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Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 5th March 2025

Good afternoon. Firstly we hope that you had an enjoyable time at one of the many carnival held throughout the country and managed to avoid the many heavy showers that were around. The one we visited on Tuesday in Alte was very well attended indeed and we were very lucky with the weather. Congratulations to the organisers.

Some time ago we shared this info from the Order of Veterinary Doctors (OMV), concerning a scam involving the disappearance of pet animals, but yesterday we received similar information concerning this scam which appears to be still in operation.

“Owners of a missing animal, who had publicized the disappearance on social media, have received a telephone call from someone who, calling himself a veterinarian, states that the animal had been found and that it needed urgent medical care. To provide clinical assistance, it requests holders to immediately pay a certain amount.”

However it is likely a scam and the victim, will be left without money and without animals, warns the Order of Veterinary Doctors. Firstly do not pay. Instead ask the callers identity: including full name, the “número de cédula professional” (the professional card number of the veterinarian) and name of the clinic.

Then check on the OMV website under “Pesquisa Membros – OMV – Ordem dos Médicos Veterinários” that the person is a registered veterinarian and contact the clinic (making sure the telephone number matches that of mentioned clinic) to confirm the information transmitted in the telephone call. If possible, go to the veterinary clinic in person to check if it is your animal and its health status. If you have lost money to such a scam report this to police.

In report released today the UN International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) Annual Report, stated that Europe faces a growing threat from the expansion of synthetic drugs. It explained that the increased production and distribution of these substances poses a significant challenge for authorities, who are struggling to contain their spread and minimise the impacts on public health.

The reported that in Portugal, the use of synthetic drugs has been growing, especially among young people. Although the country is recognized for its innovative approach to decriminalizing drug use, new substances pose an additional challenge. The Intervention Service for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD) warns of the increasing presence of synthetic cannabinoids and stimulants in recreational settings. The authorities reinforce the importance of preventive campaigns and adapting public policies to effectively respond to this phenomenon. Parents should be aware of this and explain the risks to their children.

I have written a two part feature for the Portugal Resident on protecting your home against rural fires. The first part was how to protect the building itself especially roof’s, doors and windows which are the main ways flames can enter a building. However, the main objective is to reduce the risk of a fire reaching the property in the first place, by reducing the amount of surrounding flammable vegetation through fuel management (land cleaning). This is the subject of part two which will appear in the Resident tomorrow (5th March)

Fuel management is the reduction of vegetable and woody materials to make it difficult for fire to spread vertically (from the herbaceous layer to the shrub layer and, in turn, to the crown) and horizontally (throughout the various layers). In short, it means cutting weeds, shrubs and trees in some areas. When a fire reaches the areas where fuel management has been performed, it decreases in intensity. Homes and villages will be safer. Firefighters can intervene more effectively and safely in areas where fuel management has been performed.

With increasing episodes of extreme weather, it is essential that we understand the risks to our homes in the event of rural fires. We do not know precisely when or where fires will occur but those living in rural areas, particularly high risk areas, should be prepared. The deadline for cleaning your land if you live in a rural area is 30th April. Please refer to our website for details.

Our team at Safe Communities wish you a safe and happy week ahead.

News

Half of the world’s CO2 emissions come from just 36 companies, study finds

Half of the carbon emissions that cause global warming come from fossil fuels produced by just 36 companies, a new study has found, cited by the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’: according to the researchers, the data – which relates to 2023 – strengthens the case for holding fossil fuel companies accountable for their contribution to global warming.

According to the report, the 36 major fossil fuel companies, including Saudi Aramco, Coal India, ExxonMobil, Shell and several Chinese companies produced coal, oil and gas responsible for more than 20 billion tonnes of C02 into the atmosphere in the year in question.

If Saudi Aramco were a country, it would be the world’s fourth-largest polluter, after China, the US and India, while ExxonMobil is responsible for roughly the same emissions as Germany, the world’s ninth-largest polluter, according to the data.

Global emissions must fall by 45% by 2030 if the world is to have a good chance of limiting temperature rise to the internationally agreed 1.5°C target. However, according to the International Energy Agency, new fossil fuel projects starting after 2021 are incompatible with achieving net-zero emissions by 2050: most of the 169 companies in the Carbon Majors database increased their emissions in 2023.

“These companies are keeping the world addicted to fossil fuels with no plans to slow production,” said Christiana Figueres, the UN climate chief. “The science is clear: we cannot move backwards to more fossil fuels and more extraction. Instead, we must move forward to the many possibilities of a decarbonized economic system that works for people and the planet.”

US Defence Chief Pete Hegseth pauses cyber offensive against Russia: Reports

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a pause on all of the country’s cyber operations against Russia, including offensive actions, multiple US media reports said on Sunday.

The order was part of an overall re-evaluation of US operations against Moscow, according to the New York Times, with the duration or extent of the pause unclear.

The Pentagon declined to comment when queried by AFP.

“Due to operational security concerns, we do not comment nor discuss cyber intelligence, plans, or operations,” a senior defence official said.

“There is no greater priority to Secretary Hegseth than the safety of the Warfighter in all operations, to include the cyber domain.”

The reported change comes as US President Donald Trump has been pushing for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, and days after the US leader berated his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a stormy White House meeting.

Western countries have accused the Kremlin of masterminding a string of incidents aimed at trying to undermine support for Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.

Trump, meanwhile, has cast himself as a mediator between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy, sidelining Kyiv and Europe while pursuing rapprochement with Putin.

“We should spend less time worrying about Putin,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform late Sunday.

US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, speaking Sunday to broadcaster CNN about reopening links to Russia, denied reports of the cyber policy change.

“That has not been part of our discussions,” Waltz said. “There will be all kinds of carrots and sticks to get this war to an end.”

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday March 5 2025

Battle of Limes on Carnival Tuesday in Ponta Delgada brings generations together

Hundreds of people in trucks, or on foot, once again fill the waterfront of the city of Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, today to take part in the traditional Batalha das Limas, a carnival tradition unique to the country, which brings together generations.

This is the case of Pedro Viegas, who has been participating in the battle since 1986 and has never missed “a fight”.

It was the first time with his older brother, who for years organized some trucks that participated in the fight at the Battle of Limas.

“I’ve never missed a year,” he told Lusa, explaining that the tradition has grown “year after year” within the family.

Every year, the Battle of Limas attracts hundreds of people to the city of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, for a water fight.

The battle starts at 2:00 pm, implying traffic restrictions on the Ponta Delgada waterfront, and only ends at 7:00 pm.

In recent years, the Ponta Delgada local authority has implemented rules for the Battle of Limas that aim to reduce the environmental impact of the tradition, as well as limiting and protecting the area where the carnival event takes place.

After the battle, and as has been customary over the years, the local authority’s cleaning teams have also been on the ground and the participants in the trucks also help to clean up and separate the waste.

This year, nine teams and 10 trucks will take part in the battle.

To preserve and “maintain this tradition of generations, unique in the world, recycling it for future generations”, the Cultural and Recreational Association of Batalha das Limas was created on the island of São Miguel, a non-profit organization, as stated on the official Facebook page of this movement responsible for organizing the Batalha das Limas.

Fuel prices rise in March in the Azores

The prices of gasoline, diesel and butane gas will rise again in March in the Azores, according to a notice published in the Official Gazette

Gasoline goes up by 3.1 cents per litre, diesel by 2.7 cents per litre and butane gas by 0.3 cents per kilo.

The Azorean executive justifies the adjustment in the maximum retail price with the “recent variations in the international market of reference prices for petroleum and energy products”.

In January and February, fuel prices in the Azores had already risen.

The price of butane gas, which had not increased since July 2021, now has monthly updates, with a new calculation formula.

From March 1st, gasoline will cost 1.58 euros per litre in the Azores, 3.1 cents more than in the previous month, while diesel will cost 1.506 euros per litre (2.7 cents more).

