the tax declaration obligations and payment of incident taxes”, indicates the GNR.

In addition to the 8,021 litres of arbutus brandy, adds the GNR, “two stills” used to produce the drink, valued at around 3,000 euros, were seized.

The “main objective” of these actions was to ensure “compliance with the legal provisions for the production, storage and sale of alcoholic beverages”, to “combat the parallel economy in Portugal” and “to guarantee the hygienic-sanitary conditions” of production, stresses the security force.

Woman Attacked After Leaving her Daughters at Kindergarten

Four hooded individuals allegedly attacked a woman on the morning of this Friday, May 26, in front of the Castro Marim kindergarten, said a JA source.

“At around 8:00 am I saw four people hooded and wearing black masks getting out of a car to attack a young woman who was going to drop her daughters off at kindergarten”, detailed the same source.

“They waited for her to leave her daughters and then they started breaking her car and assaulting the girl. I later saw INEM and GNR ,” she added.

The Territorial Post of the GNR in Castro Marim, later confirmed the existence of “attacks” and are under investigation.

 

The Azores Situation Report Wednesday 31st May 2023

Azores with vast tourist potential of underwater heritage

The Azores have 35 sites that are suitable for observing the archaeological heritage and about a thousand shipwrecks documented in documents, but the researchers admit that more reserves for observation may be created in the future.

“There are 100 sites registered in the archaeological map, following research work carried out by archaeologists, of which 35 meet conditions for visits. However, this does not mean that reserves will not be created in the future that meet the conditions to be spaces for visitation”, said archaeologist Pedro Parreira.

Pedro Parreira, technical coordinator of the ‘Margullar 2’ project, spoke to journalists, as part of the presentation of the second version of the initiative around ​​underwater cultural heritage, which aims to create a new tourism product, based on the potential of underwater archaeology in Macaronesia.

According to the archaeologist, the first version of the project, by the European Commission, made it possible to create a route that currently has 35 sites that can be visited.

“The objective of this second project is to bring this heritage to land. That is, to bring data and information, democratizing access to it, because not everyone has the possibility to dive” not being able to access the “submerged history”, explained Pedro Parreira .

The regional directorate for Cultural Affairs has a partnership with international specialists, within the scope of the development of this project, which will allow, in this second phase, the creation of an “exhaustive” database for all documented shipwrecks, according to Pedro Parreira .

The ‘Margullar 2’ project was started in 2020, but it only started to run in 2021.

It is a project focused on the tourism-culture binomial, aimed at stimulating the local economy and developing research and safeguarding the archaeological heritage of the Azorean seas, according to the Regional Secretariat for Education and Cultural Affairs.

In this context, a manual of good practices for safeguarding that heritage has already been prepared and the first centre for knowledge and awareness of the underwater heritage of the Azores has already been launched at Banco das Artes, in the city of Horta, on the island of Faial.

And “soon”, two more will be launched, one in São Jorge and another in Pico, added the regional secretary for Education and Cultural Affairs, Sofia Ribeiro.

“The project has entered a phase where these centres interpreting these wrecks are being created on land, allowing access to this underwater value, for those who do not dive”, he underlined, in statements to journalists.

For the future, it is also planned to have three new Underwater Archaeological Parks, off Pico, Graciosa and Faial.

In the specific case of the island of São Miguel, the project made it possible to create a cycle of documentaries about its Underwater Archaeological Park, off the coast of Ponta Delgada, in addition to including four new points of interest in the itinerary of places to visit.

In 2021, the regional directorate for Cultural Affairs created an Underwater Reserve, next to the islet of Rosto de Cão, in São Miguel, which brought new dynamic products to the local community of maritime-tourism operators.

The regional secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure, Berta Cabral, highlighted the importance of the project in question for the diversification of tourist activities, which allows reaching new audiences and leaving added value in the Region, where tourism has been “a spring” economy booster.

Santa Clara finishes last and with worst score ever.

