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9 January 2020
Welcome
I hope everyone had a Very Merry and Safe Christmas, and I wish you all a Very Happy New Year.
Whereas it may have been generally Happy for us in Portugal, our thoughts go to all the families of those who have died in the bush fires in Australia, as well as those affected by the fires. The statistics are daunting with some 10 million of hectares burned (larger than the whole of Portugal), 2131 homes destroyed and 27 people killed.
Portugal off course has also experienced it share of rural fires and tragically in 2017, over 100 lives were lost with over half a million hectares of land destroyed.
The Australian experience is a timely reminder that we must never let our guard down and to always be prepared. This means all of us in rural areas, especially those in high risk areas, to ensure our land is cleaned and to prepare our properties to reduce the risk of fire where possible. For those living in high risk areas it is recommended to have a properly prepared emergency plan in the event of a fire and an emergency evacuation kit.
Experience in Portugal and overseas have shown the importance of self-protection, as it is a fact that fire fighters cannot always be present to help prevent a fire reaching your home.
With this in mind I met with the Secretary of State for Internal Administration on 2nd January to discuss these issues and particular the issue of communication. Please see our lead news story.
On the crime side we are now underway in implementing the protocol we have with the Ministry of Internal Administration, which mainly concerns projects being undertaken in the Algarve. We will be announcing these in this newsletter and media shortly. This will focus both on the safety of tourists and residents.
I have included an article on yet more supermarket car park scams as we have received several reports of this over the festive period. These adopt different tactics, but the commonality is that it involves being approached by strangers and that the victims are in some ways vulnerable. The important thing is to never hand over money and to report this to police immediately with as many details as possible.
We thank all our sponsors for your help in enabling us to continue with our work. Thank you: EuroFinesco, IBC Security, Ibex Insurance, Avalon Funeral Plans and Buy Portugal for
our support.
To find out more about how to sponsor a newsletter by becoming one of our supporters please contact us on 913045093 or at
[email protected].
If you have missed a previous newsletter all previous issues can be
downloaded here.
David Thomas
President
Safe Communities Portugal
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Meeting between Secretary of State for Internal Administration and Safe Communities Portugal
On 2
nd January, Patricia Gasper Secretary of State for Internal Administration and David Thomas President Safe Communities Portugal met to discuss a number of matters concerning civil protection.
Patricia Gasper assumed the post under the new Government recently, being responsible for civil protection and road safety. Previously the post was Secretary of State for Civil Protection but this was changed to reflect a broader portfolio with the inclusion of road safety.
Included in the discussions were: public communication during crisis situations such as rural fires; location finding by the emergency services during crisis situations; civil protection and Safe Communities Portugal priorities; prevention and self-protection during rural fires and measures for AL rented accommodation under the Safe Village Safe People program.
These were matters that had been accorded priority with fast tracking where necessary before the main fire season. A strategic approach to communications was discussed.
Also discussed was the role of Civil Protection Volunteer Organisations, of which Safe Communities was one of nine as well as future collaboration and related issues.
In respect of road safety Patricia Gasper explained the priority that needs to be given to the main causes of serious road accidents and that the laws concerning issues such as drink driving and use of mobile phones whilst driving were currently under review.
In the framework of the above a number of ideas were discussed for further consideration.
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Road Accidents - Christmas and New Year
The final figures of the Christmas and New Year's road safety campaign recorded 16 fatalities, half the same period of last year, the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) said on 6
th January.
The operation "The best gift is to be present", which took place between December 18, 2019 and January 5, 2020, recorded a reduction of 14.2% and 18.8% in serious and minor injuries, respectively.
During this period drivers were inspected, resulting in around 73,000 offences and 1,127 arrests, of which 724 were due to their alcohol reading exceeding the crime level of 1.2 g/l or above.
More than two thirds of infractions related to speeding.
This campaign was "focused on combating road accidents and reaching the only acceptable number of road fatalities, zero," reads the ANSR statement.
The operation was undertaken by 37 units.
