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Azores Situation Report Wednesday 11th June 2025

Four earthquakes with magnitudes between 2.6 and 3.3 felt on the island of São Miguel

Four earthquakes with magnitudes between 2.6 and 3.3 on the Richter scale were felt around 6:00 pm local time on the 9th of JUne in São Miguel, in the Eastern group of the Azores, reported the Azores Seismo-volcaeic Information and Surveillance Centre (CIVISA).

According to CIVISA, the tremors were recorded at 05:54 local time (06:54 in Lisbon), 10:55, 12:02 and 12:04.

The first earthquake had a magnitude of 3.3 and the following, in order, 2.7, 3.1 and 2.6.

The earthquakes had their epicentres south-southwest of Faial da Terra and south-southeast of Ribeira Quente, in the municipality of Povoação.

According to CIVISA, the four tremors were felt with maximum intensity III and III/IV (Modified Mercalli scale) in the municipality of Povoação and the most intense (3.3 on the Richter scale) was also felt in the municipalities of Vila Franca do Campo and Ponta Delgada (with intensity II/III).

The earthquakes are part of the seismic activity recorded since Wednesday south of the island of São Miguel, which “has been marked by low magnitude events, located at sea, roughly between 10 and 20 kilometres south of the municipality of Povoação”.

Azores Seismo-volcaeic Monitoring and Information Centre has a new portal

The Azores Seismo-volcaeic Information and Surveillance Centre (CIVISA) has a new internet portal in operation, in an experimental phase, to disseminate information related to seismo-volcaeic activity in the region, it was announced.

The portal, created in partnership with the Institute of Volcanology of the University of the Azores (IVAR), is available at www.civisa.pt and “will function as a redundant and temporary system until the definitive solution coordinated with the Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service of the Azores for IVAR/CIVISA is concluded”.

CIVISA said in a statement that the new online portal “is accessible from all over the country and abroad, overcoming the security restrictions that prevented access to the old portal from outside the country”.

In March of this year, the Regional Government of the Azores expressed its willingness to increase CIVISA’s funding, to ensure an “excellent” service, after problems were reported in accessing the website, which has been in operation for 15 years.

TAP inaugurates new air route between Terceira Island and São Francisco

The new air link between Terceira Island and San Francisco (USA), operated by the airline TAP, as of today, brings the Azores and the diaspora closer together and boosts tourism, considered the vice-president of the Azorean Government.

TAP inaugurated this Tuesday the connection between Terceira Island and San Francisco, in the United States of America, which will continue until September 17th with a weekly frequency, departing on Tuesdays and returning on Wednesdays, provided by A330neo aircraft, with capacity for around 298 passengers.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 4th June 2025

PSP carries out “Safe School” operation from today

The Public Security Police (PSP) is launching the “Safe School – End of the 2024/2025 School Year” operation, with the aim of reinforcing its mission of security, crime prevention and delinquency within the school community.

In a statement, the PSP said that as part of the operation, which runs until the 27th of June, will carry out awareness-raising actions and individual crime prevention contacts with young people in the 3rd cycle of primary education and secondary education regarding violent behavior, possession/use of weapons (especially bladed weapons) and drug use.

The PSP will also carry out actions with pre-school and primary school students, under the motto “FALCO – Safer Holidays”, presenting the Estou Aqui! Crianças Programe and the stories “A Pulseira das Conchas”, “A Ana no Labirinto das Compras” and “Um Presente Doce” from the project “Eu faço como diz o Falco”.

The agents will remind children of the care they should take on vacation when they get lost or are approached by strangers.

“Given the calendar of tests and exams for primary and secondary education, progressively, between 6 and 27 June, a greater influx of people to educational establishments is expected in certain periods, resulting from assessment meetings and activities to end the school year, as well as other events promoted by the educational community”, says the PSP.

Therefore, the PSP will carry out actions to prevent criminal offences, administrative offences and incivility, traffic and road safety inspections and commercial establishments, restaurants and bars, and others frequented by minors.

Mistreatment of babies in daycare centre reported

The Casa do Povo de Rabo de Peixe filed a criminal complaint against four employees, accusing them of mistreating babies under three years of age.

Four employees of the Child Support Centre No. 1, a branch of the Casa do Povo de Rabo de Peixe, were accused by the institution of mistreating babies.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that an investigation has been opened based on the complaint filed. “The investigation is subject to judicial secrecy,” a source from the Public Prosecutor’s Office revealed.

Former employees of the institution testified that the mistreatment had been going on for many years.

President of the Casa do Povo de Rabo de Peixe, Carlos Estrela, is not satisfied with the decision and promises to move forward with disciplinary procedures.

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake felt on Santa Maria island in the Azores

An earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale was felt on the island of Santa Maria, in the Azores, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

In a statement, the IPMA indicates that the earthquake was recorded at the stations of the Azores Archipelago Seismic Network at 00:18 local time (01:18 in Lisbon) and had an epicentre approximately 40 kilometres “east-southeast of the Formigas islets (S. Miguel)”.

“This earthquake, according to the information available to date, did not cause personal or material damage (…) and was felt with maximum intensity III (modified Mercalli scale) in the parish of São Pedro (Santa Maria)”, reads the IPMA website.

According to the Richter scale, earthquakes are classified according to their magnitude as micro (less than 2.0), very small (2.0-2.9), small (3.0-3.9), slight (4.0-4.9), moderate (5.0-5.9), strong (6.0-6.9), large (7.0-7.9), important (8.0-8.9), exceptional (9.0-9.9) and extreme (when greater than 10).

The Modified Mercalli scale measures the “degrees of intensity and their respective description”.

With an intensity II, considered very weak, the earthquake is “felt by people resting on the upper floors of buildings or in a favourable position”.

An intensity III tremor, considered weak, is felt indoors and hanging objects sway, feeling a “vibration similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles”, describes the IPMA on its website.

With an intensity of IV, considered moderate, “suspended objects sway, the vibration is similar to that caused by the passage of heavy vehicles or the sensation of a heavy ball hitting the walls, parked cars sway, windows, doors and crockery shake, glass and crockery rattle or tinkle and at the highest level of this intensity, walls and wooden structures creak”.

With an intensity of V, considered strong, the shaking is “felt outside the home, the direction of movement can be assessed, people are woken up, liquids oscillate and some spill, small objects in unstable balance move or are knocked over”, describes the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) on its website.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 28th May 2025

Good morning. The focus this week is very much on the considerable increase in air temperature and associated much higher fire risk as well as the quickly approaching deadline for land cleaning – just four days away.

So far this year the fire risk has been lower than average but this is set to change from today especially in the Algarve. If we look at the fire risk map for 27th May there are only 4 municipalities at very high risk and above, but by the 31st May (the deadline for land cleaning) there will be 76 (according to forecasts at the time of writing), although this could change.

