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The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 30th November 2022

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all and welcome to another Algarve Report highlighting the events and incidents which have been happening on the safety and security front across the region over the past week or so. In the past week a large report from APAV, the organisation that deals in Domestic Violence, and with whom Safe Communities have organised seminars recently shows that over 20% of the cases reported to them have happened in the Algarve. The full story is further down in this report.

Protest planned for A22 over Toll Costs

For 11 years there has been a lot of publicity and bad feeling from the local population with regards to the tolls which are charged on the A22, over a promise from Antonio Costa, before his government came into power, promising to abolish the tolls. To highlight the anniversary, the group called User Commission have scheduled a slow march towards the end of tolls on the A22 (Via do Infante) is scheduled for December 8, the date on which 11 years of the existence of these fees are marked.

This slow march of vehicles will take place on Estrada Nacional 125 from Largo da República da Luz de Tavira to Tavira City Hall, starting at 15:00.

“It has been 11 years of authentic setback for the Algarve, in which mobility in the region has regressed for more than 20 years and economic, social and territorial inequalities have worsened”, says the Via do Infante User Commission, in a statement.

The commission explains that “the tolls on Via do Infante forced the diversion of traffic to the EN125, still not fully reclassified between Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António and which has contributed to the increase in road accidents in the region”, accusing the PS and the PSD of being “mainly responsible for discrimination against the populations of the Algarve”.

“It is regrettable that the State Budget for 2023 does not, once again, include the elimination of tolls on Via do Infante. The main responsibility goes to the PS, but also to the PSD. These two parties even ended up making proposals to end tolls in the Algarve put forward by other political forces unfeasible. And António Costa still does not keep the word given to the Algarve in 2015 – ending tolls if he were the government. To this day, that promise has been nothing more than empty and unfulfilled words”, he adds.

The commission argues that the Government should suspend tolls in the Algarve while the EN 125 is not fully reclassified.

PSP arrests suspect of stealing 32 thousand euros from residence

The PSP in Faro announced on Saturday, November 26, the arrest of a man suspected of having stolen, last July, 32 thousand euros from the interior of a residence in the city of Lagos .

The arrest of the suspect, aged 26, took place as part of an investigation initiated by the Portimão Criminal Investigation Squadron of that police, into a theft inside a residence that took place in that Algarve city, said the PSP in a statement.

Access to the interior of the residence will have been done “using climbing”, with 32 thousand euros having been stolen, specified the police. The PSP said that, following the investigation, “strong evidence of the criminal practice in question was collected, as well as that the suspect was monitoring other residences, with their owners catering entrepreneurs”.

In view of the data collected, the Public Prosecutor’s Office issued an arrest warrant outside of flagrante delicto.

According to the PSP, as part of the process, another man, aged 28, suspected of being involved in the theft, was also accused.The detainee was heard in the first judicial interrogation, having been applied as coercive measures, the obligation of periodic presentations to the authorities and the prohibition of being absent abroad, concludes the note.

Court orders preventive detention for suspect in multiple thefts

The Faro Court decreed the preventive detention of a man, detained on Tuesday by the PSP , suspected of being the author of several thefts in the city, announced that police.

The arrest of the 37-year-old man culminated an investigation initiated two months ago by elements of the PSP Criminal Investigation Squadron, following several thefts in the Algarve capital, according to a statement from the security force.

Also according to the PSP, the investigation made it possible to link the detainee with the authorship of at least seven crimes of theft in garages and one theft in an establishment, which occurred since the beginning of August. the police also said that the suspect was detained in possession of allegedly stolen objects that will be returned to their legitimate owners.

The detainee was heard in the first judicial interrogation, having been awaiting trial in preventive detention, the most serious coercive measure, added the PSP.

Algarve with almost 20% of victims of domestic violence – APAV

The Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV) in 2021 supported “about 28 women and girls” per day, victims of crimes such as domestic violence, defamation and persecution. About 80% of the 9,275 victims are of Portuguese nationality, with Lisbon (22%), Faro (17.5%) and Porto (13.7%) living districts standing out.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the association released its Statistics Report on Domestic Violence and Female Victims, which records 19,846 crimes of domestic violence last year.

Considering that “the crime of Domestic Violence must cover all acts that are crimes and committed in this scope”, APAV counts them both in the strict and in the broad sense.