Santa Clara finished the Portuguese Football League in last place, with 22 points, the worst score ever for the club, the culmination of a troubled season with changes in administration and technical command.

The Azorean team is thus relegated to the II Liga, after five consecutive seasons in the first division, ending the championship with 22 defeats, seven draws and five victories.

The best record was reached between days 10 and 13 with four games without losing (two draws and two defeats), before the stoppage of the I Liga for the World Cup.

The Azoreans went 17 games without a win, between matchdays 14 and 31.

The team’s top scorers in the league were Brazilians Matheus Babi and Gabriel Silva, both with five goals scored, in a season in which goalkeeper Gabriel Batista was also highlighted in the island emblem.

The punctual ‘score’ of the 2022/23 season is below the other two times that Santa Clara relegated from division, since in 1999/00 it reached 31 points (18th and last place) and in 2002/03 it reached 35 (finishing in 17th position).

Since returning to the top echelon of national football, Santa Clara had always managed to stay in the top 10: 10th in 2018/19, ninth in 2019/20, sixth in 2020/21 and seventh in 2021/22.

The Azoreans started the season with coach Mário Silva, who left the island emblem in January, on matchday 15.

Santa Clara was coached by Jorge Simão, who lasted only seven games, in which he scored two points, the result of two draws, with Boavista and Portimonense.

As a result of Simão’s departure, the Brazilian Danildo Accioly, a member of the technical team since 2019/20, was announced as interim coach, but ended up guiding the Azorean team until the end of the season.

On July 14, 2022, with the pre-season already underway and as in 2021, changes were announced at the Azorean SAD, which came to be owned by businessman and former vice-president of Cruzeiro do Brasil Bruno Vicintin, who replaced Ismail Uzun in the leadership of the public limited company, a position he had held since August 2021.

Changes followed in Santa Clara’s sports policy, which was now led by executive director Klauss Câmara.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 24th May 2023

Good morning – Firstly thanks to thank our great team of volunteers at Safe Communities Portugal who attended the 8th international Wildland Fire Conference in Porto where an E-Poster of our work was displayed; holding a meeting with the foreign community in Braga, having a stand al ALGARSAFE’23 in Portimão, the presentation on Risk awareness at ALGARSAFE’23 and the presentation at Eupheus International School in Loulé – an unprecedented number of events in such a short period of time for Safe Communities. Thanks therefore go to: Jane, Antonia, Susan, Jessica, Fernanda, Mike, Lilia for their hard work during the planning/implementation stages.

For us at Safe Communities Portugal attending the 8th International Wildland conference in Porto as a delegate was an enlightening experience but looking at the future a sobering one as far as wildfires are concerned.

The conference attended by around 1600 participants from 80 countries including three of us from Safe Communities Portugal listened to a selection of the 200 presentations covering amongst other: planning and preparation, prevention and fire suppression, risk handling, communication and international co-operation.

The main theme of the conference was enabling an integrated management approach to wild fires involving not only governments, but also academia, civil society, industries and the community; the focus being more on prevention rather than suppression only, which had previously been the case. This may seem obvious, as if all fires could be prevented then there would be no need for suppression. However this is not the case and as we learned.

Globally recent extreme weather events have caused unprecedented damages and impacts on communities, economies and the environment. Climate change is the key driver behind the growing occurrence of extreme wildfires. Under projected warning, wildfire frequency and severity are estimated to increase, calling for a fundamental shift in wildfire management to focus on climate change adaptation and wildfire risk prevention.

We therefore all need to be prepared. As a first step we all need to understand the risks as without understand risk, we can’t manage it and be prepared.

This year will be a more complex year that last year, when in Portugal there were many fires over 80% being in the north.

The risks of fires extends extend well beyond southern Europe basin and last year there were wild fires in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and as far north as Finland. At the wildland fire conference I spoke to a forestry director from Ireland and we discussed the fires that affected western Ireland last year, which proved difficult to extinguish, due to their remoteness. Having discussed with him he saw parallels with the fires we also experienced in the northern parts of Portugal last year particularly in Braganca and Sera da Estrela.