This puts those living in those areas at a quandary, as you cannot burning cut and piled waste without specific authorization from your municipality – some they may be reluctant to give if it results in a burn becoming out of control.  This was raise by a reader yesterday – who asked: Having cleaned the land around our second home as best we can, what do we now do with piles of material we can no longer burn the piles?”

Here is my reply which serves as a reply to others in a similar situation. “Now it is too late to burn if you are in a very high maximum risk municipality over the next few days. We have been forewarning over the few months this situation could materialize, encouraging people to burn debris as soon as possible. There are several options. 1) Wait until the risk becomes lower and then seek authorization from the city council. Even if the risk is low or moderate, after the 31st May you need to seek authorisation, they may or may not grant it. 2) Employ a company or someone to remove the debris. 3) Purchase or hire a shredder, to shred it, if you can and depending on the thickness of items you need to shred. 4) You can also check with your parish office if there are any local services that can help you”.

Despite admitting some “tolerance”, the GNR is flagging up landowners who do not clear their land to prevent fires. The deadline for carrying out fuel management work ends at the end of this month. After that, the authorities can take action and impose fines. By the end of April, the GNR had flagged 10,417 plots of land for lack of fuel management, to prevent rural fires, but from June onwards, even with some “tolerance” from the authorities, owners risk fines if they do not clean their land.

Over the weekend, the IPMA had already warned of a gradual rise in temperatures from Tuesday onwards in mainland Portugal, with an increase in the risk of rural fires, the maximum classification of which could affect some municipalities in the south. The maximum temperature is expected to reach above 30°C in most of the territory from today onwards, with the exception of some places on the western coastal strip – and ​above 35°C in the South and Tagus Valley. This hot and dry weather is due to a mass of hot air coming from North Africa. A reminder that the ultraviolet radiation index will remain at very high levels, as expected at this time of year close to the summer solstice and given the absence of cloud cover. DGS has issued health warnings due to high temperatures and we are posting these on our Facebook page and Group at regular intervals.

High temperatures are not the only factor concerning fire risk, with low humidity and strong winds being major factors as well. In addition we post each day the Fire Weather Index. The Fire Weather Index (FWI) is a model-based index used worldwide to estimate fire danger. It indicates intensity of potential fires by combining the rate of fire spread with the amount of fuel being consumed, taking into account temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation, drought conditions, fuel availability, vegetation characteristics and topography.

It is important to monitor daily because it indicates the intensity of fires and the rate of spread. The Fire weather index is used for general public information about fire danger conditions, and is an essential tool for firefighters. Please study it.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 21st May 2025

by Mike Evans

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

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

The Bathing Season Starts In Albufeira

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Man Arrested in Faro for Knife Crime

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

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

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

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

Man Spared Jail For Killing Father in Tavira

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And Finally, Safe Communities is at the Algarve Safe Exhibition in Portimao from the 22-25 May. Between the 22nd and 25th of May, Portimão Arena and the Parque de Feiras e Exposições will be the venue for ALGARSAFE’25 – Portimão International Civil Protection and Relief Fair at the Portimão Arena.

This is the 4th edition of what is considered the largest civil protection and relief fair south of the Tagus, which has been held every two years since 2016, marking the calendar when it comes to this important area of ​​society. Included in the presentations will be an event in English tailored for the foreign community on the subject of risk awareness and preparedness against various disasters such as rural fires, earthquakes and storms. This will take place at 1400 hrs on Thursday 22nd May 2025. This will be presented by Safe Communities Portugal, civil protection, GNR and ICNF and will include how to recognize the risks brought about by various extreme weather conditions which Portugal faces and, by understanding these risks take steps to reduce the impacts, such by minimizing damage to property and avoiding loss of life. There will be opportunities to ask questions as well as tour the various exhibits on display. The event is free. Registration via email at eventos@ahbvp.pt

This fair once again brings together in a single space more than fifty public and private entities.

The exhibition space inside the Portimão Arena will have a direct connection to the outside, in the Fair and Exhibition Park, where the public will be able to watch demonstrations and training activities, and be able to visit the exhibition of resources and equipment from the different Civil Protection Agents and participating exhibitors. There will also be live demonstrations, training sessions, and drills carried out by operators in simulated emergency scenarios, including extrication and fighting urban fires.

With an exhibition area of 4,000m2 inside the Portimão Arena, plus a further 30,000m2 in the Fair and Exhibition Park, this event is co-organised by Portimão City Council and Portimão Firefighters, with the support of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), the National Firefighters School, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), and the Portuguese Firefighters League, in addition to other Civil Protection Agents and cooperating entities.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 21st May 2025

Political disbelief and low levels of education explain abstention in the Azores

Professor of Political Science at the University of the Azores, Luís Andrade, pointed to disbelief in the political class, lack of education and levels of exclusion to explain the fact that the Azores were the region with the highest abstention rate in the legislative elections.

“A substantial part of the population has stopped believing in politics as it is today. The party apparatus, of several parties, does not satisfy the aspirations of a part of the population”, argued the professor of Political Science at the University of the Azores.

The Azores were the electoral district with the highest abstention rate in Sunday’s legislative elections, with 56.19%, while Braga was the district with the lowest abstention, 30.29%.

Of the 10 municipalities with the highest abstention rate, eight are in the Azores electoral district, with Ribeira Grande leading, with 62.34% and, in second place, Vila Franca do Campo, with 61.38%.

In fourth place comes Vila do Porto (59.78%), followed by Povoação (59.62%), Calheta (59.20%), Velas (57.31%), Vila Praia da Vitória (57.04%) and Lagoa (56.79%).

For Luís Andrade, there is a “disbelief that the party system cannot meet the aspirations” of the population, especially among the youngest.

The retired professor also highlighted the social context of the Azores, marked by “alarming levels of poverty” and low schooling rates.

“It’s a combination of factors such as poverty, social exclusion, and people’s lack of education. The lack of political culture also helps to explain abstention. People don’t identify with the parties, especially those with less education,” he added.

According to data released in January by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, the Azores have the highest poverty (24.2%) and social exclusion (28.4%) rates in the country.

The archipelago also has an early education and training dropout rate of 19.8%, well above the national average (6.6%), according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

University professor Luís Andrade considered that political parties should be “concerned with studying the problem” of abstention in depth but warned that the political participation of citizens should be a mission for “the whole of society”.

“It is not easy, it is not just the mission of political parties, it is the mission of the whole society. Starting from schools, whether primary, secondary or even university, to start making people of young ages actively participate from an early age to encourage them to vote in any type of election”, highlighted the political scientist.

HDES begins monitoring patients at home this summer

The Home Hospitalization Unit will start this summer with five beds outside the hospital, whose patients will be cared for at home and accompanied by a medical and nursing team.