The price of coloured diesel for agriculture and fishing, defined in another order, will also increase by 2.7 cents per litre in March.

Coloured and marked diesel used in agriculture will now cost 1.135 euros per litre, while the price of coloured and marked diesel used in fishing will be set at 0.945 euros per litre.

As for butane gas, the increase in March is 0.3 cents per kilo, in the different types.

Butane gas sold to the public, at the retailer’s establishment, in bottles of 26 liters or more, will now cost 1.895 euros per kilo and that sold in bottles of 24 liters, made of light materials (up to eight kilos of containers), 2.091 euros per kilo.

Piped butane gas costs 1.895 euros per kilo and bulk butane gas costs 1.493 euros per kilo.

The maximum prices of petroleum and energy products in the Azores are “changed on the 1st of each month and in amounts equivalent to the variation in the value of the monthly European Price (PE)”.

In December, the Azorean executive increased the Tax on Petroleum and Energy Products (ISP) by 9.8 cents per liter on gasoline and 5.8 cents per liter on diesel.

ISP is now charged at 59 cents per litre for petrol and 40 cents for diesel.

São Miguel hosts Sustainable Tourism Days in the Lands of Priolo

The Local Technical Team of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism of Terras do Priolo will organize on Thursday and Friday, in São Miguel, Azores, the 1st Sustainable Tourism Conference of Terras do Priolo, it was announced.

The conferences “are in line with the objectives and actions of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism of the Priolo Lands 2024-2028 Action Plan”, according to the organization.

The Priolo is a bird species endemic to the Azores and is confined to the eastern part of the island of São Miguel, in the municipalities of Povoação and Nordeste.

The initiative’s program includes a set of guided tours of the territory of the Priolo Lands (municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação) and “will allow businesspeople and tourist guides to discover a different tourist offer in these territories”.

According to the program, on the first day, Thursday, participants in the conferences will take guided tours of the municipality of Nordeste.

On the second day of the proceedings, in the morning, the Forum of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism of Protected Areas (CETS) of Terras do Priolo will be held, which will include the presentation of the CETS Terras do Priolo Action Plan 2024-2028 and the discussion of relevant topics for the development of sustainable tourism in the territory. In the afternoon, guided tours will be held around the municipality of Povoação.

 

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 5 March 2025

by Mike Evans

As we start the period of Lent and finish the festivities of Carnaval it is interesting to note that these few days have created a lot of crimes across the country. While we do not have actual numbers for the Algarve and as I write this report the carnivals are still happening across the region, the early statistics from the PSP show a nationwide crime spree which is not to be proud of.

The PSP police have made a total of 723 arrests across the country, over the course of eight days, following the “Operação Polícia Sempre Presente – Carnaval em Segurança 2025″. Of these arrests, 283 people were arrested for road crimes, “namely 138 for driving a vehicle while drunk and 144 for lack of legal qualification to drive”, reads the statement. 51 citizens were also arrested for crimes, thefts and robberies and 76 people on suspicion of drug trafficking, the same statement added. The PSP seized 24,100 individual doses of various drugs, as well as 43 firearms and 29 bladed weapons, around 17 thousand pyrotechnic articles and 33 kilos of explosive content.

Regarding road safety, the PSP adds that 17,017 drivers were inspected and 52,180 vehicles were controlled by radar, with 5,539 violations of road legislation being detected. “Of the traffic offenses detected, 609 stand out for speeding, 558 for lack of mandatory periodic inspection, 193 for lack of mandatory civil liability insurance, 119 for using a mobile phone while driving, 93 for driving under the influence of alcohol, 50 for lack of or incorrect use of seat belts”.

In eight days of the “Carnival in Safety 2025” operation, the PSP recorded 1,177 accidents, resulting in 358 injuries – 15 serious injuries and 343 minor injuries – and four deaths. This during what is supposed to be a celebratory time! All we can hope is that the next couple of days of Carnival don’t add too many more crimes to these statistics.

Now a look at some of the other stories from around the region in the past week.

Pre-trial Detention for Suspect of Theft of Safe during Fire

A 46-year-old woman, arrested last Tuesday on suspicion of stealing a safe during a fire that occurred in January at a residence in Quarteira , will await trial in preventive detention, the GNR reported .

In a statement, the GNR’s Faro Territorial Command indicated that the arrest resulted from an investigation “for theft” initiated in January by the Criminal Investigation Unit (NIC) of Loulé. The defendant is suspected of having stolen a safe containing money during a fire in the home of an 89-year-old woman in Quarteira, in the municipality of Loulé, the note reads.

The suspect was heard in the first judicial interrogation at the Court of Loulé, and was ordered to be held in preventive detention, the most serious coercive measure.

Work on the Algarve Dam to Begin Soon

According to The Portugal News, Modernisation works at the Bravura Dam, in the Algarve, will begin in the coming weeks to prevent current water leaks, which will improve the supply and counter the shortage of water in the region. The works are expected to begin in the first half of 2025 after the public tender for the project was closed last week, which foresees an initial investment of 11.2 million euros until 2026. “It is a project worth 11 million and 200 thousand euros, plus VAT, and is supported by the RRP [Recovery and Resilience Plan] funds. Therefore, it is a work that will begin, still in the first half of the year, and that will be completed during the year 2026”, António Marreiros, president of the Alvor Irrigators and Beneficiaries Association (ARBA), told Lusa.

The Bravura dam, the second in Portugal with the lowest levels of capacity by percentage, had at the beginning of this week only 17% of its total capacity, that is, 5,819 of the 34,825 cubic decameters of maximum limit, according to the weekly bulletin of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) on the water availability of Portuguese dams.

Also known as the Odiáxere Dam, the structure is located in Lagos, in the Faro district, and was designed in 1955 and began operating in 1958. The project to modernise the Alvor irrigation perimeter will have two phases, the first of which will begin after choosing the company that will build a pumping station and a filtering station, with a reservoir with a capacity to store water for two days, as well as a section of the future main pipeline.

This first phase will be completed in 2026 and in the same year, a second phase will begin, the financing amount of which has not yet been defined, which foresees the pressurization of the entire irrigated perimeter.

“Yes, we are always dependent on rain, but water management and water economics will be totally different. With the modernized perimeter, with pressuriSation, we will eliminate leaks and water losses by more than 90%”, assured Antonio Marreiros.

“In order to have some water available for farmers, we need to reach eight thousand cubic decameters. We are still a little short, according to our contingency plan, so that water can be supplied to farmers,” he stressed.

Antonio Marreiros recalled that, due to the drought situation, in the last two years the water in the dam has been at very low levels and has only been used for public supply: “Our farmers spent two years without water to grow crops, both seasonal and permanent crops”.

The dam was initially built for agricultural purposes, but now it also serves public consumption needs, which includes the tourism sector, where large hotel villages and golf courses are located. “The fact is that consumption has doubled in the last 30 years. The population of the Algarve was perhaps less than 400 thousand and I think at the moment it is around 600, 700 thousand. And another situation, in the past, there were less than 100 tourist enterprises, and now  there are thousands”, warned the farmer.

The Algarve is experiencing a drought, but currently, after the rains that fell last November, it now has water in its six dams that can supply all types of consumers for more than a year.

Thousands of Doses of Drugs Seized by Algarve Police

Between the 17th and 23rd of February, the GNR’s Faro Territorial Command carried out a series of operations in the district of Faro, with the aim of preventing and combating violent crime, as well as monitoring traffic. During this period, 83 arrests were recorded, drugs and money were seized, and 766 traffic violations were recorded.

Of those Arrested, 27 individuals were arrested for driving without a legal license and 22 for driving under the influence of alcohol. There was also an arrest for drug trafficking.