So sharing knowledge, experience and co-operation between countries is vitally important in tackling a common threat.  In global terms, vulnerabilities have increased and that we are more and more likely – in various parts of the world – to have more complex and larger events and international cooperation is absolutely critical in this matter”.

For us in Portugal what can we expect this year? Well so far in April we have had record air temperatures and the type of weather conditions more associated with late June than April. All this means that we need to not only be prepared, but need to inculcate within the population a “culture of preparedness”, meaning that we have to live with fires, with the aim of reducing the impact on populations and communities.

Have a good and safe week ahead

News

Drought: excessive consumption of water and without authorization are a concern in the eastern Algarve

Golf courses with excessive consumption and irrigation without authorization must suffer water cuts in the event of restrictions on consumption in agriculture, defends the Association of Beneficiaries of the Sotavento do Algarve Irrigation Plan.

Golf courses with excessive consumption and irrigation without authorization must suffer water cuts in the event of restrictions on consumption in agriculture, warned the president of the Association of Beneficiaries of the Sotavento do Algarve Irrigation Plan.

Speaking to Lusa, the president of the association that manages the irrigation perimeter in the eastern Algarve, Macário Correia, warned that six golf courses were involved that consumed more than required and about 200 hectares of irrigation outside the irrigation perimeter. , but who use water without authorization.

“We have two critical situations, one is golf courses that use – in previous years – twice as much as they require, and we have an area of ​​a few hundred hectares of agricultural irrigation outside the perimeter without authorization”, pointed out the former president of the Chambers of Tavira and Faro.

The irrigation association has “serious concerns about the situation”, because water consumption in this campaign is about 20% above the same period of the previous year and the Odeleite and Beliche dams have a lower storage level than last year. Macário Correia even stressed that the association has already communicated in writing, both to the golf courses and to farmers who are in areas not authorized to use water, that, given the situation of restrictions that may be imposed in the short term, they will have to “to count on it”.

The director of the association considered that the situation “is delicate” and guaranteed that he would also speak with the managers of the golf courses, because “it is very complicated” to have cases that required 300 cubic meters of water and used 600 and that “at this moment I they have already used 60% of the appropriation they require for the year”.

There are also at least 200 hectares of agricultural irrigation, outside the irrigation perimetre , which collect water inside the perimeter, but water outside without authorization.

“The water that exists in the reservoirs, first of all, is for drinking, it is for the urban cycle, then it is for agriculture and, within agriculture, if there is not enough for everyone, we have to cut it somewhere”.

At least 15 detainees and 29 defendants in GNR operation in Greater Porto

The operation involves more than 300 operators and is related to an investigation into thefts from homes, inside vehicles and commercial establishments across the country.

The GNR mega-operation that is taking place this Tuesday in the Porto district resulted in at least 15 people arrested, 29 accused, seizures of drugs, gold, clothing, food, ammunition, money, banknotes and cars, he added.

Speaking to Lusa, at 13:00, Lieutenant Colonel Adriano Resende, from the Maia GNR sub-detachment, explained that searches had been carried out so far in the municipalities of Vila Nova de Gaia, Maia, Matosinhos, Paços de Ferreira, Porto and Gondomar.

The detainees, he said, are between 25 and 85 years old.

“So far, and there is still another search to take place (…), 29 ammunition, a kilo of gold, hashish, three vehicles, 20,000 euros in cash, 50 euros in counterfeit banknotes, an unspecified amount of clothing, food (meat, cod, ham and shrimp), costume jewellery, branded watches and computer equipment”, he listed.

The operation, which involved over 300 operators and by 1:00 pm, had already resulted in 29 people being accused, including 15 arrested, two of whom were arrested in whilst caught in the act for possession of drugs, illegal possession of a weapon and counterfeit bills. .

Those involved would be part of a criminal network that was dedicated to theft from homes and commercial establishments across the country.