The Home Hospitalization Unit (UHD) at the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo (HDES) will start this summer, until September, with five beds outside the hospital context, which will receive daily visits from a medical and nursing team, from Monday to Friday, during the morning period.

The presentation of the new UHD was held yesterday in the Auditorium of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, followed by a visit to the unit’s facilities, in the presence of the president of the board of directors and clinical director, Paula Macedo, as well as the medical and nursing coordinators of the UHD, respectively Marisa Rocha and Andreia Sousa.

The coordinating doctor of the HDES Home Hospitalization Unit, Marisa Rocha, explained that “home hospitalization has advantages at all levels, first and foremost for the patient, who is no longer hospitalized and can receive the same level of care at home, with the same scientific rigor and with humanization and proximity to health professionals”. This is because, in a hospital setting and with several patients hospitalized, it is not always easy for the patient to speak to the doctor or nurse when they want to.

But home hospitalization also has benefits at a social level, “because we can, by being in the patient’s home, increase health literacy, with benefits for patients and their families”, explained Marisa Rocha, also avoiding many rehospitalization situations.

Furthermore, in a family environment, risks for the patient are reduced when they are in a hospital context, such as falls, confusion syndromes or hospital infections, stated the coordinating doctor of the UHD at Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 14th May

Good morning everyone. Since the blackout across Portugal and Spain on 28th April, there has been an “awakening” in the media and from various social media groups of the need for emergency kits in case of various emergencies. This is something that Safe Communities Portugal has been promoting since we began our civil protection work around 10 years ago, so it is not new!

There are many occasions why this may be necessary, such as the approach of rural fires, flooding, landslides and during an earthquake. Most natural hazards can be forecasted and prepared for, and part of the preparation should be an emergency kit. And not only for humans. We were pleased to share yesterday a post from the PSP on the need for your animal to also have an emergency kit! As the PSP state “because in disaster situations, every family member matters — even the four-legged ones. Prepare an Animal Emergency Kit.

Safe Communities Portugal will have a stand at ALGARVESAFE’25 from 22nd to 24th May, which is being held at the Portimão Arena. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the work of civil protection including civil protection agents such as the: Bombeiros, GNR, PSP, Red Cross, INEM and Judicial Police for example. Our stand will focus of risk awareness and preparedness and will include a sample of an emergency kit. We look forward to seeing you there.

May 12th was International Nurses Day, celebrating the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, considered the founder of modern nursing in the 19th century. International Nurses Day a day to recognize nurses around the world and celebrate their contributions to the nursing profession. This event was created by the International Council of Nurses, with the aim of affirming and reinforcing the importance of these professionals in providing health care to the population. This year, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) launched an alert and a commitment with the motto “Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for nurses strengthens health systems and economies”. We thank all of those in the nursing profession and all the fantastic work you do.

A reminder that land cleaning needs to be completed by 31st May! If you live in a rural area, particularly one of high risk parishes and have not yet started do not delay. With only 2 weeks to go, this coming weekend is a good opportunity to burn cut and piled waste, rather than leave it to later when the fire risk may increase.  Alternatively dispose of waste in other ways such as using shredders with less risk of causing an uncontrolled fire through lack of safety during a burn. Over 50% of fires are caused in this way.

A reminder of the law. From 1st November to 31st May (i.e. the period we are in now). Low, Moderate or HIGH fire risk: Requests are made in the form of prior communication (does not require a decision process) Status reported: “Meets conditions”. Contact Câmara Municipal (Municipal Bombeiros) or 808 200 520 or online at https://fogos.icnf.pt/InfoQueimasQueimadas/

Very High or Maximum fire risk “Authorization is required. Initial status reported: Pending awaiting Council decision. Post-decision states reported: “Authorized” or “Unauthorized”. Ensure that if you are burning cut and piled waste all the safety conditions are complied with.

For those of you who attended Fatima, we hope you enjoyed the experience. We thank all the emergency services for the various operations that were put in place to assist pilgrims en-route to Fatima and which attending the event itself.

A relief for many travellers, is the news that today CP workers will be on the last day of a partial strike which has been place for over a week. However, severe restrictions are expected, especially until 8:30 am, but minimum services are guaranteed. The strike includes ticket office operators, ticket inspectors and train drivers. In the case of train drivers, there is also a strike against overtime work. Yesterday more than half of the trains scheduled for the entire day were cancelled, making it necessary to look for alternative ways to reach the destination. Workers are demanding wage increases, the implementation of an agreement to restructure wage scales and the defence of collective bargaining.

We wish you all a safe week ahead.

News

CPCJ received more than 58 thousand danger reports in 2024 and the number of homeless people in emergency rooms spending the night is increasing

The Child and Youth Protection Commissions received more than 58,000 reports of dangerous situations last year. Most of the cases involve domestic violence and neglect. Hospital emergency departments are receiving an increasing number of people living on the streets seeking shelter, food and hygiene. The situation is leaving emergency departments even more overwhelmed.

In 2024, the Child and Youth Protection Commissions (CPCJ) received 58,436 dangerous situations. A good portion, 42%, were transmitted by the security forces, PSP and GNR, and by schools, 18.5%. Few were archived, because 54,707 resulted in new intervention processes. In other words, last year, and adding these to the 34,301 that were carried over from 2023, the CPCJ handled 89,008 processes.

According to data from the Annual Report on the Assessment of the Activity of the Child and Youth Protection Commissions (CPCJ), for the year 2024, released this Tuesday, 4,812 more cases were registered compared to the previous year (84,196), which represents an increase of around 5.5%, although lower than the increase recorded from 2022 to 2023, which was 7.70%. Male children and young people of Portuguese nationality continue to be those most at risk.

However, among the total annual figures, it is worth highlighting that neglect and domestic violence continue to be the main reasons for risk situations for children and young people in various age groups, from zero to 18 years old. The CNPDPCJ annual report also reveals that 19,107 situations of neglect were reported, representing 30.4% of the total.

This was followed by cases of violence, with 17,295 reports, 27.5% of the total. Even so, these represented a decrease of 1.6% compared to the situations in 2023.

On the other hand, there were risk situations that registered an increase in 2024 compared to 2023, such as dangerous behaviour in children and young people, with 11,795 cases reported, representing 18.8% of the total risk situations – 1,425 more cases compared to 2023.

The CNPDPCJ analysis of age groups indicates that the highest number of dangerous situations reported is between the ages of 15 and 18, with 16,045 young people. In all age groups, there is a higher proportion of reports concerning male children compared to female children.

According to the report, there were also a total of 13,373 children and young people diagnosed as needing to apply precautionary measures for promotion and protection in 2024, the age group from 15 to 17 years had the highest incidence, representing 26.9% of the total, with 3,599 young people, of which 1,562 are female and 2,037 are male. Which, the document reinforces, indicates “a predominance of young males (56.6%) in relation to females (43.4%)”.