Regarding the seizures, 8,600 doses of hashish and 44 doses of cocaine were confiscated. In addition to the drugs, a sum of cash worth 34,155 euros were also seized.

As part of traffic control, 766 infractions were detected, of which 208 were for speeding, 102 for lack of mandatory periodic inspection and 55 for anomalies in the lighting and signalling systems. There were also 30 infractions recorded for lack of civil liability insurance, 20 for improper use of cell phones while driving and 15 for lack of or incorrect use of seat belts and/or child restraint systems. With regard to traffic accidents, during the week analysed there were 107 accidents, which resulted in two serious injuries and 17 minor injuries.

Rail traffic restored on the Algarve Line

Railway traffic on the Algarve Line has been re-established after being interrupted due to the accident that resulted in a fatality in the municipality of Faro, according to Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP). Train circulation between the municipalities of Faro and Olhão was reestablished at around 12:00, in both directions, after the work to clear the track was completed by the Civil Protection authorities, the source specified.

The same source added that the accident occurred near a level crossing, in the municipality of Faro, and an investigation was opened to “determine the causes of the accident”.

A source from the Algarve Regional Command of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) told Lusa that the alert was given at 09:13, with the accident having occurred in the Areal Gordo/Salgados area, in the municipality of Faro.

Man Arrested in Portimao for Sexual Abuse of Teenager

Portimão police have arrested a 45 year old man on suspicion of sexual abuse of a teenager for several weeks, at the end of last year. The young woman only reported what had happened recently, because she was frightened and felt ashamed. “The incidents began and continued inside the suspect’s home, taking advantage of a relationship with the girl’s parent and so living with the teenager,” says the Judicial Police statement released today.

According to the police statement , the sexual acts were carried out repeatedly, taking place over several weeks and always happened when the suspect and teenager were alone, in one of the rooms in the house, away from the eyes of the rest of the family”.

Where will the Speed Cameras Be in March?

Radars in the Algarve, In the Algarve, radars will be active in several strategic locations and times, including:

March 7th, 10:00 am – Palmeira Mill Road, Faro;

March 11th , 8:00 am – Red Cross Street, Tavira;

March 18th , 9:00 am – V6 Avenue, Portimão;

March 19 , 9:00 am – National Road 125, Lagos;

March 19th , 7:00 pm – Gordinho Moreira Avenue, Faro;

March 20th , 9:00 am – Castro Marim Avenue, Vila Real de Santo António;

March 21st , 9:00 am – V2 Avenue, Portimão;

March 24 , 4:00 pm – National Road 125, Lagos;

March 24th , 10:00 pm – V6 Avenue, Portimão;

March 24th , 9:00 am – Heroes of 1808 Avenue, Olhão;

March 26th , 9:00 am – V6 Avenue, Portimão;

March 27th , 9:00 am – Heroes of 1808 Avenue, Olhão;

Have a safe Week, Until the next time…

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 26 February 2025

by Mike Evans

Good Day to you all. I start this report with some information which could affect many of our followers and subscribers as members of the foreign community in Portugal. This week the government announced a shake up of the health service with the announcement that People with inactive registration at health centres because they have not attended for five years will be reactivated in April, but emigrants and foreigners without appointments during that period will lose their family doctor in Portugal. Now while many foreign residents have private health insurance there are many who do not because they cannot afford it or have lived here for many years and have used the National Health Service since arriving into the country.

This change is the result of the publication, in December and January, of legislation that will come into force in April and that defines the rules for organising and managing the National User Registry (RNU) and registration in primary health care.

In recent years, users of the National Health System (SNS) who had not used the system for five or more years had their primary care registration deactivated, being classified as “non-users”. In addition to inactive primary care registration, these users also lost their family doctor. In January, the publication of another dispatch (40/2025), which also comes into force in April, determined that the update of the primary healthcare lists would take into account the new registration types.

This diploma defined that foreign residents and non-resident nationals and foreigners, registered with a family doctor but without a record of medical consultation in primary health care in the last five years, become “eligible for reformulation of the family doctor assignment”, that is, they lose the current one. So the advice we can offer anyone who is concerned about this new law is to get an appointment with your doctor in order to stay under his or her tutelage.

Now a look at some of the other issues and stories from around the region in the past week.

Truck Overturned Cutting Off the A22 in Portimão

On Monday morning, a truck carrying water bottles overturned on the A22 in Portimão, causing one minor injury. The road was closed in the Portimão-Lagos direction.

The accident happened shortly after half past eight in the morning, at kilometer 20 of the A22, close to the exit for Alvor. The driver, aged around 60, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene and taken to Portimão hospital, reported Correio da Manhã.

During the work to clear this section of the motorway, traffic was interrupted. The heavy vehicle involved in the accident was removed with the help of a crane truck and left the site at around 1pm. Firefighters from Portimão, INEM, GNR and members of the Via do Infante concessionaire were at the scene.

Man Dies After Being Run Over by Train in Faro

A 70-year-old man died last Sunday afternoon in Faro after being hit by a train while crossing the Pontes de Marchil level crossing.

According to Jornal de Notícias , the circumstances of the incident are unknown at this time, and the line has now been cleared and train circulation has resumed .

The Faro Firefighters, the National Emergency Service (INEM), the GNR and the company Infraestruturas de Portugal were on site. This operation involved seven vehicles and 16 personnel.

 Man Arrested in Faro for Drug Trafficking

The Faro PSP District Command informs that it arrested a 58-year-old suspect for drug trafficking, through its Faro Criminal Investigation Squad.

Aware of the social disruption caused by the crime of drug trafficking in the areas where it occurs, this Command and its various subunits have undertaken a permanent effort to combat it, both in the scope of investigation and in the development of preventive police interventions in areas where there is information about its potential occurrence.

Last week, and as a result of yet another preventive police intervention, carried out by the Faro Criminal Investigation Squad, in the same city, a suspect was detected with movements typical of the practice of this crime , having been promptly approached by the police officers involved.

After this approach, it was found that he was in possession of approximately 136 individual doses of heroin, which he immediately assumed were intended for sale to consumers, and was therefore arrested.

The PSP expects the suspect to be presented in court for the first judicial interrogation and application of the coercive measures considered appropriate.

Carnival Week Across the Region Here is Where to Watch!

Its Carnival Week Across the Region Here is a breakdown of all the carnival activities happening across the region.

Portimão once again celebrates Carnival with a series of initiatives ranging from dances to matinées and parades to allegorical processions, promising to entertain everyone, as this is a festival with a profoundly popular nature.

This year, under the theme “ Sustainability ”, the Portimão Carnival is inspired by the adoption of responsible consumption, which allows human needs to be satisfied both in the present and in the future, which sets the tone for the party and in which 13 floats and nine carnival groups will participate, with lots of music and fun.

On February 28th, between 10:00 and 11:30, the grand opening parade of the carnival program will take place, with the participation of children from the municipality’s schools and Bomboémia – Percussion Group of the University of Minho, with the gathering scheduled for Praça da República and passing through Rua Direita towards Largo 1º de Maio. On March 4th, at 3pm, the Float Parade will take place in the Portimão Riverside Area, featuring 13 vehicles decorated with themes alluding to sustainability and featuring the participation of nine groups. The highlight will be on Shrove Tuesday, on the banks of the Arade River, with a parade marked by lots of music, colour and entertainment, which promises to be a party centred on the spontaneity of local associations, which will bring life and energy to the traditions of Shrove Tuesday.

To add more rhythm to the party, Portimão will host the fourth edition of Percussion Days from February 28th to March 2nd, whose diverse programme, which includes several live performances in emblematic public spaces in the city,

On March 2nd and 4th, the parish of Ferreiras will host another edition of the Trapalhão Carnival. This year, the event will take place under the theme “Futuristic Carnival”.