According to the report, APAV assisted 9,275 victims of domestic violence that year (82.3% female and 15.5% male), around 45% of whom were between 26 and 55 years old.

In the case of the former, 618 were children and young people, 51.3% of whom were between 11 and 17 years old, with threat/coercion being the most reported crime.

This is also the crime most mentioned by the “5,072 adult women” who resorted to APAV (29.2% between 36 and 45 years old), while the 904 elderly women (26% between 70/74 years old) complained mainly of injuries and defamation.

The aggressors are mostly male (67%) and “in 55% of the cases the relationship between the victim and the aggressor was intimate (22.1% between spouses, 12.1% partners, 10.3% ex-partners, 4.3% ex-boyfriends, 4.4% ex-spouses and 2.1% between boyfriends)”.

Statistics show a prevalence of continued victimisation (58%), and in 28% of cases the victim sought support from APAV between two and six years after the start of the aggressions.

In 63.1% of the cases, the place where the crime was committed was the common residence between the victim and the author and in 46.5% a complaint was filed with the competent authorities, most of them with the PSP (47.4%).

Most complaints are made by telephone (61.9%), with face-to-face assistance accounting for 18.3%, according to the association, which notes that in 51.3% of cases contact was made by the victim and in around 49% for a third party.

APAV recorded last year 5,816 crimes of threat/coercion, 5,299 of physical abuse, 4,971 of insults/defamation, 1,105 of persecution, 528 of psychological abuse, 194 of a sexual nature and 57 of kidnapping. There are also 941 other crimes of domestic violence in the strict sense. With regard to crimes of domestic violence in the broadest sense, which represent 4.71% of the total, the association accounted for 286 cases of violation of the home or disturbance of private life, 264 of invasion of private life/illicit recordings or photographs, 194 of violation correspondence/telecommunications, 42 sexual crimes and 36 cases of serious offenses to physical integrity, among others.

CHUA wins the “More Value in Health” scholarship

The Algarve University Hospital Centre, the Alto Minho Local Health Unit, Santa Maria Maior Hospital and the Tâmega e Sousa Hospital Center are the winners of the 2nd edition of the Mais Valor em Saúde Grants.

The winners, who will receive 50,000 euros each, presented projects to integrate a dementia consultation using telemedicine (Alto Minho), increase the valences and manufacturing capacity of support products such as prostheses and orthoses using scanner and 3D printing (Algarve ), empowering users subject to anticoagulant therapy for self-monitoring (Santa Maria Maior) and an intelligent platform to signal patients for home hospitalisation (Tâmega e Sousa).

The “More Value in Health” grants aim to support the implementation of projects in the National Health Service hospitals that aim to introduce the necessary changes for a better allocation of resources. In the case of the projects chosen this year, all focus on the digital transition of health.

“Today we cannot provide health care without digital components to meet people’s needs, also betting on the efficiency of the system”, said Maria de Belém Roseira, president of the jury, which this year analysed 14 competing projects.

The official also recalled the results of the last census , which point to “a very special demography, with a very ageing population and a great burden of chronic diseases”, underlining.

“We need to find expeditious ways to provide care to the ageing population, with the maximum possible comfort, reducing the bureaucratic burden and the difficulty of accessing services. Digital technologies help us a lot, whether in the management part, which is hidden, or in the part of taking care of people”, he stressed. With the use of new technologies, he highlighted, “the movement of people is reduced and patient safety is increased”.

“It’s a way to save resources, improving the quality of people’s follow-up, both in terms of comfort and safety and the quality of the diagnoses and follow-ups carried out. In addition, by avoiding unnecessary trips we are also safeguarding the environment and allowing families to better organise their lives”, he said.

The Mais Valor em Saúde Programa – Vidas que Valem is a partnership between the Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators (APAH), the consultants Exigo and IASIST and Gilead Sciences, which Altice joins as a technological partner, and aims to help cement the culture of Health Management based on Value (Value Based Healthcare), through the analysis of the current problems of the SNS, training of stakeholders in decision-making, rigour in the evaluation of results and transparency in their dissemination.

The purpose is to develop strategies to improve clinical results, patient satisfaction and the allocation of financial resources in the SNS.

The project that obtained the highest evaluation in this year’s edition was presented by the Local Health Unit of Alto Minho and the main objective is to create, in the context of dementia, a Hospital Memory Team (EHM) in this unit, which establishes a care network at the hospital level and at the level of primary health care (CSP), which operates according to protocols and is based on an Individual Care Plan (PIC) for each patient.