Regarding precautionary measures – that is, temporary measures to protect, in this case children and young people, from the risk they run, whether in terms of safety, health and well-being – in 2024, 1037 were applied. The majority, according to the report, were applied to male children, especially in the age group of 0 to 5 years, with the most applied precautionary measures, 935, (90.2%) being in natural living environments (Support Together with Parents) and 102 placements (9.8%) in institutions.

On the other hand, the Support for Another Family Member measure increased from 7.8% in 2023 to 7.7% in 2024. The Trust in a Suitable Person measure remained stable, representing 1.0% in both years, as did the Support for Life Autonomy measure, representing 0.5% of the total measures in both years. The Family Shelter measure increased from 0.4% in 2023 to 0.5% in 2024.

“I’m Here!”. PSP program has already given out 623,197 bracelets and found 58 children

The PSP is launching this Wednesday the 2025 edition of the “Estou Aqui! Crianças” program, under which 623,197 bracelets have already been assigned, allowing minors who are temporarily lost from their families to be located.

Since the start of the program in 2012, the PSP has promoted the “rapid reunion” of 58 children with their families.

Last year, 67,175 bracelets were issued, according to data from the Public Security Police (PSP).

This year, 17,349 bracelets have already been awarded, and through the program, it has been possible to reunite a child with their family.

To mark the launch of the 2025 edition before the holidays, the PSP is promoting an event at the Zoo in Lisbon, with the participation of around 300 children from the 1st Cycle.

The Program was created in partnership with the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration, the Child Support Institute and the General Directorate of School Establishments, among other entities.

If the child wearing the bracelet is lost, any adult who finds him/her should contact the PSP via the national emergency number (112), inform them of where he/she is and the code of the bracelet that the child has with him/her.

The PSP takes care of the rest, in order to guarantee the child’s safety and family reunion.

Joining this initiative does not involve any cost and the bracelet is valid until the end of the calendar year in which it is requested.

The bracelets are intended for children aged between two and 15 years old and have a unique alphanumeric code, unrelated to any personal data. They are valid throughout the country and can be requested by children residing in Portugal or on holiday.

Bracelets must be ordered through the Estou Aqui! Crianças Program website at https://estouaqui.mai.gov.pt/Pages/Home.htm.

After registration, applicants must go to the chosen PSP Police Station to collect their bracelets.

The platform is managed by PSP and personal data is used solely and exclusively in the context of the program.

The PSP gives parents some advice that they should give to their children: if they become disoriented and do not recognize anyone around them, they should stay where they are. If they see a police officer, they should ask for help.

The child must also know that the bracelet contains a code to call 112.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 14th May 2025

by Mike Evans

A very good day to you all, we have been reporting extensively on the situation regarding safety of people on the roads and the various campaigns that the GNR have been conducting over the past months against bad driving habits. Unfortunately, we have seen a number of fatal accidents happen across our region which highlights the fact that people still do not seem to be taking the subject of road safety seriously. With summer getting closer and the main roads across our region getting busier we can only hope that this trend does not continue to show an increase in deaths on our roads.

This will be the first summer where there will be no charges to travel along the A22 so we can expect more drivers using this road and if it is anything to go by when I travel along it on a regular basis there seems to be a distinct lack of concern for the speed limit. It is a fact that speed is a major factor in causing accidents on our roads and with more traffic around the chance of being involved in a collision is much more likely unless people start to adhere to the correct speed limits. Whether the tragedy of the 4 young people who lost their lives in Tavira at the weekend had anything to do with speed is not yet known but all of us at Safe Communities implore all drivers to slow down and drive carefully over the next months and years.

Now a look at what has been happening across the region over the past week or so.

4 Dead after Car falls into The River in Tavira

Four young people, two Germans aged 15 and 18 and two Portuguese aged 15 and 16, died on the night of Saturday, May 10, after the electric car they were travelling in fell into the Séqua/Gilão river, in Tavira.

When exiting a bend on National Road 397 (EN 397), the vehicle hit a tree, destroyed the rails and fell into the river. According to a source from the GNR, the vehicle was removed, with the occupants inside.

The young men were unable to get out of the Tesla for reasons that will be determined during the investigation. The doors were locked and they had to be freed by the Tavira Volunteer Firefighters, who when they were removed were already dead. The alert for the skid was given at 10:20 pm, when a motorist passed by the location and noticed that a vehicle was in the water.

The four fatal victims were taken to the Faro forensic office for autopsies. Twenty-one firefighters from Tavira, INEM, GNR and Civil Protection were on site, with the support of 11 vehicles. The Colégio Santiago Internacional, in Tavira, where three of the young people who died studied, today expressed its “absolute devastation” over what happened, asking for respect and privacy during the mourning period.

“The coming days and weeks will be immensely difficult for the families of the young people, as well as for their friends, teachers, assistants, and our entire school community in general,” said a source at the school, in a statement.According to the same source, three of the victims were students at the establishment and the fourth victim was the brother of one of the students, two of whom are of Portuguese nationality and the other two of German nationality, aged 15, 16 and 18, respectively.

“We therefore ask for maximum privacy and respect during the grieving process as we mourn our loved ones, since all students who attend our school are minors,” the note reads.

“As a community, at our school and in the city of Tavira, we are absolutely devastated by the tragic loss of these four lives,” the school concluded.

1 Dead and 2 Injured in Alcoutim Crash

One person died and two were injured as a result of a light vehicle skidding that occurred today on National Road 122, in Alcoutim .

According to the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, the accident caused the death of a 57-year-old man and minor injuries to another man, aged 40, and a woman, aged 34, the latter of Timorese nationality. According to the same source, a helicopter from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM) was called, but the injured ended up being transported by ambulance to Faro Hospital.

The alert was given at 9:36 am, and the reasons for the passenger car’s skidding are still unknown.

Traffic was restricted on National Road 122, in the Pereiro area, until around 11:54 am.

The victim assistance operations involved a total of 15 Civil Protection elements , supported by six vehicles.

Man Arrested Suspected of Child Sexual Abuse in Portimão

The Judicial Police (PJ), through the Criminal Investigation Department of Portimão , arrested a 20-year-old man, suspected of at least eight crimes of sexual abuse of children and one crime of threat, perpetrated between March and the beginning of this month, with the victim being a 13-year-old girl. The investigation originated from the mother’s report of the child’s disappearance, which occurred at the end of last week.

After the activation of the PJ , yesterday, a set of investigations were found that allowed the location of the aggressor and the victim, near the residence of a relative of the suspect.

“However, relevant evidence was collected that would culminate in the arrest of the suspect, when he was found to be enticing the victim to escape again,” the police force said in a statement.