The parade will take place on Avenida 12 de Julho between 2pm and 5pm and will feature floats, themed costumes and performances inspired by the future. The initiative involves local associations, sports clubs and guest artists .

Scheduled activities include traveling presentations, live music and a competition to award the best floats and groups on foot.

In addition to the presence of a samba school, entertainment is guaranteed with Ban’Dalila, Circo Dallas, Satori Association, Al-Fanfarre, Futebol Clube de Ferreiras, Nuclegarve, Amigos de Ferreiras, Amigos da Guia, Amigos de Albufeira and, of course, everyone who wants to join the party.

For Jorge Carmo, president of the Ferreiras Parish Council, “Carnaval Trapalhão is an event that involves the community and promotes local traditions, once again placing Ferreiras as a destination worth visiting at this time of year.” The event, with free entry, is organized by the Parish Council of Ferreiras, with the support of Albufeira City Council and local businesses.

The municipality of Albufeira celebrates Carnival in style. For several days there will be children’s parades, dances , costume competitions and floats in all the parishes of the municipality.

OnFebruary 25th, the school parade “Sport for All!” will take place, starting at 3:30 pm, on Avenida dos Descobrimentos. On Friday, the 28th, the Guia Children’s Parade will take place under the motto “The best sport is here”, between 10:00 and 11:00, next to the local Sports Centre. On March 1st, from 2:30 pm, Carnaval Trapalhão returns to downtown Albufeira to welcome the revelers who dress up every year to celebrate the most fun time of the year.

This is followed by the Carnival Ball at EMA, on the 1st, 3rd and 4th of March, starting at 8pm, except for the 4th which starts at 2pm.

This year, the Paderne Carnival features nine floats that celebrate the history and culture of the local people, which are joined by groups of revelers who parade through the streets of the parish on March 1st, from 7:00 pm, and on Shrove Tuesday, the 4th, from 3:00 pm.

Faro is about to host the traditional Carnival parade of the city’s schools and institutions, which will take place on February 27th (Thursday). The event, which promises to liven up the city’s main streets, will be attended by hundreds of children, with a gathering at Jardim Manuel Bivar at 10:00 am. The participants will walk through the city centre towards Praça da Pontinha, passing through Rua de Santo António.

Without a set theme, children will be free to let their imaginations run wild and choose their favourite costumes. 2,292 young party-goers are expected to take part, attending the following educational institutions in the municipality: EB1 S. Luís; EB1 Bom João; EB1/JI Carmo; EB1 Alto Rode; Ria Formosa Primary School ; EB1 Vale Carneiros; Aboim Ascensão Refuge; Arco-Íris Association; Casa de Santa Isabel; Santa Casa da Misericórdia Children’s Centre; O Relógio Nursery, Kindergarten and 1st Cycle; Nossa Senhora de Fátima Children’s Wellbeing Centre – CASCD Faro; Faro Hospital Children’s Centre and Cooppofa Children’s Centre.

The Loulé Carnival will play with a serious theme. The problems of water shortages in the Algarve region are the inspiration for the 2025 parade, which will take place on March 2, 3 and 4, on Avenida José da Costa Mealha.

“Carnival is not boring…” is the motto of yet another edition of the oldest Carnival in the country, which brings to the streets 15 floats, around 600 entertainers, samba schools , animation groups, big heads, giants, political and social satire and, above all, lots of fun.

The local authority is once again betting on the projection of Carnival as a “tool to raise public awareness of a topic of interest, alerting and promoting responsible and conscious behaviour”. The parade will take place over the three days between 3pm and 6pm. Tickets cost two euros and all proceeds will be distributed to social causes and to participating groups representing local communities.

The local authority states that the organization is organizing an entertainment program parallel to the parade for the Carnival days, which, in addition to a series of sporting activities, will also include the traditional Gala Ball, on the evening of Monday, March 3, at the Loulé Party Room.

NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY AUTHORITY WARN AGAINST A NEW SCAM WHICH ASKS YOU TO PAY A €120 FINE

The National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) has issued a warning about a new email fraud attempt that is circulating, associated with the payment of a €120 fine.

The ANSR say that it does not send fine notifications via email and asks the public to be aware of possible fraudulent schemes.

According to ANSR, recipients of these email messages are informed that they have been fined €120 euros for a traffic violation and are requested to make payment via a link included in the email. However, this is a ‘phishing’ scheme, used to steal users’ personal details and banking details. The emails associated with this fraud look very official and state that the fine must be paid by the end of February. The sender of the email message uses a false identity and includes a link that redirects victims to a fraudulent website, where they are asked to enter banking information.

The ANSR stresses that it never sends fine notifications by email and that all official communications are made by physical mail.  Therefore, it warns drivers not to click on any links included in these emails and not to make any payments through the resulting pages.

Anyone who receives one of these fraudulent messages should report it to the police.

You can always check the credibility of an email sender before opening any suspicious message, for instance they often have a strange email address, made up of random combinations of letters and numbers, often associated with foreign website domains. Many of these fraudulent emails contain grammatical and spelling errors, which may indicate that it is not an official communication.

To avoid falling victim to ‘phishing’ schemes, such as this fraud involving the payment of fines, experts recommend not providing personal or banking details on unverified pages and always be suspicious of messages that call for urgent action, such as immediate payment of an amount.

Until the next time Stay Safe..

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 26th February

Good morning everyone. We start the day with some good news that the Algarve’s reservoirs are at 54% of their total water storage capacity after the recent rains, 20% more than a year ago. However the recovery is asymmetrical, with those in the west region still at low levels, according to the APA. While the reservoirs in the eastern Algarve have greatly increased their storage and are at a capacity above 70%, those in the western Algarve continue to have difficulty filling, probably due to less abundant rainfall.

On the east side, the Odeleite reservoir is now at 79% of its capacity and the Beliche reservoir at 72% together with a total of 137.65hm3 of water stored. In the west the percentages are Odelouca registering 43% of its capacity, Arade 18%, Bravura 17% and Funcho 50% totalling 101.89hm3 of water stored in the west.

On Monday there was a traffic accident involving several vehicles on the A22 east bound between Loule service station and the exit to Quarteira resulting in a tail back of over 4 kms. Both lanes were cut in the Loulé/Faro direction with reports of people waiting 30 minutes without traffic movement. Regretfully, however, some irresponsible drivers were seen reversing their vehicles BETWEEN LANES against direction of traffic towards the Boliqueime exit, a dangerous manoeuvre provoking arguments between drivers. Such actions could have resulted in further accidents, with a risk to other drivers who were waiting in the queue. Enough said!

We often come across various scams the latest being emails claiming to come from ANSR. These emails notify recipients of the existence of fines and include a link for the supposed payment. These are “Phishing” emails, that is, attempts to obtain personal information by scammers using the name of an official entity. We emphasize “Not to click on the links contained in these emails or make any payment. If you do and have lost money as a result report to police. Please remember that notifications from ANSR are always sent by Post.

March 1st is International Civil Protection Day, established worldwide by the International Civil Protection Organization (ICOP) and nationally by Order of the Minister of Internal Affairs. In Portugal and around the world, the celebration of this date aims to raise awareness of the importance of civil protection in safeguarding life, property, cultural and environmental heritage in the face of serious accidents and catastrophes; to pay tribute to all civil protection agents and to promote reflection and dialogue around the risks to which populations and territories are subject, and the role that each of us, citizens, plays in the collective effort to create resilient communities.

And if Civil Protection has always been an essential partner for people as a way of staying safe or recovering their safety, never before has it become so essential as it is today, as it assumes the preponderance of a crucial element for the safety of communities. Understanding its importance involves recognizing the need to adopt and promote a culture of safety and understanding which risk factors can affect us.