The second was presented by the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA) and aims to increase the capabilities and manufacturing capacity of support products of the Support Products Center of CHUA, aiming at the production of custom-made prostheses and orthoses, using scanner and 3D printing.

The team also intends to increase the access of CHUA users to these products, reduce waiting times, increase the useful life of products, with the printing of replacement components, promote the reuse of thermoplastic to promote the circular economy and increase the autonomy and functionality of users.

The third chosen was the project by Hospital Santa Maria Maior, EPE, which intends to invest in the training of users subject to anticoagulant therapy for self-monitoring

The last winner is the project presented by Centro Hospitalar do Tâmega e Sousa, EPE, which is aimed at home hospitalisation. The team intends to develop an intelligent patient signalling platform for this type of hospitalisation, with the aim of doubling the capacity, from 10 to 20 patients.

Olhao Municipal Police promote collection of toys

The Municipal Police of Olhão is promoting a campaign to collect toys for the most needy children in the municipality until December 19, announced the City Council.

With the aim of “bringing some of the magic of Christmas to some of the most needy children in the municipality”, donations can be delivered to the Municipal Police facilities, on Avenida da República, from Monday to Saturday, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm .

The result of the collection will later be given to the children of the Kindergarten “As Luzinhas”, of the Obra de Nossa Senhora das Candeias, and of the Social Welfare Center Nossa Senhora De Fátima.

PSP detains man for the crimes of domestic violence and theft

The Faro District Command of the PSP arrested, on November 23, an individual to serve an effective prison sentence of four years and nine months, for the crimes of domestic violence and theft.

The agents located the individual in Largo do Carmo, in Faro, immediately proceeding to comply with the arrest warrant for him to be taken to a prison, issued by the Judicial Court of the District of Faro.

The crimes committed relate to occurrences in 2015 and 2017, and there are still records of “other criminal occurrences related to the detainee”, says the PSP in a statement.

And finally some good news from the Ria Formosa

The population of seahorses in a protected area in the Ria Formosa has registered, in the last year, “an appreciable increase”, revealed this week specialists involved in the ‘Seahorse’ project, which released a group of over 150 of these fish bred in captivity.

“You are seeing more seahorses, particularly here in the sanctuary zone (protected area). We are optimistic because the population is increasing and, since last year, we have been seeing more. There is an appreciable increase”, said Rui Santos, researcher at the Center for Marine Sciences ( CCMAR ) at the University of Algarve, without specifying concrete numbers.

The Ria Formosa seahorse protection area was created in 2020, with a view to reversing the downward trend in populations that has taken place over the last two decades, putting the species on the verge of extinction in the Ria. The monitoring of seahorses in the protected area, an area of ​​the Ria Formosa located between Faro and Olhão , started just over a year ago, when the first action was taken to repopulate the species.

At the time, a group of 60 seahorses was released, which during this period showed “impeccable behaviour”, finding “protection and an adequate habitat”, added another CCMAR researcher, Jorge Palma.

“We managed to find some animals for a few months, before they dispersed, and in good physical condition, that is, they were eating perfectly, after being given natural food in captivity. We saw that they stayed here, where they benefit from this protected area”, he pointed out. Monitoring is carried out every two months, making it possible to identify all released fish. “The profile of the head varies from animal to animal and we use our own ‘software’ that makes the correspondence between the photographs taken in one month and in the subsequent months”, explained the researcher.

In the second repopulation action, carried out this week, CCMAR technicians released a group of around 150 seahorses into the protected area, three dozen of which were newborns, with “the same genetic heritage” as fish caught in the estuary and taken to Ramalhete Maritime Station for reproduction.

“A few more than the 120 that were expected, because, meanwhile, we saw the male with juveniles inside the bag and released them inside the drum during transport. He was in late pregnancy, so to speak. They were born now, they are perfectly viable”, explained Jorge Palma.

The technicians had to wait a few minutes, not only to acclimatise the seahorses to the ambient temperature, but also for the current to pass, preventing them from being dragged to another less favourable area. Seahorses “Hippocampus hippocampus” (short-snouted seahorse) were released, the least abundant in the estuary, “where normally one animal appears for ten, at best”, of the species “Hippocampus guttulatus” (seahorse of long snout).