During the investigation, it was possible to determine that the victim had been lured and encouraged by the suspect to run away from home, and that during the period in which they were both at large, she had been subjected “to relevant sexual acts, in various places, including the public highway, an abandoned house with no habitable conditions and also in the home of the suspect’s relative where she was finally found”.

The detainee will be presented for the first judicial interrogation to apply the coercive measures considered certain. The Inquiry is headed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Portimão.

PJ Arrests Man Accused of Murdering Neighbour in Olhão

The Judicial Police ( PJ ), through the Southern Directorate, arrested, yesterday, a 37-year-old man, on suspicion of attempted qualified homicide, which occurred in the municipality of Olhão .

The victim is a 35-year-old man who was shot with a firearm, suffering injuries whose severity “posed a danger to his life”, leading to his hospitalization and induced coma in the intensive care unit at Faro Hospital.

The facts under investigation occurred on May 6, after the victim did not accept the couple’s presence in the house she had been occupying, following an inheritance transfer. “The suspect left the scene after committing the crime,” the police force said in a statement.

As a result of the investigations carried out, “relevant evidence” was collected, which led to the identification and seizure of the instruments of the crime, “with circumstantial evidence being provided that confirmed the identification and subsequent arrest of the alleged perpetrator”.

The suspect was brought before the competent judicial authorities for the purposes of the first judicial interrogation of the detained defendant and determination of the specific coercive measures, being subject to preventive detention.

The investigation is led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Department of Investigation and Criminal Prosecution of Olhão.

GNR seizes 1.7 tons of Hashish in Joint Operation with Guardia Civil

The Coastal and Border Control Unit (UCCF), through the Maritime Patrol Section of the Olhão Coastal Control Detachment , and in cooperation with the  Spanish Guardia Civil  , today, May 8, seized around 1,700 kilos of hashish, in the Guadiana River, between Portugal, and the south of Lepe, in Spain.

The operation began when the Civil Guard detected a high-speed boat entering the Guadiana River. “Given the situation, the GNR was asked to collaborate in approaching and intercepting the boat,” the police force said in a statement, adding that “the suspicious boat, equipped with four high-powered engines, fled towards Spanish waters, throwing bales of hashish into the sea. Although it was not possible to intercept the vessel”, the GNR seized 50 bales of narcotics, corresponding to around 1.7 tons, as well as a satellite phone.

The seizure took place in Spanish territorial waters, so the material collected was “handed over to the Spanish authorities”, and the investigation continues in Spain, under the coordination of the  Guardia Civil  .

Early Recruitment and Foreign Lifeguards Help Albufeira Beach Concessionaires

The use of foreign lifeguards, particularly from Brazil and Argentina, and the early recruitment of these professionals have allowed Algarve beach concessionaires to complete their teams in time for the bathing season.

The bathing season begins on Thursday in Albufeira , the Algarve municipality with the largest number of beaches, and several concessionaires have admitted that it continues to be difficult to recruit lifeguards, which is why they have invested in hiring these professionals in a timely manner.

Luís Martinho, from the Association of Industrialists and Similar Concessionaires of the Algarve Coastal Beaches (AISCOMA) points out as reasons for this difficulty “the lack of interest” of the Portuguese in the activity, because it is seasonal and also not recognized as a profession.

“A few years ago, we had young people looking for activities to occupy the three months of the summer school holidays, but the extension of the bathing season to six months has significantly reduced demand,” he noted.

According to the businessman, who also has concessions on several beaches in the Algarve, “it is not a profession with a guaranteed future and you cannot make a living from it all year round”. Even so, in the concessions he manages, he has managed to keep the same lifeguards for several years. “The protocol [from the Institute for Aid to Shipwrecked People] that exists with Brazil has helped, especially on the larger beaches, which work with associations, but even that only covers the bathing season,” he pointed out.

Luís Martinho predicts that the future may be complicated, defending the importance of valuing the profession so that more young people want to follow it. “If the profession is not recognized, it will be increasingly difficult to guarantee safety on our beaches”, he warned.

António Vaz, concessionaire at Praia dos Salgados, in Albufeira, said he did everything to ensure he would be prepared for the bathing season, having started looking for lifeguards in January, and now has a complete team with two lifeguards from Brazil.

However, recruitment is a “problem that affects all dealers”, he admitted, considering that each year “it is increasingly difficult”, especially in the Algarve, where there is “a big problem” with accommodation, due to the prices charged.

Jorge Azevedo, from the Albufeira Lifeguard Association (ANSA), stated that the problem with recruitment “remains the same as in other years, because there is less and less demand from young people for this activity”, with the added problem of there being those who work for one or two years and then stop working. However, the “problem has been alleviated” with the hiring of accredited professionals from Brazil and Argentina, two countries that have contributed “greatly to ensuring the safety of Portuguese beaches”.

In Albufeira, he adds, there is a different aspect, “because the municipality has a beach safety plan for the whole year, which means that some of them work all year round and do not have to become unemployed”.

The Portimão Water Rescue and Bather Assistance Association (Rocha Rescue) indicated that it has not faced any difficulties in hiring lifeguards, due to the early start of recruitment and the use of foreign professionals.

According to Nuno Fernandes, representative of the association, anticipation is “fundamental” and the contracting work “starts immediately after the end of the previous bathing season”, as the concessionaires’ integrated plans must be submitted by the end of March. The person in charge said that the exchange with Brazil “makes up for the lack of interest of the Portuguese in the profession”, since winter in Brazil coincides with summer in Portugal.

“So they work here for five or six months and return to work the rest of the time in their countries of origin,” he concluded.

2 Workers Rescued After Wall Collapsed in Albufeira

Two men were buried alive yesterday afternoon, when a wall collapsed at a construction site close to Praia da Coelha, in Albufeira. Both men were rescued alive and transported by helicopter to Faro Hospital, with serious injuries.

A source from the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command source confirmed that the victims were “conscious” and had vital signs when firefighters reached them, to remove them.

The emergency alert was given at 15:13 and at 18:00 there were still 35 operators and 13 vehicles on site, including teams from the Albufeira Fire Department, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), the Municipal Civil Protection of Albufeira and the GNR.

Albufeira Locals and Visitors Speak Out Over Tourist Mayhem

It’s been almost one year since the municipal council announced the creation of a Code of Conduct to control the cases of “excessive behaviour” in the town. The document was first announced back in 2019 but truly gained steam last summer when a group of eight British men were filmed naked in broad daylight at a local bar.

With the code of conduct still awaiting final approval, the town seems stuck in an endless loop of excessive behaviour at the town’s Oura district and old town nightlife area which authorities seem powerless to stop. In fact, local resident Paolo Funassi says the reality on the streets paints a far grimmer picture than the one that local authorities try to project.

“Nothing has changed in one year. In fact, I think things have become worse,” he told the Resident. “We continue to see cases of drunken violence, public nudity and even outdoor sex. Drug dealers are openly offering substances to people on the street, and there continues to be a lack of effective policing,” Funassi lamented.

