Safety and Security Report – Azores, 8th January 2026
From our correspondent in the Azores
The Azores welcome 71 new doctors for general and specialist medical training.
A total of seventy‑one resident doctors are beginning their general and specialized training in the Azores this month, strengthening both the training capacity and healthcare services of the Regional Health Service (SRS).
According to the Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security, forty doctors will complete their general training year in 2026. They will be distributed across the three regional hospitals located on São Miguel, Terceira, and Faial, with additional rotation periods in various island health units throughout the archipelago.
In the area of specialized training, thirty‑one doctors have been placed in the region: seventeen at the Hospital of the Holy Spirit (HDES), two at the Hospital of the Holy Spirit of Terceira Island (HSEIT), ten at the Health Unit of São Miguel Island, and two at the Health Unit of Terceira Island.
For the first time, HSEIT will receive residents in the specialties of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pediatrics, while HDES will welcome its first resident in Emergency Medicine.
2026 brings increases in food, rent, and telecommunications prices.
The new year begins with broad updates to the cost of living, with rises in housing rents and food prices. These increases are accompanied by corresponding adjustments to the minimum wage, pensions, and the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly.
PSP recovers goods valued at €12,500 after theft at Ponta Delgada Airport.
The Public Security Police (PSP) of the Azores recovered several personal items—worth approximately €12,500—believed to be linked to the theft of a woman’s handbag at João Paulo II Airport in Ponta Delgada.
According to the Regional Command of the PSP, the recovery resulted from a police operation in the parish of São José, conducted by the Criminal Investigation Squad following several investigative steps. Among the items seized were multiple gold pieces.
With the collaboration of the Airport Security and Border Control Division, authorities identified the suspect and subsequently recovered all stolen belongings.
In a separate communication, the PSP reported that during routine operations, the Ponta Delgada Police Division arrested 38 individuals of both sexes. The Angra do Heroísmo Division recorded five arrests, while the Horta Division reported six. In total, forty‑nine arrests were made across the region, accompanied by seven road traffic enforcement operations.
Regarding road safety, 132 traffic accidents occurred in the same period, resulting in 26 injuries in addition to material damage.