In this approach of viewing Civil Protection as a system that involves everyone, it is essential that each person understands their importance for collective well-being. And to do this, we must all work on processes that aim to raise awareness among people about appropriate behaviours and attitudes in situations of collective risk, serious accidents and catastrophes. This includes educating the population on how to protect themselves and act safely in the event of an emergency. This is part of the remit of Safe Communities in terms of creating risk awareness and preparedness.

Lastly GNR Operation Carnival 2025 has begun! The festivities associated with Carnival celebrations, is a time of leisure and fun, but cause a significant increase in road traffic, resulting from those travelling to and returning from Carnival locations. In this context, the GNR will carry out, until March 5, 2025, an intensive operation which includes: the festival venues, commercial establishments where fireworks are sold and on the access roads to the main areas where festivities associated with Carnival take place, providing to all citizens that the festivities and travel take place safely, throughout the continental territory. Ewe advise if you are attend to arrive early to allow adequate time for parking as the demand will be heavy on those days.

We hope you have a great week ahead and enjoy the carnivals.

News

Meta exposes users to “giant wave” of misinformation. End of fact check could lead to an era of hate

The new moderation policy of Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, risks increasing “misinformation and dangerous content” on these two networks, an NGO that combats online misinformation warned today.

According to a study by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), Meta’s announced abandonment of its fact-checking program and hate speech detection systems could result in the cessation of 97% of its current moderation work and, therefore, a “tidal wave” of harmful content for Internet users.

The NGO made this estimate by analysing the main changes announced by Meta on January 7, including the replacement of fact-checking with community notes, or the abandonment of its rules on “immigration, gender identity and gender”.

“Meta must explain to its users why it is abandoning an approach that it presented as effective against disinformation and polarization” of opinion, the CCDH points out in its report.

On January 7, on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that he would “get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community ratings,” believing that the election marked a “cultural turning point” that “prioritizes free speech.”

The Californian group added that it intends to “simplify” its rules and “abolish a certain number of limits on issues such as immigration and gender, which are no longer in the dominant discourse”.

This turnaround was recently followed by the announcement of a change in policy at Elon Musk’s social network X.

Donald Trump’s close adviser promised on Thursday to “fix” a feature of X allowing users to deny or qualify potentially false posts, accusing “governments and traditional media” of having seized on them, amid dissent over Ukraine.

Backsliding on fact-checking and content moderation on social media paves the way for more hate, UN chief António Guterres warned on Monday.

The UN Secretary-General said that in this context, people are increasingly afraid to participate in social media, which in turn leads to a reduction in freedom of expression.

“As new technologies permeate every aspect of our lives, I am deeply concerned that human rights are being undermined,” he told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Guterres said that at best, social media is a place for people to exchange ideas in a respectful environment, but at worst it can be a place for arguments and “blatant ignorance.”

“A place where the poisons of misinformation, racism, misogyny and hate speech are not only tolerated, but often encouraged,” he said.

Graça Freitas’ warning: the next pandemic “will be much more complex, much faster, and much noisier”

Former Director-General of Health Graça Freitas predicts that the next pandemic will be “much more complex”, fast, noisy and with a significant increase in “social fractures” on issues such as confinement and vaccination.

With experience in public health emergencies since 1997, Graça Freitas spoke, in an interview with the Lusa news agency, about the challenges of a “next major epidemic or pandemic” in a more complex world, with many more sources of true, but also false, information.

Five years after the first cases of Covid-19 appeared in Portugal, on March 2, 2020, the public health specialist believes that a lot has been learned during this period and that the health system and authorities are better prepared to face a new pandemic, but warned that “the next one will be at another level”.

“I don’t think it will be perfect [the fight]. It’s impossible, especially because the world is much more complex and there are many more sources of true and false information,” he said, recalling that when he began working on epidemics and pandemics, such as the swine flu in 2009, “the world was much less complex.”

There were sources of scientific information, experts advised politicians and traditional media outlets dominated.

“It was a world with fewer connections, interactions, less fast and more secure”, while in the current scenario, “things are increasingly faster and more complex”, she commented.

Therefore, she warned: “The next major epidemic or pandemic — which we will certainly have — will be much more complex, much faster, much noisier and with many more social fractures.”

According to the expert, there will be “more social friction and divergent opinions between movements in society” in relation to lockdowns, vaccines and medicines.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever have such an orderly lockdown again as we had”

“Unless the next pandemic is so serious, so serious, so serious that it brings us all together again,” he stressed, considering that the population’s adherence to the authorities’ guidelines during the Covid-19 pandemic “was absolutely exemplary,” which is unlikely to happen in such an orderly manner in the next pandemic.

“I don’t know if we will ever have such an orderly lockdown again as we had in Portugal and in the vast majority of countries in the world,” said Graça Freitas, one of the faces of the fight against Covid-19 in Portugal.

Graça Freitas argued that the population’s adherence to the authorities’ guidelines was “an absolutely unique act of civic spirit and social participation”, also praising the role of those who remained working to ensure that essential goods, such as water, electricity, gas and food, were not lacking for those who were confined at home.

Asked whether she ever thought she would go down in history as one of the faces of the fight against the pandemic, she said no: “And even if I thought there could be an epidemic (…), I never, ever thought that I could be identified as a face of the pandemic”.

During the pandemic, Graça Freitas faced several challenges, such as threats, criticism, and breast cancer, but giving up “was never an option”.

She said that sometimes, minutes before falling asleep, she would think: “I can’t take this anymore, I’ll leave tomorrow (..) I’m so tired, this is so difficult”. However, “it was an instant discouragement, the next day it was no longer there”.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday February 26th 2025

Regional Tourism Inspectorate conducted 535 inspection and detection actions and received 446 complaints in 2024

The Regional Tourism Inspectorate (IRTu), under the administration of the Regional Secretariat for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, received 446 complaints last year. These included 37 that fell within the remit of other entities, for which reason they were forwarded to the appropriate department.

According to data now released by IRTu, among the 409 complaints investigated, besides those registered in the complaints book, 27 were received via the electronic complaints book platform and 35 via the respective electronic complaints system ( https://gra.formstack.com/forms/pedido_info ).

The islands with the highest concentration of tourism services and activities register the highest number of complaints, namely São Miguel and Terceira.

Most complaints (65.77%) concern tourist accommodation establishments, with 16% focusing on issues regarding the operation/conservation of facilities/infrastructures and 53% on complaints about the provision of services.

In 2024, there was a very significant increase in the number of complaints received compared to 2023. This increase is in line with the growth in tourism demand and supply.

IRTu conducted 535 inspection and detection actions, covering 216 tourist accommodation establishments and 92 tourist entertainment companies. Among the overall number of actions, 216 were carried out around ​​tourist accommodation (40% of the total).

84 accommodations were found to be illegal, 64 were found to be irregular and 79 detection actions were carried out in places of significant tourist interest. For IRTu, this is a worrying sign as it indicates a considerable number of entities operating without registration/licenses.

IRTu noted that detecting these situations is becoming increasingly difficult due to some “sophistication” in concealing illegal activities.

However, it stressed that most situations detected have resulted in corrective actions/legalization of the situations identified.

In 2024, 148 actions were conducted to detect unregistered/licensed accommodation and registered accommodation in irregular situations, through the analysis of various online booking platforms.

With a view to detecting (land-based) tourism activities and occupations by unregistered companies or professionals, 79 detection actions were carried out in places of major tourist interest, in addition to ports and airports.

One of IRTu’s main goals is to help reduce the parallel and/or unregistered economy, in addition to detecting the supply of unlicensed/registered accommodation and the supply of registered accommodation in irregular situations.

The Regional Secretary for Tourism, Berta Cabral, argued that “the development of regional tourism depends directly on the quality of the experiences offered. These inspections identify and help eliminate inappropriate practices, instilling the best practices and actions desired standards among operators.”