Not even the CCTV surveillance network featuring 65 cameras which was unveiled in January seems to act as a deterrent to the increasingly rowdy behaviour.

According to Funassi – who runs the ‘Albufeira Paradise’ Facebook page, which has over 100,000 members – local residents are tired of seeing their town reduced to a stag party or hen do destination where ‘anything goes’.  e added that he was “ashamed” by the behaviour that he witnessed. In one case, he saw drunken tourists urinating next to the Maritime Police office.

These concerns come as the municipality prepares to finalise the Code of Conduct designed to restore order. The document, whose first draft included bans on street drinking, nudity, and public sex acts before undergoing a public consultation period, will be approved by the council next week. It will then head to the municipal assembly for a final sign-off, local mayor José Carlos Rolo said at the latest municipal assembly meeting on Monday (May 12).

Indeed, his frustrations have been shared by Scottish reader Stuart Currie, who emailed the Resident after staying in Albufeira in early May with his wife.

“We love Portugal, the people and Albufeira, having spent many holidays there over the years. Sadly, we have both come to the decision that we will not return to Albufeira,” wrote Stuart Currie. “In our opinion, the old town has lost its charm for families, couples and indeed elderly visitors.” He added that he was “ashamed” by the behaviour that he witnessed. In one case, he saw drunken tourists urinating next to the Maritime Police office. “Since returning to Scotland, we have spoken to our travel agent, and she has also confirmed that many visitors who have recently been to Albufeira have all complained about the same issues.”

Let’s all hope that the authorities are willing to crack down on these excesses so the tourist bubble does not burst on Albufeira.

Until the next time Stay Safe

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 7th May 2025

Administration wants to resize Ponta Delgada’s HDES and create a hospital of the future

The administration of the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital (HDES) in Ponta Delgada reiterated the objective of resizing the unit to create a “hospital of the future”, maintaining the intention of launching the project by the end of June

In a session commemorating the fire that devastated HDES on May 4th, 2024, the president of the hospital’s board of directors said she wanted to “leave not only a message of confidence, but of hope” for the future of the largest hospital in the Azores.

“The hospital is not just about repairing or reorganizing, it is also about resizing it to be a hospital of the future. We want it to be able to provide the best treatments and most differentiated healthcare for over 25 years,” said Paula Macedo in a statement.

The president of the administration defended the importance of giving “new breath to the future” of HDES and assured that the “final functional program evaluation phase” is currently underway.

When asked about possible delays in the deadline, Paula Macedo reiterated that the intention is to launch the project by the end of the first half of the year, but referred further clarification to the regional secretary for Health.

“The objective here is to bring something robust and well-founded by listening to the entire clinical and non-clinical area and being able to use this material to design the future hospital”, he reinforced.

The person responsible for HDES, however, declined to justify the decision to build a modular hospital and not reopen the emergency service, recalling that she will be heard on May 14th in the parliamentary inquiry committee dedicated to the response to the fire at HDES.

“I don’t think it’s the day. Today is a day to express our gratitude and acknowledgement to all those who helped us. That’s what I wanted to leave as a message of confidence and hope: our users can always count on us,” he stressed.

Regarding delays in surgeries and diagnostic tests, Paula Macedo recalled the impacts caused by the suspension of clinical activity and promised a “short response” for affected users.

The president of the administration also said that HDES will “reinforce the capacity” of the operating block, returning to having six rooms, the same number it had before the fire.

During the session, Paula Macedo praised the professionals and institutions that helped respond to the fire on May 4, 2024, which forced the transfer of 333 patients.

The initiative also included a speech on disaster response by the former Secretary of Health of Madeira, Pedro Ramos, as a specialist in Disaster Management.

Azores record the biggest drop in birth rates and rise in mortality rates

The Azores were the region that showed the largest year-on-year decrease in birth rates, but also the sharpest increase in mortality in the country in 2024 compared to the previous year, which culminated in a negative natural balance, according to data released yesterday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE)

Regarding mortality, in Portugal there were a total of 118,374 deaths of residents in national territory in 2024, 79 more than in 2023 (118,295 deaths), which represented a year-on-year increase of 0.1%.

In the Azores there were 2,454 deaths in the year under review, a year-on-year increase, considering that 85 more deaths of Azorean residents were recorded compared to the previous year.

Based on the information presented by the national statistics office, mortality increased in four of the nine NUTS II regions, with increases higher than those recorded at national level (+0.1%), with the Autonomous Region of the Azores standing out with the largest increase (+3.6%). In contrast, Madeira recorded the largest decrease in mortality (-7.6%).

At a regional level, the highest proportion of deaths occurred in the age group of 80 and over, representing more than half of mortality in all regions, ranging from 52.2% to 65.4%, with the exception of the Azores, a region where the proportion of deaths in this age group was 46.2%.

As indicated by the national statistics office in the publication ‘Vital Statistics 2024’, it appears that in the year under analysis, 84,642 babies were born to mothers residing in Portugal, 1.2% less than in 2023 (85,699 live births).

Of the total number of live births observed in the country, 43,470 were male and 41,172 were female, “representing a male-to-female ratio of 106 (for every 100 female children, approximately 106 were male)”, the document states.

In the Azores, 1,871 babies were born to mothers residing in the Azores archipelago in 2024, a reduction of 171 live births compared to the previous year. This observed decrease is equivalent to the largest year-on-year drop recorded in Portugal this year (-8.9%).

According to the INE, the birth rate decreased in more than half of the country’s NUTS II regions, except in the West and Tagus Valley (+1%), Greater Lisbon (+0.9%), the Setúbal Peninsula (+0.3%) and the Autonomous Region of Madeira (+2.6%).

With the exception of the Central region (-0.9%), in the remaining regions the decrease was greater than the national figure (-1.2%), with the Azores showing the biggest drop in birth rates.

This year, around a third (33%) of live births in Portugal were children of foreign mothers.

“In the last decade, the proportion of live births to mothers of foreign nationality has more than doubled”, adds the INE, highlighting that the proportion of live births to mothers of foreign nationality was higher than the national value in three regions: Greater Lisbon (47.8%), Setúbal Peninsula (46.9%) and Algarve (46.6%).

In the Azores, the proportion of live births to mothers of foreign nationality was the lowest in the country, at 7.1%.

In the country there was a slight increase in the number of deaths and a decrease in the number of live births, a situation that led to a worsening of the natural balance, also felt in four of nine regions.

The North was the region where the most pronounced negative natural balance was recorded (-12,471), the Autonomous Region of the Azores where the least negative value was recorded (-583) and Greater Lisbon, for the second consecutive year, was the only NUTS II region to record a positive natural balance (+929), highlights the INE.