“We released a less abundant species that, here within the protected area, will have greater reproductive potential next year. Let’s hope that happens and that the descendants spread to other habitats”, said Jorge Palma.

Another component of the ‘Seahorse’ project involves the restoration of seagrass meadows, which, according to Rui Santos, are being affected by the proliferation of the seaweed “caulerpa prolifera”, an invasive species from the Mediterranean, and its impact on food is being evaluated of seahorses.

“One thing we already know is that the diversity of food, from different organisms, is greater in seagrasses than in ‘caulerpa’, but we still have a lot to analyse to understand” the effects of the invasive algae on the species’ diet, mentioned the CCMAR researcher and professor at UAlg.

The ‘Seahorse’ project, developed by CCMAR with funding from the Belmiro de Azevedo Foundation, has the collaboration of the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) and the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA)/ARH do Algarve.

 

 

The Algarve Situation Report 23 November 2022

 

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all, since the last report we have seen a dramatic change in the weather here in the Algarve with cooler days and rain. However, despite the rain a recent report from the IMPA shows that the Algarve continues to experience meteorological drought, but with a decrease in intensity, now being in the moderate drought class.

We can only hope that the usual rains we experience over the next few months will help fill up the reservoirs.

Now a look at some of the other stories that have been happening in the region.

Rail Plan with two high-speed alternatives in the Algarve

The National Railway Plan, which was launched on Thursday, November 17th, for public discussion, is studying two high-speed alternatives for the Algarve region that intend to compete with the plane and the car.

The plan is looking at the possibility of modernising the existing line to reduce the journey by about 30 minutes or the construction of a new axis that includes Évora, Beja or Faro, with the journey time between Lisbon and Faro becoming less than two hours.

With regard to freight transport, new international corridors are planned through the Algarve and Trás-os-Montes, in addition to a pilot corridor for longer trains (1,500 metres) between Sines and the border. This plan foresees the high-speed line serving the 10 largest cities in the country, as well as several connections to Spain.

“At the end of all this, we would have high-speed service serving the 10 largest cities in the country”, said the coordinator of the working group responsible for the National Railway Plan (PFN), Frederico Francisco, presented at the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC), in Lisbon.

The PFN also foresees “several connections to Spain, from all over the territory”, pointed out the official, thus competing with the plane and the car.

Largest nativity scene in the country celebrates 20 years

The largest nativity scene in the country is back at the António Aleixo Cultural Centre, in Vila Real de Santo António, between December 1st and January 8th, announced the municipality.

In the year it celebrates its 20th anniversary, this nativity scene grows again, now occupying an area of ​​240 square metres and more than five thousand pieces. This year’s edition continues to break records, with the presence of 5700 pieces that occupy the entire exhibition area of ​​the António Aleixo Cultural Centre, many of them made from scratch and others that reach a value of several hundred euros.

The construction of the nativity scene took more than 40 days and 2500 hours of work, since several months ago, using more than 20 tons of sand, four tons of stone dust, 3000 kilos of cork and hundreds of props.

About one hundred pieces are animated and motorised, in addition to the lakes and lighting that are considered the secret of the event, which are on top of a base with kilometres of cables that guarantee the circulation of water, lighting and scenic effects.

The nativity scene also has elements evocative of the region, such as the Praça Marquês de Pombal, the old beach huts of Monte Gordo, the salt pans, the traditional Algarvian waterwheels and other local monuments. Most of the materials are natural or reused, such as cork and moss, focusing on the ecological aspect with the implementation of led lighting systems and reuse of water used in ornamental lakes.

This nativity scene, with the signature of Augusto Rosa, Teresa Marques, Joaquim Soares and António Bartolomeu, can be visited daily between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm and from 2:30 pm to 7:00 pm, with entrances between 0, 50 and 1 euro.

Young people remove invasive plants on the beach of Santo António

Several young people from the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António participated on Sunday, November 20, in an initiative to clean and remove weevils next to the beach of Santo António, announced the Parish Council.

As part of the “Ambienta-te” project, promoted by the Parish Council of Vila Real de Santo António and the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth, young people removed this invasive plant during the environmental action, with the support of the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forestry and Environment Division of the City Council.

Known as beach weevil, this invasive species is easy to find in the dunes and is a creeping, succulent plant.

Faro and Portimão with restrictions on Christmas lighting

The energy crisis is leading municipalities across the country to plan to have Christmas lighting turned on for shorter periods than in other years and to resort more to the use of low-consumption technologies .