The Regional Tourism Inspectorate has intensified its inspections in the tourist accommodation sector, focusing on inspections of registered local accommodations. It has also identified accommodations operating without the appropriate license or registration and detected irregularities in registered/licensed units, mostly using online monitoring of tourist accommodation booking platforms.

Last year was marked by a significant development of the tourist offer in the Azores, with a significant increase in accommodation available, both in tourist developments and local accommodation units. There was also an increase in tourist entertainment activities.

Simultaneously, the Azores continued to consolidate its position as a tourist destination of choice, with a significant increase in demand. This growth, fueled by the archipelago’s growing reputation, has contributed to a reduction in seasonality.

 

Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 19th February 2025

Good morning. The earthquake that occurred on Monday 17th February close to Lisbon is once again a wake-up call that we need in Portugal to be aware of the risk of earthquakes and be prepared. Although it was a borderline moderate magnitude earthquake, it was felt by many people as far as 300 kilometres from the epicentre, primarily along the south coast of the Algarve. Thankfully there are no reports, however, of injuries or damaged caused.

There were many reports being made to IPMA using their reporting link, but within minutes the IPMA website and Facebook had become inaccessible. This made it difficult to obtain vital information including the “Shake map”. Through some quick research, however, we found the map on the site of the USCG seismic monitoring organisation and were able to post this on our FB page within 18 minutes of the quake along with relevant information. The ANEPC published information 3 minutes before us and IPMA on Twitter 5 minutes before us, but neither used the Shake Map.

The IPMA responded in a statement that the IPMA website was inaccessible for a few minutes due to “an exceptionally high volume of traffic”, following the earthquake. It added that “an investment of 4.5 million euros is already planned, under the PRR [Recovery and Resilience Plan] and the State Budget, to reinforce the energy and IT network, as well as the geophysical/seismic monitoring and tsunami early warning infrastructure, which will also make it possible to overcome the constraints observed”.

And, in the event of the site being overloaded, as was the case on Monday, or a malfunction, a simplified version is made available, with essential information on all the institute’s notices.(Comment – but in our opinion NOT ALL essential information).

However, the organisation Citizens for Cybersecurity movement regretted the situation stating that the movement had already pointed out weaknesses in the infrastructure of the IPMA website, which in a major emergency situation of a potential major earthquake, “the IPMA systems will not be resilient to the increase in access”, assuming that the mobile and internet networks were able to resist.

Unfortunately, this is the second time the IPMA website has become inaccessible during an earthquake the first time being in August last year during the 5.3 mag quake off Sines. It is vital that steps are taken to address this problem.

 

We hope that learning from this, ways can be found to avoid outages of essential communication channels, such as Facebook, during major events due to a sudden far higher demand.

In monitoring social media we found that a certain meteorological group, with a very large following, had entitled this event in capitals as a “Breaking News Strong earthquake felt in Lisbon.”  Such sensationalism in a headline would ring alarm bells and in any event was not true. We brought it to the attention of the page admin and I thank them for removing the word “strong”. In fact at 4.7 magnitude it was borderline “slight/moderate”.  It is not a case of being pedantic as accuracy in reporting matters such as this is vitally important for obvious reasons. In fact a strong Mag 6 earthquake (which is the lowest magnitude for this category) would be 90 times stronger that a 4.7 earthquake so you can imaging the affect that a strong earthquake could have on a populated area, plus the threat of a tsunami.

If anyone needs further convincing, the 1969 Mag 7.8 earthquake which caused consider damage and 13 deaths in the Algarve, had an intensity 44,668 times stronger than the 4.7 Mag earthquake on Monday, which was felt 300 kms away.  So one can only imaging the impact of strong or major earthquakes!

In Portugal the A Terra Treme earthquake awareness exercise is held one year on 5th November to help people be prepared for earthquakes and to practice the action to take in other words “Drop Cover Hold”. We feel that reminding people once a year is not enough and our strategy at Safe Communities is to remind people at periodic intervals throughout the year also using overseas earthquakes as examples.

There is also a need to focus attention more, we feel, on the fact that when an earthquake occurs people maybe outdoors or driving etc so know what action to take in these situations is  important. We feel there should be more education on this topic as well as guidelines to help those who suffer from a disability such impaired vision or a mobility disability. We will be reflecting this to the ANEPC.

Now some good news regarding to the drought situation. January 2025 was the 2nd wettest since 2000 (wettest was 2001, 254.2 mm); a total precipitation of 190.3 mm was recorded, which corresponds to 181% of the average value 1991-2020. This resulted in a significant decrease in the area and intensity of meteorological drought, with only the coast of Alentejo and the Western Algarve in the weak drought class. So, at the end of January, only 6% of the mainland was in meteorological drought (weak class), compared with over 50% at the end of December 2024.

Our team at Safe Communities wishes you a safe and happy week ahead.

News

Marcelo insists that Europe must be considered in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine

Marcelo argues that there cannot be “understandings, however good they may be, between two or three so-called major powers” about the war in Ukraine, without “Europe being present”.

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, insisted this Monday that Europe must be considered in the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, stating that, “in total, it contributed more than its North American partner”.

The head of state was speaking to journalists at the Royal Portuguese Hospital of Beneficence, in Recife, where he arrived on Sunday for an official visit to Brazil, in connection with the meeting called by the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

Asked about what he expects from this meeting with the participation of some heads of government of European countries, the president of the European Commission, the president of the European Council and the secretary general of NATO, in Paris, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa did not want to “make wishes”.

“But what seems clear to me is the following:  the world without Europe is poorer, the balance of power without Europe is not as balanced,” he said.

The President of the Republic stated that the war in Ukraine “is a global war, but one that is taking place in Europe and has to do with Europe’s security, and in which Europe, although not as much as the United States in terms of weapons, has contributed more overall than its North American partner”.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa therefore argued that there cannot be “understandings, however good they may be, between two or three so-called major powers” ​​about the war in Ukraine, without “Europe being present, being considered, having an active voice, and not being treated as a minor matter”.

“Much that exists in the world would not exist without Europe,” he added.

Asked about the absence of Portuguese representation at this meeting in Paris, with the participation of the heads of government of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, the head of state responded that this happens “for a very simple reason”.

“The idea was European institutions, the five largest states, in the sense of the largest economies and the greatest contribution in terms of what will be discussed, and then with the addition of two countries, one of which obviously has a very particular involvement, which is Denmark, for reasons that are public and well-known, and another that has also followed transatlantic relations very closely and with great involvement”, he explained.

According to the President of the Republic, as far as Portugal is concerned, the important thing is to understand the following: “We, the Portuguese, are faithful to our allies, faithful to our partners, faithful to our friends . We like our allies, our partners and friends to be faithful to us, we Portuguese and we Europeans.”

Mayor of Faro and councillor tried for alleged violation of urban planning rules

The Public Prosecutor’s Office requests that the additional penalty of prohibition from exercising public office be applied to Rogério Bacalhau and Sophie Matias for serious disrespect of the duties of a public servant.

The mayor of Faro, Rogério Bacalhau, and councilor Sophie Matias will be tried for the crime of violating urban planning rules, according to the indictment relating to the case, to which Lusa had access.

At issue is the licensing of a project to build a motorhome park in the parish of Montenegro, next to Faro Airport, on agricultural land covered by the Vilamoura-Vila Real de Santo António Coastal Development Plan (POOC).

In the indictment, dated October 2023, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) requests that the additional penalty of prohibition from exercising public office be applied to the two mayors, alleging that their conduct “reveals a clear and serious disregard for the duties inherent to the functions performed”.

In addition to the mayors, the head of the Urban Management Division and the director of the Infrastructure and Urban Planning Department of Faro City Council at the time of the events, a commercial company and its manager and the coordinator of the architectural and specialist project for the work were also named as defendants.