Prison services open investigation into case of hospitalized inmate in the Azores

Prison services have opened an investigation into a case in which an inmate in the Azores was allegedly placed in isolation in a cell without a mattress and required emergency medical care, the Minister of Justice revealed.

“There is an investigation process underway and in view of this, the necessary measures will be taken”, said Rita Alarcão Júdice at the end of the inauguration ceremony of the new facilities of the Southern Directorate of the PJ, in Faro.

An inmate at the Angra do Heroísmo Prison, on Terceira Island, has been hospitalized in serious condition since April 26th, after being found lying in the cell where he was confined with signs of hypothermia.

The National Union of Prison Guards warned last week about the “lack of security conditions” in the prisons of Ponta Delgada and Angra do Heroísmo.

The union president, Frederico Morais, said on April 24th that the inmate in question “returned from hospital and was placed in isolation in a cell without a mattress” and “required emergency medical care due to respiratory problems”.

“We do not have the conditions to have a psychiatric patient in a prison. We are not doctors. In these types of situations, inmates should be placed in specialized clinics,” said Frederico Morais, defending a “rigorous” inspection of the Angra do Heroísmo prison

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 30th April 2025

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all and the big talking point is obviously the power outage we all experienced on Monday of this week. No doubt you have all been reading as much as there is to read about what actually happened and why it happened but from a personal point of view I would like to bring into the conversation the feeling of isolation which this sort of event brings to people. As someone who lives in a more rural part of the Algarve with very few immediate neighbours this feeling of isolation became quite intense as the day progressed and with no sign of the power returning. The lack of information as well as the mobile network not working did start to make me wonder what a prolonged outage would be like.

As a member of Safe Communities, I obviously had the basic essentials to hand but one thing which I have now seen as important is a transistor radio in order to hear what the rest of the world is doing. In doing some research I have found an inexpensive solar- windup radio is available for not too many euros. Which brings me onto the subject of Solar energy. Last July we took the plunge into the world of solar energy to take advantage of the 300 plus days of sunshine the Algarve offers. The system has been fantastic, cutting my electric bills by more than half. However, and this I have found is normal practice unless you stipulate beforehand with the installers, that if the grid goes down as it did on Monday the power that is stored in the solar battery does not come on automatically. As a result we ended up with a 12 hour wait without electricity when all the time I had a full battery which could have run the house for a minimum of 12 hours! So if you are in the same situation as me I would suggest you look into having a Back up Box fitted, so that for the future, and we can expect this issue to happen again, you will not be left in the dark!

Now a look at what else has been happening across the region in the past week.

Woman Missing in Monchique Found

A 79-year-old woman who had been missing since Sunday night in Monchique was found on Monday “with minor injuries”, a source from the GNR told Lusa .

According to a source from the Territorial Command of the National Republican Guard ( GNR ) in Faro, the elderly woman was found by soldiers from a binomial dog team (man-dog) at 11:45 on Monday, “fallen in a rural area, covered by brambles, in a state of shock and with minor bruises”.

“The lady was found in good health, although she was weak and had bruises, and required assistance at the scene, and was later transported to Portimão hospital for medical evaluation,” he specified.

The alert for the disappearance of the woman, of Italian nationality and resident in the town of Portela Baixa in that Algarve municipality, was given at around 6:25 pm on Sunday.

The searches began “immediately after” the disappearance was reported, with elements of the GNR and the municipal civil protection service of Monchique, with the support of ‘drones’ (remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicle).

AMN Advises the Population on Good Safety Behaviour

The National Maritime Authority (AMN), with the weather forecast predicting good weather for the long weekend, advises the population to adopt safe behaviours when going to the beach or coastal areas, avoiding exposing themselves unnecessarily to risk.

Despite the good temperatures, the authority reports that the sea conditions at this time of year still present a high risk due to rough seas. The morphology creates areas of shallow water, steep slopes, whirlpools and pools of water on the beaches that are not properly signposted at this time of year.

Another point to bear in mind is the lack of surveillance on most Portuguese beaches at this time of year, which makes it slower to respond to a rescue situation.

Therefore, the National Maritime Authority recommends:

​​​​​Always supervise children and do not allow them to stray, always keeping them close to an adult;

Avoid risky behaviour, do not turn your back on the sea and always maintain a safe distance from the waterline, to avoid being surprised by a wave;

Respect beach signage and the instructions given by lifeguards, law enforcement officers and those who reinforce surveillance on the beaches;

If you witness a dangerous situation in the water, do not enter and call 112 for help.

Pleasure Craft Sinks Near the Culatra Harbour

A pleasure boat sank last night, April 27, after allegedly hitting a submerged object when leaving the Porto de Abrigo da Culatra, with two crew members on board. Following an alert received at 9 pm, through the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC Lisboa), elements of the Local Command of the Olhão Maritime Police , crew members of the Olhão Lifeguard Station and elements of the Olhão Municipal Fire Department were activated to the location.

“Upon arrival at the scene, it was found that the two crew members of the vessel had already been rescued by an auxiliary vessel that was nearby, and were physically well, without needing medical assistance,” reports AMN .

The crew of the Lifeboat Station, in collaboration with the firefighters and a boat that was on site, carried out manoeuvres to remove the water from the partially submerged vessel. “With the rising tide it was not possible to reverse the situation and the vessel ended up sinking, and the Captain of the Port of Olhão issued a Notice to Local Navigation”, he explains.

The owner of the vessel has been notified that he must submit a plan for the removal of the vessel. The Local Command of the Maritime Police of Olhão took charge of the incident.

Sea Brigade Decontaminates Beaches in the Algarve

The Sea Brigade was in the Algarve between the 24th and 28th of April and removed 2500 kilos of waste from the sand, between Barrinha and Almargem beach. Although the rising tide made the decontamination operation difficult, “the operation went as planned and we managed to remove a large amount of waste,” says Simão Acciaioli, who is responsible for the organization. “In January, we were on the Algarve coast and found a lot of rubbish in Barrinha and Ancão, so we came here now to decontaminate the area,” he explains.

The waste was left outside the sand by the Sea Brigade team so that it could be collected by the municipal council services and sent for treatment.  In terms of volume, most of the waste comes from fishing activities, with tangles of rope standing out. In terms of quantity, buckets (480), new ones (149) and fuel drums (102).

The cleaning action, made possible thanks to the collaboration of all entities involved in the authorization process, including local authorities, captaincies, ICNF and FAGAR, allowed the Sea Brigade to also reconnoitre the island of Armona, with the aim of carrying out decontamination after the summer. “The quantity and size of waste found in Armona is worrying and justifies our return to the Algarve”, concludes Simão Acciaioli.

The Sea Brigade is a non-governmental organization for development (NGOD) made up of volunteers. Since 2009, it has been developing actions to protect biodiversity and environmental intervention, with a special focus on decontamination and cleaning of beaches along the Portuguese coastline outside concession areas.

