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…
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
With the end of tolls and the increase in the number of vehicles using the A22, a “more demanding” maintenance and conservation plan is required. “In several sections, the surface of the Via do Infante already shows clear signs of degradation. With winter, the end of tolls and the increase in traffic, the surface will wear out more quickly, so it is important that Infraestruturas de Portugal implement measures to guarantee the safety of users”, concluded the socialist deputy. The deputies also requested the removal of the old toll gates, with “particular urgency” for those that remain on the Guadiana River border and that “despite the end of tolls, they still alert drivers entering Portugal from Spain to the existence of a toll road”.
The detainees belonged to a group suspected of burglaries inside homes and were approached by the PSP while they were travelling in a car, having started to flee, first by car and then on foot, said the police force. “In this sense, the PSP pursued the four suspects on foot, with warning shots being fired into the air by the police officers involved, and the suspects, in order to avoid being approached by the police, jumped over the wall and fence of a school”, the security force explained. It was “following this escape” that the injured person “was hit by a gunshot in the foot”, explained the PSP, highlighting that the educational establishment “was used unexpectedly by the suspects” without causing injuries among students and other users.
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has promulgated the decree that elevates Boliqueime, in the municipality of Loulé, to the category of town. This follows hot on the heels of Almancil becoming a City. The decree-law, presented by the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party (PS), had been unanimously approved in the plenary session of the Assembly of the Republic on 17 January.