After the charges were brought, all the defendants requested that an investigation be opened, with the mayor claiming, at that stage of the proceedings, that he “did not commit any crime” and that he had only granted the issuance of the building permit “based on favourable technical opinions”.

However the Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that, “it is quite evident that “all the defendants knew that the property […] is located in an area where construction is prohibited and yet, they wanted the Motorhome Service Area to be built, aware of the non-compliance with the applicable regulations”.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 19th February 2025 

Thousands of Azoreans illegally living in the State of Massachusetts

Thousands of undocumented Azoreans are currently living in a climate of apprehension in the state of Massachusetts, in the United States. Senator Michael Rodrigues assured that he is monitoring the situation and reinforced his commitment to helping the Azorean community.

“There may be thousands of people in the Azorean diaspora who do not have the necessary documents. But they are good members of society: they work hard, pay their bills, pay taxes and contribute to their communities,” said Senator Michael Rodrigues, elected by the State of Massachusetts, after a meeting with the president of the Regional Government.

According to the Portuguese-born senator, the community between Fall River, New Bedford (Massachusetts) and East Providence (Rhode Island) is currently “very anxious”, as it is “a hard-working community, made up of committed individuals, families and children”, in which, for now, these anti-immigration policies have not yet been felt. Even so, the senator states that both he and the other members of the delegation in the region are aware of the situation, revealing that they “want to do everything in our power to help”, as he stressed yesterday to José Manuel Bolieiro.

Young doctors from the Azores and Madeira remain in the archipelagos for quality of life

Some young doctors from the Azores and Madeira prefer to work in the archipelagos for family reasons and for the “quality of life”, but there are those who opt for other destinations, in the country and abroad, seeking better working conditions.

Man arrested in Ribeira Grande after trying to escape from PSP with stolen vehicle

The PSP arrested, in flagrante delicto, in Ribeira Grande, a man suspected of stealing a vehicle, who tried to flee when approached by officers

The 37-year-old man was arrested on Friday, in the city of Ribeira Grande, during a policing action, after the defendant’s “suspicious behavior” caught the attention of the police, according to a statement from the PSP Regional Command.

“The suspect carried out several evasive maneuvers, with the clear intention of preventing the police from approaching him, and immobilized the vehicle he was driving after a few kilometers, fleeing on foot,” said the PSP, indicating that the man ended up being controlled by the police “a few hundred meters from the vehicle.”

Authorities found that the suspect was driving a vehicle “stolen in the area of ​​the Ribeira Grande police station”.

The suspect was given, by the judicial authority, “a sentence of 8 months in prison, suspended for 1 year and 6 months, in a summary trial, and he is also required to undergo treatment for his drug addiction”, reveals the PSP.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 19th February 2025

by Mike Evans

 Very good day to you all on what is turning out to be a rather strange week of weather and other meteorological happenings. Yesterday An earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale was felt in Greater Lisbon. The epicentre of the earthquake was recorded around 14 kilometres west-southwest of Seixal, in the district of Setúbal, and at a depth of seven kilometres, revealed the IPMA.

The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre reports that the magnitude was 4.8, while the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) indicates that the earthquake was 4.7. According to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the tremor was also felt in some areas of the Alentejo coast, such as Sines, Vila Nova de Santo André, Santiago do Cacém and Vila Nova de Milfontes, and in the Algarve, in Faro, Lagos, Portimão and Quarteira.According to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), no personal or material damage has been reported as a result of the earthquake.

In addition, Faro and nine other districts on the mainland will be under a yellow warning on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 18th and 19th, due to the forecast of strong sea agitation, according to the warning issued by the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). The yellow warning indicates a risk for certain activities dependent on the meteorological situation.

The warning will be in force between 9:00 am on Tuesday and 12:00 pm on Wednesday for the districts of Faro , Setúbal, Lisbon, Leiria and Beja.

To top it all we can expect more rain for the next few days as well. Now a look at some of the other stories that have happened in the past week.

PJ Dismantles Organized Crime Group in the Algarve

The Judicial Police, through the Southern Directorate, carried out a police operation, in which it arrested five suspects of committing the crimes of qualified fraud, money laundering and document forgery, in the automobile and boat trade sector, in the Algarve, whose total value of the frauds already exceeds one million euros.

According to the PJ, in operation “Gatsby” 12 house searches and three non-house searches were also carried out; two properties located in the Algarve were seized; three high-end vehicles; around 25 thousand euros in cash; in addition to computer and telecommunications equipment, documentation and other evidence.

During the investigations that began in 2024, several firearms, ammunition and narcotics (heroin and cocaine) were also located and seized.

“The issue at stake is the investigation of an organized group that, persistently and repeatedly, has been committing criminal offenses in different areas, in order to obtain illegitimate enrichment that allows it to sustain the luxurious standard of living it boasts, incompatible with the lawful income it is known to have,” details the PJ in a statement. According to information from the PJ, the suspects’ actions involved setting up “front” companies, strategically placed in the name of third parties, “in order to hide the actions and identity of the true beneficiaries, highlighting the frequent use of forgeries with the collaboration of individuals specialized in this type of crime”.

In the situations under investigation, in addition to the suspicion of fraudulently obtaining credit from banking institutions and defrauding insurance companies, “the suspects proposed to the victims various deals involving the import of high-end vehicles, as well as some boats”. They received from the victims “large sums as part of the payment, but the deals ended up not being completed, thus allowing them to misappropriate amounts exceeding 450 thousand euros”, the note continues.

According to the PJ, there are reports of episodes of coercion and threats against victims so that they would not file a complaint.

The detainees, Portuguese and foreign, between 30 and 36 years old, residing in the Lisbon and Algarve region, will be presented for the first judicial interrogation with a view to the application of coercive measures. The investigation is headed by the DIAP of Loulé.

Maritime Police Seize More Than Half a Ton of Fish in Tavira

Members of the Tavira Maritime Police Local Command seized 575 kilos of fish in the early hours of February 10 during an inspection operation carried out at the Tavira Fishing Port .

During the operation, members of the Maritime Police intercepted three fishing vessels that were illegally fleeing the fish market, and identified six suspects. Subsequently, the respective reports were drawn up and, as a precautionary measure, the fish was seized and sold at the fish market, “with the proceeds going to the proceedings”.

According to the National Maritime Authority ( AMN ), four members of the Tavira Maritime Police Local Command were involved, supported by two vehicles and a vessel.

The local command of the Tavira Maritime Police took charge of the incident.

41-year-old Man Arrested for Child Sexual Abuse

The Judicial Police ( PJ ) arrested, yesterday 17th February, a 41-year-old man indicted for committing several aggravated crimes of child sexual abuse, committed against two minors in his family circle.

“The abusive behavior always took place in an environment completely controlled by the suspect, especially inside his home, when the children visited,” the PJ reported in a statement.

Following the investigations carried out by the Southern Directorate of the PJ, evidence was collected, namely reports from one of the minors, alluding to episodes of sexual assault committed by the suspect.

As a result of the investigation work, an arrest warrant was issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The detainee will be brought before the competent judicial authorities today, Tuesday, for the purposes of the first judicial interrogation and application of coercive measures.

The investigation is led by the 1st Section of the Department of Investigation and Criminal Prosecution of Faro .

Faro Municipality Acquires Urban Fire-fighting Vehicle

The municipality of Faro awarded, last Tuesday, February 11, the acquisition of a new urban fire-fighting vehicle, to be incorporated into the municipal fleet. The investment, with a global value of 484 thousand euros, was awarded to Sociedade Jacinto Marques de Oliveira.

The vehicle, designed to operate in urban, technological or industrial areas, is “essential” for reconnaissance and rapid rescue operations, especially in “difficult-to-access areas”, such as the historic areas of the city of Faro or Faro Island. At the same time, the vehicle will be equipped with a fire service pump and extinguishing agent tank.