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43 Arrested in Spain and Portugal after 27 poisoned by Clams in Spain
An investigation into the trafficking of contaminated clams resulted in dismantling a large organised crime network involving poachers, intermediaries and distribution companies responsible for the food poisoning of at least 27 individuals in Spain.
The investigation involved the Portuguese Economic and Food Safety Authority (ASAE)), the Food Fraud Network (FFN) of DG SANTE (European Commission) and was led by the Spanish SEPRONA (Guardia Civil's nature and environment division) and coordinated by Europol.
The operation led to 43 arrests (39 from Spain and 4 from Portugal), the seizure of 38.5 tonnes of clams worth €350 000 and €80 000 in cash, and the location of hideouts where they stored clams caught in Portugal. In addition, six searches and seven inspections took place, resulting in 11 companies under investigation.
The criminal network was active for at least a year earning up to €9 million with more than 1 000 tonnes of illegally caught clams, which were then received and transported by the 11 Spanish companies under investigation.
The illegal clams were harvested in Portugal and then moved to Spain for the most lucrative seasons - the summer and the end-of-the-year holidays. After a brief clean up, the contaminated clams were sold in markets and restaurants. Washing the clam got rid of the bacteria (E. coli), but did not eliminate the viruses (Norovirus genogroup I and II and Hepatitis A).
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Portuguese military contingent activities in Iraq suspended but no withdrawal planned
Defence Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho takes stock of the US and Iranian attacks on targets in Iraq.
The Minister stated on 8th January that "The 34 members of the Portuguese military contingent are at Besmayah base, about 200 and 350 km from the two attacked bases, all are well. Their main mission is the formation of the Iraqi military, an activity that has since been suspended. The security of the base has since been strengthened"
Following what has been reported regarding the attacks on US air bases, the Ministry of National Defence reports that the Portuguese military contingent is not quartered in these facilities, remaining at Besmayah military base, and was not affected by the events of this dawn.
The Ministry of National Defence is in regular contact with the Portuguese military present in the region and the necessary security measures will be taken.
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Police organise national meeting today to decide January 21 protests
Seven unions of PSP and the Association of Guard Professionals (APG / GNR) will today 9th January hold a national meeting open to all police to decide on protest actions to take place on January 21.
The meeting, which will be held in Lisbon, was decided after "the intransigent stance" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) in the ongoing negotiation process, according to the Association of Police Professionals (ASPP / PSP), one of the organizing unions.
ASPP President Paulo Rodrigues told Lusa that the protests to be held on January 21 are unlikely to be in the form of a demonstration similar to that of November 21 last year, and other actions are being considered.
The January 21 protest was decided at the November 21 rally, in which PSP unions and GNR professional associations demanded a solution to the main demands of the class.
Read more
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Top Stories
Road Safety - New Legislation
Lisbon, 02 Jan 2020 (Lusa) - The Government is working on new legislation to change the penalties on various types of offences, such as drunk driving and mobile phone use, the Secretary of State for Home Affairs announced today.
"In terms of legislation we have to improve certain situations, particularly with regard to penalties," said Patrícia Gaspar, considering that driving under the influence of alcohol and using devices such as mobile phones "are situations that obviously cannot be acceptable and endanger the safety of the perpetrator and other drivers"
The Secretary of State participated today in a press conference to present the provisional balance of the accident and road inspection of 2019 and the Christmas and New Year campaign, promoted by the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR).
Asked about the legislative changes, Patrícia Gaspar said that the Government is working on road safety legislation, with "the penalties and sanctions associated with certain types of infractions being on the table".
"I cannot 100% guarantee at this moment what will be the final result of these decisions, but I can guarantee that it is something that is being worked out so that in the coming months we can present alternative solutions to what is stipulated today", she said.
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GNR work in support of FRONTEX 2019
During 2019 some 111 military personnel were deployed from various police ranks of the GNR as part of the FRONTEX mission. The deployments were in Bulgaria, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Ukraine.