In Faro, Christmas lighting will be on for a significantly shorter period than in previous years, starting to work at dusk and being turned off from 00:00, while in 2021 it was on daily from 17:00 to 02:00: 00.

The municipality of Portimão will also reduce this year the period of Christmas lighting by 10 days compared to previous years – turning on the lights between December 6th and January 6th – and by two hours daily.

Like other municipalities, Portimão City Council will also use low-consumption luminaires with LED technology, with the lights being turned off for every two hours of operation.

Faro Camara Systems  hacked

The Câmara de Faro announced that it had been the target of a computer attack that affected all of its servers, compromising the normal functioning of the services, which will be gradually resumed in the coming days.

In a statement, the municipality specified that the ‘ransomware’ attack was registered last Saturday, having been reported to the National Cybersecurity Centre, Judiciary Police and the Attorney General’s Office.

The municipality admits that there may be constraints over the next few days in the services, namely in the ‘back office’ system and in the email service, which are currently inactive.

Four of the suspects arrested for drug trafficking are in custody

Four of the 10 suspects arrested for drug trafficking on Tuesday by the Public Security Police in Lagos will be remanded in custody, the Faro District Attorney’s Office announced this Thursday.

The most serious measure of coercion was determined by the Juiz de Instrução Criminal de Portimão to four of the detainees, leaving another five suspects obliged to report periodically to the police authorities and another prohibited from contact with the remaining defendants in the process.

According to a note published on the Attorney General’s website, the suspects, eight men and two women, aged between 21 and 47, are indicted for the crime of drug trafficking. According to the prosecution, one of the detainees, aged 26, had been buying, since August 2017, cocaine, heroin, hashish, marijuana and pastilles (‘MDMA’ and ‘ecstasy’) from another of the detainees, this one aged 47, who later sold to consumers directly or through other elements.

The judicial entity adds that, “also at the indication of the 26-year-old detainee, the rest were responsible for disguising the drugs and money in various hiding places”.

During the searches and searches carried out, the police authorities seized various narcotic products, namely cocaine, heroin, marijuana, hashish and ‘ecstasy’, four weapons and ammunition, material for weighing and packaging the drug and 28 thousand euros. The case was investigated by the Public Security Police of Portimão and Lagos and supervised by the magistrate of the 2nd section of the Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) of Portimão.

And to end this report there is news of an additional health centre opening in the Algarve.

Vilamoura has a new private hospital unit

The Lusíadas private health group will install a new hospital unit in Vilamoura, in the Algarve municipality of Loulé, in 2023, with an investment of 10 million euros and the creation of 250 new jobs.

The project presentation ceremony and the signing of the contract between the Lusíadas health group and the administration of the well-known seaside resort took place on the morning of Tuesday, November 22nd, in the former Lusotur building, designed by the architect Francisco Keil do Amaral, where the new hospital will be located, after “rehabilitation and construction” works.

“The Hospital Lusíadas Vilamoura will reinforce the offer of health care in the most extensive and populous municipality in the Algarve and will make a contribution to the socio-economic development of the region, in a lasting and sustainable way”, said the executive president (CEO) of Lusíadas Saúde, Vasco Antunes Pereira. For his part, the mayor of Loulé, Vítor Aleixo, welcomed this “investment in a very high quality tourist area, which joins others already in operation in the area”, and which will benefit the population of the entire municipality. .

“This initiative will also benefit from public and private investments that are planned and being developed in the area of ​​active and healthy ageing. It is about the formation of an ecosystem in the area of ​​the ‘silver economy’ [people over 65 years old], which is a segment with a future and great opportunities”, underlined Vítor Aleixo.

When operating at full capacity, the new unit will be able to perform around 4,500 consultations and 200 outpatient surgeries per month, according to data provided by the health group.“Vilamoura has year-round demand from a ‘less resident’ population and we consider that the [hospital supply, currently,] is insufficient”, said Vasco Antunes Pereira.

According to Lusíadas Saúde, this unit with 1,700 square metres aims to respond to the interests and needs of the population profile “resident and also tourists”, being the first hospital in the south of mainland Portugal “dedicated exclusively to outpatient surgery”.