The local authority is also holding a competition to recruit 20 new firefighters and is preparing to build a new fire station.

Recently, new technical materials to support the work were also acquired, such as thermal cameras and gas detectors, a set of equipment that represents “a crucial reinforcement for the safety and effectiveness of operations in the field, allowing for faster, safer and more precise interventions”.

At the same time the Union representing firefighters has called for an “immediate intervention” from Faro City Council to improve the working conditions of local firefighters, who work, according to the union structure, with “degraded” equipment and facilities.

“The SNBP demands immediate and effective measures from the competent authorities, ensuring adequate facilities, operational equipment and decent working conditions, essential for an efficient and safe emergency service”, requested the Union in a statement.

The union structure called on the local authority to respond to the labor demands of local professional firefighters, denouncing the “unsustainable situation in which the facilities, equipment and working conditions of the Faro Firefighters find themselves”.

The SNBP assured that it has made “repeated attempts at dialogue” with the Council, but regretted that, to date, the problems identified remain “unsolved”, putting “the safety of the Firefighters and the quality of assistance provided to the population” of the municipality and the Algarve at risk.

According to the union, Faro Firefighters are also facing “degradation of equipment”, such as “inoperative or obsolete” vehicles, personal protective equipment stored in areas with “inadequate conditions” and “exposed to asbestos dust ”, a carcinogenic substance.

“There have already been serious cases of health problems among firefighters, including one death due to lung cancer,” the union warned.

The union structure noted that it met in March last year with the Faro City Council to present the demands for Faro’s sappers to the municipality and, in June, given the lack of response from the municipality, questioned the president of the Council, Rogério Bacalhau, also without success.

Albufeira Wants to Ban Nudity, Alcohol and Bikinis on the Streets

The Code of Conduct of the Municipality of Albufeira, which provides for fines for nudity and for walking around in bikinis or swimsuits in public areas, has been open for public consultation since Thursday, February 13.

With the intention of maintaining public tranquility, safety and hygiene, the Code imposes administrative offences on anyone who “remains or circulates in a state of complete nudity” or “circulates or remains with exposed sexual organs” in public areas or on public transport.

“It is urgent to establish measures that allow us to effectively deal with the adoption of abusive behavior, namely by those who seek the municipality of Albufeira as a tourist destination”, justified the municipality in the notice published in the Official Gazette, stressing that it wants to “prevent the practice of acts that, by their nature, may cause undesirable damage to the resident population and the image of the municipality as a tourist destination”.

The draft Code of Conduct for the Municipality of Albufeira was approved at a Council meeting on 27 January and, after incorporating contributions from the public consultation, will be submitted to the Municipal Assembly for approval.

The document also establishes the prohibition of “remaining or circulating in a state of partial nudity” and exposure in public areas with “swimwear – bikini, trikini, swimsuit and similar, shorts and underwear”, except on beaches, bathing areas and access points, such as car parks, or in the outdoor spaces for collective use of hotel units. The “practice or simulation” of any type of sexual act is prohibited.

The “practice or simulation of any type of sexual act, whether individual or not”, the consumption of alcoholic beverages, staying overnight, defecating, urinating, spitting, camping or setting up any camp, preparing any type of food, as well as the practice of sports, recreation, culture, leisure or artistic activities outside of places specifically designed for that purpose are also prohibited”, determines the Code.

The fines for wearing a bikini or swimsuit outside of authorized areas range from 300 to 1,500 euros. Anyone who has sex or walks completely naked in public spaces is subject to a fine of between 500 and 1,800 euros. It is also expected that amounts ranging from 150 to 750 will be paid to those who camp or practice sports activities in areas not authorized for this purpose.

Noise, both individual and group, in residential areas, the “use of street furniture in a way that makes it impossible or difficult to use”, the use of municipal property for purposes not intended, their damage or the abandonment of shopping carts on public roads are also prohibited by the municipality’s Code of Conduct. Vandalism of lighting structures and public furniture is also punishable by fines under the Code.

“The power to initiate administrative offence proceedings, as well as to apply fines, lies with the President of the Albufeira Municipal Council , with the power to delegate under the terms of the law”, states the notice.

Punitive measures may also include “cancellation of the license to occupy public space”, “removal of open terraces” and “reduction of opening hours”.

The administrative offences attributable to economic agents range from 250 to 1,200, from 500 to 2,500 and from 1,000 to 4,000 euros, according to the code.

The notice was published on Wednesday in the Official Gazette and the public consultation will last for 30 days, starting on the day following the date of its publication.

MotorCyclist  Dies in Castro Marim

A 35 year old motorcyclist died on Saturday afternoon, following a collision with a car in Aroeira, Altura, in Castro Marim.

The Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command say the man’s death was declared at the scene by the INEM helicopter doctor, who was called to the accident.

There were 17 firefighters from Vila Real de Stº António and Castro Marim, INEM and GNR, supported by 5 vehicles, at the scene.

And Finally, The Volta ao Algarve  returns for its 51st edition between February 19 and 23.

In 2023 and 2024, the Volta ao Algarve was recognised as the best race on the UCI Pro series Circuit, reinforcing its notoriety internationally. This year’s route has been renewed to increase the sporting spectacle and competitiveness, crossing iconic scenarios in the region. The race starts in Portimão and covers nearly 750 kilometres over five stages. Highlights include sprint finishes in Lagos and Tavira and the challenging climb to Fóia via a new slope.

Other emblematic moments include the classics-style stage, with the arrival in Faro, and the individual time trial finishing at the top of Malhão, where the favourites for the title will fight a final battle for victory. In addition to the famous international race, the Algarve Granfondo 2025 will be held on February 22. This non-competitive race is open to all participants wishing to explore some of the most authentic landscapes of the Algarve interior on two wheels.

Participants can choose between two routes – the 130-kilometre Granfondo for more experienced cyclists and the more accessible 90-kilometre Mediofondo. Both have timed segments to increase the challenge and provide an even more immersive experience.

Until the next time Stay Safe..

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 12th February 2025

Man’s body found near Lagoa pools

The body of a man was found this Tuesday east of the Lagoa pools, on the island of São Miguel, with the causes of the occurrence unknown, the National Maritime Authority said.

The Port Captain and Local Commander of the Maritime Police of Ponta Delgada and Vila do Porto, António Peiriço, explained that the alert was given, via 112, by a member of the public who had seen the body of a man “east of the Lagoa pools”.

According to the official, resources and elements from the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Ponta Delgada and the Lifeguard Station were immediately dispatched to the site, and the body was transported to the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada, at around 1:00 pm.

António Peiriço added that the causes of the man’s death, “still unidentified”, are unknown.

Earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale felt in Graciosa

An earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale was felt on the island of Graciosa this Monday, reported the Azores Seismo-volcaeic Information and Surveillance Centre (CIVISA)

According to CIVISA, the earthquake occurred at 10:40 am and had its epicentre approximately 22 kilometres west of Vitória, on the island of Graciosa.

“According to the information available so far, the earthquake was felt with maximum intensity IV (Modified Mercalli Scale) in Santa Cruz da Graciosa, Guadalupe, São Mateus and Luz (municipality of Santa Cruz da Graciosa)”, adds CIVISA.

Azores to receive 10 million euros to manage marine protected areas

The Azores will receive 10 million euros to help implement the project to expand marine protected areas and to support the restructuring of the fishing sector, according to a memorandum signed on the island of Faial.

“The Blue Azores program will be supported with funding for its implementation of at least 10.4 million dollars (10 million euros), which will be invested over the next five years.

This funding will allow the region to “effectively implement” the network of marine protected areas, which now covers 30% of the Azores sea, following the approval, in October 2024, of a regional decree that created “the largest network of marine protected areas in the North Atlantic”, with more than 287 thousand square kilometres.