Under the motto “indignation with action”, the association has already cleaned more than 1,700 linear kilometers of coastline in Portugal and removed more than 1,000 tons of garbage from the sand.

Prosecutor Calls For 5 Year Sentence for Man who Killed His Father

Yesterday, the Public Prosecutor’s Office asked the court to apply a five year prison sentence to the young man, accused of stabbing his father to death in a village in Tavira, in an alleged context of domestic violence. During the closing arguments, the MP prosecutor said he considered that Maurício Cavaco should be convicted of simple homicide with special mitigation, taking into account the special regime for young people, the absence of a criminal record, the fact that he confessed to the crime and that he sought psychological treatment.

Maurício Cavaco was 19 years old when the crime took place in December 2023 at the family home, in the village of Várzea do Vinagre, Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo, in the district of Faro. The young man allegedly intervened to defend his mother from an episode of domestic violence, stabbing his 63 year old father to death.

The judge said he understood that it was not proven at trial that the crime was committed in self-defense, also ruling out the possibility that the defendant was not responsible, as suggested by the first psychiatric assessment, carried out one month after the crime, having stated that he considered the second assessment to be more valid.

After this examination, the specialist at Faro Hospital diagnosed the accused with “post-traumatic stress, depressive disorder and anxiety disorder”, based on “a series” of emotional and affective instabilities. According to the expert, at the time of the crime, the “self-defense situation” implied “the reduction in the assessment of the consequences of an aggression of such caliber” and “the complete nullification of the assessment of the unlawfulness” of the act.

However, the MP prosecutor stated that he understood that the young man was capable of distinguishing what was right from what was wrong, having acted of “free will” and consciously, and argued that there were “contradictions” in the conclusions of that expert report, whose scientific validity he questioned.

The judge also ruled out the possibility of this being a privileged homicide, supported by the Defense and which, according to the Penal Code, occurs when someone kills “dominated by an understandable violent emotion, compassion, despair or a reason of relevant social or moral value, which significantly diminishes their guilt”

Stating that it was proven that the young man acted in an “unequivocal context” of violence, the prosecutor considered, however, that “there are no signs to consider that at the time of the crime Maurício acted to defend his mother from an imminent and violent attack that could cause her death”.

Defense attorney Elisabete Romão had a different opinion, as she harshly criticized the way the Judiciary Police conducted the investigation and, in an emotional speech, questioned the jurors and the audience about what they would do in a similar situation, after years of “humiliating daily behaviour” and a lack of affection. “It is such a desperate act that we would all commit that crime in those circumstances,” she argued, adding that she believes the victim managed to convict his own son twice, doing everything to “turn a good child into a murderer.” The lawyer recalled that the young man still speaks of his father in the present tense and feels persecuted by him, “such is the disturbance” to which he was subjected.

According to Elisabete Romão, Maurício’s father “managed to manipulate a family”, to the point that, in court, the young man’s mother practically “excused” her husband, even after having been subjected to humiliating and violent behaviour for several years and frequently receiving death threats.

“In order to know if there was violent emotion, we would have to hear every day ‘he’s going to kill me’, ‘I’m going to kill myself’, ‘he’s going to kill us’. Until we are able to feel these words every day, only then will we be able to know what Maurício would have felt that day”, she claimed.

The reading of the ruling to the young man, who is under house arrest at his aunt’s house, was scheduled for May 14th at 4:00 pm, at the Faro Court.

Four Injured as Car Overturns on Algarve’s A22 motorway

Four people – including a 12-year-old child – were injured when a car overturned on the Algarve’s A22 motorway in Albufeira on Sunday morning (April 27).

The car was travelling in the Albufeira-Faro direction when it overturned at around 11.30am before the slip road that provides access to the A2 motorway to Lisbon, reports national tabloid Correio da Manhã. This is usually a very busy stretch of the motorway, particularly on days like yesterday when waves of tourists visiting the Algarve return home after a long weekend. Three people suffered serious injuries, including the driver who had to be extricated from the vehicle, while the 12-year-old child sustained minor injuries. All four were taken to the hospital by Albufeira firefighters and INEM emergency services.

The accident formed huge queues for several kilometres in both directions, as traffic was diverted to the motorway’s shoulder before returning to normal about an hour later.

GNR police are investigating the cause of the accident, according to CM.

Until the next time, have a safe week.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 30th April 2025

“We have no evidence of any type of contagion in the Azores”

Pedro Batista, regional director of Communications and Digital Transition, says the Region is not being affected by the blackout, he stated that “at the moment we have no evidence of any type of contagion in the Azores”, adding that “however, we have to take preventive measures in view of what is happening and that we still do not know in detail”.

Pedro Batista also said that at the level of regional public administration, “we have taken some measures to avoid possible contagion in our network, that is, we have redoubled the connectivity conditions that we have. Now, our websites, our connections, are only available within Portugal”, he concluded.

Blackout affects Azores Airlines operations to and from Lisbon

Azores Airlines’ operations to and from Lisbon are being conditioned due to the blackout that affected Portugal and other European countries

In a statement, the SATA Group states that “following a widespread blackout in the electricity grid affecting Portugal and other European countries, airport activities are suffering significant constraints, with a potential impact on the regular operation of Azores Airlines flights to/from Lisbon”.

The SATA Group is “continuously monitoring the situation, gathering all available information from the competent authorities and making every effort to minimize the inconvenience caused to its passengers. The safety of the operation is fully safeguarded”.

Diesel and gas prices fall for the second consecutive month in the Azores

Diesel and butane gas prices fell for the second consecutive month in the Azores in May, while the price of gasoline remained unchanged.

Diesel saw a reduction of 5.5 cents per litre, while butane gas fell by 15.2 cents per kilo.

From May 1st, the price of diesel in the Azores will cost 1.434 euros per litre, 5.5 cents less than the previous month.

In April, the price of diesel had already fallen by 1.7 cents per litre, after having risen by 10.2 cents since December.

The price of gasoline remains at 1.580 euros per litre for the third consecutive month, after an increase of 6.6 cents per liter since December.

The price of coloured diesel for agriculture and fishing, defined in another order, will also fall by 5.5 cents per liter in May.

Coloured and marked diesel consumed in agriculture will now cost 1.063 euros per litre, while the price of coloured and marked diesel consumed in fishing will be set at 0.873 euros per litre.

The price of butane gas, which began to be updated monthly in January, with a new calculation formula, fell by 15.2 cents per kilo in May.

Butane gas sold to the public, at the retailer’s establishment, in bottles of 26 litres or more, will now cost 1.710 euros per kilo and that sold in bottles of 24 litres, made of light materials (up to eight kilos of containers), 1.906 euros per kilo.

Piped butane gas costs 1.710 euros per kilo and bulk butane gas costs 1.308 euros per kilo.