“In terms of capacity, the unit will include permanent care, more than 20 consultation offices, treatment and examination rooms, operating and minor surgery rooms, a Gastroenterology unit and an Imaging area, equipped with specialised and cutting-edge technological equipment. , such as magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography (CAT), X-rays, mammography, ultrasound, among others,” according to a statement from the health group.

 

 

The Algarve Situation Report 9th November 2022

 

By Mike Evans

Good day to you all. Welcome to this Algarve report as the Christmas Season has started in many shopping centres around the region. We are blessed with the fact that our climate is still warm but don’t forget that crime is still around especially with houses stocked full of Christmas presents. Be especially vigilant for any unusual things in your neighbourhood and don’t forget to call the GNR or PSP if you feel something is not right. Remember Thieves need Christmas presents as well and they would rather not have to buy them!

Deterring would-be criminals is one of the most effective forms of crime prevention. Invest in a motion sensor flood-light or even some outdoor Christmas lights to highlight your home’s exterior. This often makes approaching your home too conspicuous for a burglar. Also, highlighting the fact your possessions are security marked and registered on Immobilise using window decals provide a further warning that your goods are traceable and not worth the risk of stealing!

Festive lighting – be secure. A common mistake of many festive decorators is to feed extension cables through partially open windows, criminals know to look for this vulnerability. When it comes to outdoor lighting, opt for solar or battery operated lights or install outdoor electrical outlets.

Be careful not to advertise your home to burglars on social media! According to one recent study, social media is a commonly used tool for scouting potential targets. Social media savvy families have a tendency to publish their whereabouts during the holiday season, including any vacation plans. This can let burglars know when your house is going to be empty. Uploaded photos of pricey Christmas gifts can also be a problem as if privacy settings aren’t tied down, it can allow burglars to go shopping just by viewing your Facebook profile.

Here is a look at some of the stories around the region in the past week or so.

 

 Government to implement contingency plans in 2023 for those without a family doctor in the Algarve.

Next year, a “contingency plan will be established for each of the regions of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, Algarve and Alentejo, where at the end of September 2022, 82.7% of users lived without a family doctor assigned in the country”, advances the explanatory note of the Ministry of Health on the State Budget for 2023.

According to the document published on the parliament’s website, Manuel Pizarro’s ministry intends to develop an “integrated plan to facilitate access to primary health care for users who do not have a health doctor assigned”, by expanding the training of the specialty. of general and family medicine to the limit of existing training capacity.

“Innovative responses are also planned for sparsely populated areas where it has been difficult to attract” health professionals, says the ministry, adding that the “retirement potential” of general and family medicine (FGM) specialists is higher. that of clinicians in hospital specialties.

At the level of doctors from the National Health Service, the data accumulated until September indicate a total of 1,639 retired clinicians during this year, a value slightly higher than that recorded in the same period of 2021 (1,508), but close to the one verified in 2020 (1,667) , outputs that “may be compensated by the entry of new doctors into the system”, the document advances.

To improve the coverage of primary health care, the Government plans to increase the number of professionals, following the calls for tenders scheduled for 2023, update the performance incentive model, and progressively provide all groups of health centres (ACES) with the capacity to provide mental health care.

According to the ministry, the ACES will also see their “service portfolio” expanded, through the expansion of the capacity to carry out complementary diagnostic and therapeutic means, the follow-up of chronic patients and the availability of emergency equipment for basic support. of life.

In order to improve the access and efficiency of public hospitals, the Ministry of Health intends to review the hospital referral networks and the model of organisation and operation of emergency services.

The document also points out that the implementation of new organisational models for metropolitan emergencies in Lisbon and Porto is planned, within the scope of modernization and reform of the functioning of hospitals, as well as the internal organisation of hospitals in Integrated Responsibility Centers.

It is also planned to reinforce the autonomy of hospital management, ensuring the timely approval of budgets, program contracts and activity plans, “in order to speed up the hiring of health professionals and the realisation of investments, with greater accountability and satisfaction”. for users and professionals”, indicates the explanatory note.

After approval in general, the Government’s proposal for the State Budget for next year is being examined in detail in parliament and the final global vote is scheduled for 25 November.

 

Preventive arrest for false police suspected of rape

The Portimão Criminal Investigation Court ordered the preventive detention of a man who posed as a policeman and who is indicted for the crimes of rape, possession of a prohibited weapon and damage.

