Following a session about security at the Mercado da Ribeira in Tavira on Saturday, Rui Pereira told journalists that what he wanted to say and what he had told consuls and municipal presidents was that they were doing everything to combat the feeling of insecurity and raise the levels of security.
Rui Pereira was referring to the meeting he had held with local leaders and representatives of the countries with the biggest foreign communities in the Algarve, which in recent months had been affected by violent robberies on their properties leading some people to consider leaving the region and the country because of a lack of security.
He announced that what they were doing, apart from resources, the construction of barracks, reinforcing human resources, was to create a mixed team – which had already been created – for preventing violent crime, adding that the team would include officers from the GNR and PSP security forces, but also from the PJ, the Criminal Police, and the SEF, the Foreigners and Border Service.
The Minister of Internal Administration said that the joint police campaign for crime prevention was absolutely decisive, especially in developing campaigns over a broad spectrum, such as campaigns for controlling illegal immigration and people trafficking through the intervention of the SEF, but also involving cooperation between the security forces.
Rui Pereira also wants to construct a mixed team for criminal investigation, and has already begun discussions with the Attorney-General of the Republic. The team will be directed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and should be created by the nearest DIAP, the Department of Investigation and Penal Action, which in the case of the Algarve is in Évora.
Proximity policing and geo-referencing system
In Tavira, Rui Pereira handed over 32 GPS devices to the GNR and 16 to the PSP, which will enable an integrated proximity policing plan to be implemented with geo-referencing of residential properties and commercial establishments.
According to Isilda Gomes, Faro Civil Governor, this measure will facilitate the police’s capacity to respond and provide assistance to victims and she revealed that the geo-referencing of residential properties dispersed through the uplands of the Algarve had recently been undertaken by the GNR as part of its “safe residence” programme.
Isilda Gomes said that whenever any problem occurs, the coordinates are introduced and help is immediate; it facilitates their capacity to respond and provide assistance to victims.
The Civil Governor said that, in the case of residential properties that are not yet referenced by the GNR, the owners just need to hand the coordinates of their property to the security force and they will immediately be included in the system.
Apart from the equipment handed to the GNR and PSP, the Algarve fire corporations also received 152 high band VHF radios, of which 124 are mobile, 14 portable and 14 are bases for the communications centres.
*with Lusa
'security' 'civil_defence' 'gnr' 'psp' 'fire_brigade' 'government' 'civilgovernment' 'politics'