According to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office for the District of Faro, the court carried out a first interrogation of the accused, who was arrested on Thursday, November 3, and applied the coercive measure requested by the Public Ministry, with the man being 48 years old. years, as well as the investigation of the case, in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department of Portimão of the Judiciary Police.

The prosecutor explains that “in June 2022, around 9:30 pm, the detainee called a 35-year-old foreign woman who was engaged in prostitution, and in that sequence he arranged a meeting with her in a house located in Portimão”.

Then, inside a room, the detainee identified himself as a policeman, showed a pistol and handcuffs, took possession of the woman’s identification documents and, using a stamp pad, collected the victim’s fingerprints, which printed on a print with the logo of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF).

Then, he had sex with the woman and “took her SIM card from her cell phone, broke it and told her that she should keep silent because what she was doing was a crime”, adding that “if she had sexual relations with him, she would not hand her over to the SEF”.

The Attorney General’s Office of the District of Faro also informs that the detainee works in the restaurant and that the victim “accepted the detainee’s purpose with fear that he would report her to the judicial authorities”.

The Judiciary Police (PJ) had already revealed on Thursday the arrest of this man “on suspicion of rape and other crimes that will have occurred at the end of June”.

In a statement, the PJ said that the detainee is suspected of “rape, possession of a prohibited weapon, usurpation of functions, abuse of designation, sign or uniform and damage”, crimes that took place in an apartment where the victim was staying.

 

Algarve under yellow warning due to rough seas

The Algarve is one of the ten districts on the mainland that are currently under yellow warning due to the forecast of strong seas , in addition to the North Coast of the island of Madeira and the island of Porto Santo, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) .

The districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria, Lisbon, Setúbal, Beja and Faro will have a yellow warning due to the forecast of northwest waves with 4 to 5 metres until 12:00 on Wednesday .

Also the North Coast of the island of Madeira and Porto Santo are under yellow warning until 12:00 today, with northwest waves of 4 to 5 metres expected.

The yellow warning is issued by the IPMA whenever there is a risk situation for certain activities dependent on the weather situation. On the south coast, southwest waves of 1 to 1.5 metres are expected.

Albufeira to have a third permanent firefighting team

The Albufeira City Council will support the hiring of a third permanent intervention team (EIP) of volunteer firefighters to provide assistance to the population in various areas, it was announced this week.

The protocol of conditions for hiring the EIP was approved at a meeting of the executive on the 2nd, with the municipality supporting 37,000 of the 74,000 euros needed for the functioning of the permanent team, says the municipality in a statement.

According to the mayor, José Carlos Rolo, quoted in the note, providing Albufeira with a new team permanently at the fire station “is an operational need that has already been identified, so its constitution was urgent”.

The EIP will reinforce and improve the rescue capacity in multiple areas, including fires, floods, landslides, collisions, accidents, catastrophes, shipwrecks and complementary assistance, concludes the note.

Minister commits to reducing road Tolls in the Algarve

The Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Ana Abrunhosa, made a commitment this Thursday to continue to reduce tolls on highways in the interior territories and on the A22 – Via do Infante , saying that the ideal was “abolition”.

“The objective is to continue to reduce tolls in the interior and on the A22 [highway 22]”, said Ana Abrunhosa, at a hearing in the Assembly of the Republic , regarding the proposed State Budget for 2023 (OE2023).

I never hid that the interior deserves the tolls to be abolished, as well as the A22. I’ve never hidden that it’s a difficult path to take. It’s a very difficult path to take. Nor do I hide that we maintain the objective, in 2023, of continuing to reduce tolls”, declared Ana Abrunhosa, explaining that the commitment included in the OE2023 includes the consideration of the reduction of tolls and the commitment to mobility, namely in the Support Program the Fare Reduction (PART) and the Program to Support Densification and Reinforcement of Public Transport Offer (ProTrans).

“The commitment I leave here is that, in this program, we work on reducing tolls”, reiterated the minister, defending that “the ideal is what people demand”, supporting the abolition of tolls.

From the PSD bench, deputy Patrícia Dantas questioned the minister about the 75% discount provided for electric vehicles on the ‘scuts’ (roads free of charge for users), which came into force on July 1, 2020 and that, “ 18 months later, it still hasn’t been implemented.”

The new toll fee discount model came into force on July 1, 2021, with the application of a 50% reduction on some sections of highways 17, 25, 29, 4, 41, 42, 28, 22, 23 and 24.

Among the motorway sections and subsections covered by the 50% discount on the toll fee are: A22, which is part of the Algarve Concession; A23, of the Estradas de Portugal concession; A23, from the Beira Interior Concession; A24, from the North Interior Concession; and A25, from the Beira Litoral/Beira Alta Concession.

The OE2023, under discussion in the specialty in the Assembly of the Republic, contains 1,204 million euros for the Financing Fund for the Decentralization (FFD) of competences, with an increase of 208 million in relation to the current year.

The final global vote on the document is scheduled for November 25.

Pilot Project to control Mosquitos starts in Faro

Environmental health researchers are developing a pilot project in Faro to biologically control the population of the Asian tiger mosquito, a species that can transmit dengue and zika.

The project, unique in Portugal, aims to test the sterile insect technique (SIT) to reduce the population of the “Aedes albopictus” mosquito , a species that poses a potential threat for the transmission of several diseases, including dengue, zika and chikungunya.

Recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce the population of these mosquitoes and prevent the emergence of diseases, the SIT technique consists of releasing sterile males that, when mating with females, make new generations unfeasible.

The two-year project is led by researchers from the Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) in collaboration with the public health service of the Regional Health Administration (ARS) of the Algarve, within the scope of the National Health Network. Vector Surveillance (REVIVE), funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The regional coordinator for the Algarve of the REVIVE program, Nélia Guerreiro, said that monitoring of the population of those insects is being carried out in a specific area of ​​40 hectares in the Gambelas area, near Faro international airport, where the species was identified in 2020.

“For three weeks, field activities were carried out, with the release of about 90,000 insects sterilised in the laboratory and marked, so that the SIT technique can be validated, as a complementary ecological tool for vector control”, he pointed out.

The results to understand whether the eggs that are produced by mosquitoes released into the environment “are sterile or not should only be known near the end of the year”, said the official.

Nélia Guerreiro said that monitoring carried out since 2020 on the mosquito population in the Gambelas area “has enabled the collection of very robust data, namely its density, when the mosquito is active and when it loses activity”.

“Due to the data collected, it was possible to submit a project of this type that aims to validate the sterile mosquito technique as a complementary ecological tool for a vector control program, so that in the future it can be used to suppress the existing mosquito population. in a given region”, he concluded.

Originating in Southeast Asia, “Aedes albopictus” has been spreading globally through the passive transport of eggs originated in commercial activities, namely, the global trade of used tires and ornamental plants.

The Asian tiger mosquito arrived in Europe via Albania in 1979, and since then has been detected in several countries, such as Italy, France or Spain, being capable of transmitting diseases such as dengue, zika and chikungunya, as well as filarial parasites,

The invasive species was first detected in Portugal in September 2017 at a tire factory in the north of the country, which triggered a surveillance response by public health authorities at local, regional and national levels.

A year later, the same species was detected in the Algarve in very specific areas, and it is not known precisely how it was introduced.

 

Lagoa comes out top in a safety, Diversity and Tolerance Report

And to end this report some good news for Lagoa, In A study carried out by the Institute of Behavioural Technology ( INTEC ), to assess the quality of life of the Portuguese, concluded that Lagoa is the municipality in the country where citizens best evaluate safety, tolerance and diversity indices.

Rounding out the podium, behind Lagoa, are the municipalities of Caminha and Bragança, in 2nd and 3rd places, respectively.

The INTEC study brings together statistical data and surveys made to the population to assess the quality of life of the Portuguese. INTEC’s work is based on three pillars: objective living conditions, subjective well-being and the perceived quality of relationships between different social and cultural groups. Thus, in this study, environmental conditions, infrastructure, opportunities offered by the municipality , general satisfaction with the objective conditions of life and happiness with life in general are taken into account.

In the study presented, the municipality of Lagoa is distinguished from the others “by the tolerance that its population has towards each other, by the way in which it integrates the foreign community and how it welcomes immigrants. It stands out for accepting and respecting differences”.

Finally, if you would like to join us at our first Inaugural lunch in Loule on the 30th November where you will be able to meet some of the team from Safe Communities and hear from our Guest Speaker Clive Jewell, the British Vice Consul based here in Portimao, places are still available although they are going fast!

The cost is 30 euros payable in cash on the day and will include a three course lunch with wine or beer or soft drinks. To book a place send your name with your email address and contact phone number to newsletter@safecommunitiesportugal.com