The mission working under the umbrella of FRONTEX is to detect and prosecute cases of illegal immigration, trafficking in human beings and other border crimes, fundamentally contributing to the safeguarding of human lives.
in 2019 some 1,160 patrols carried out, involving over 7,000 hours of commitment, travelling some 95,000 kms by land and 7,500 nautical miles by sea.
Assistance was provided to 3,000 migrants, of whom 763 were rescued and 225 vessels detected, In addition more than 20,000 vehicles inspected.
Approximately 35 000 persons were checked and 204 illegal entry into the Schengen area was prevented.
Comment
GNR are congratulated on this major commitment and the results achieved
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PSP official at Interpol coordinates security at Qatar Football World Cup
Interpol has chosen PSP Chief Superintendent Jorge Mauricio to coordinate the Stadia Project, designed to support countries that host major sporting events.
The acceptance of Jorge Alexandre Gonçalves Maurício's candidacy, PSP's current Lisbon metropolitan commander, led the Minister of Internal Affairs, Eduardo Cabrita, to authorise Chief Superintendent to serve at Interpol between January 2020 and October 2022.
The Stadia Project was created in 2012 by Interpol with a 10-year time frame to support security and policing planning around the 2022 World Football Championship in Qatar.
Funded by Qatar, Project Stadia builds on Interpol's global network of experts to serve as a research, design, planning, coordination and training hub for security and policing plans at major international sporting events.
Jorge Maurício, 53 years old, has a degree in Police Science from the School of Police, predecessor of the Institute of Police Science and Homeland Security. Former district commander of the PSP of Faro, the chief superintendent was the liaison officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the Portuguese embassy in Cape Verde and was part of the UN police force in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Comment
President Safe Communities Portugal David Thomas met with Chief Superintendent Mauricio in Lisbon on 2nd January to bid him farewell. He has been a considerable supporter of SCP for the last 8 years. We wish him all the very best.
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Health and Home Affairs Ministers analyse violence against health professionals
Home Affairs Eduardo Cabrita and Health Ministers Marta Feared met on 7th January in Lisbon to analyse recent episodes of violence against health professionals and to study new security measures.
The meeting between the two leaders will take place at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) and will serve, according to a joint note, "to analyse recent incidents and to study new measures to improve the safety of all professionals working in health facilities."
According to government data released on Monday, nearly 1,000 cases of violence against health workers at the workplace were reported by the end of September 2019.
Available data indicate that in the first nine months of 2019, 995 cases were reported on the platform created by the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), involving various professional groups, according to a joint statement from the Ministries of Home Affairs and Health released on Monday.
In 2018, 953 cases were reported, the statement said, adding that "injuries are the main type of outcomes, representing about 80% of the total".
For both ministries, "cases of violence against health professionals in the workplace are always reprehensible acts and of great concern."
In recent days, two alleged attacks on doctors have been reported, one at the Setubal Hospital Centre and the other at the Moscavide Health Centre in Loures, Lisbon district.
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Feature
1755 Lisbon Earthquake would have been smaller than previously thought
The magnitude of the Lisbon Earthquake may not have been as high as has been estimated so far. The devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Portugal on All Saints' Day in 1755 would have been in Richter's 7.7 magnitude, below the nearly consensual 8.5 to 8.9%.
This conclusion is evident in a study by João Duarte Fonseca of the Instituto Superior Técnico of the New University of Lisbon, which has now been published in the newsletter of the Seismological Society of America.
For the Portuguese researcher, who for years has been studying the Lisbon Earthquake and has published many articles on the subject, the location of the epicentre was on the southwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula and earthquake faults may also have occurred.
To reach this conclusion, he used macro seismic data from Portugal, Spain and Morocco. This re-evaluation may have implications for the seismic hazard map, João Duarte Fonseca said in the publication of the American society that is dedicated to seismology.
"While the current official map assigns the highest level of risk to southern Portugal, gradually decreasing to the north, the interpretation presented now concentrates the risk in the Greater Lisbon area ," said João Duarte Fonseca.
The 1755 earthquake, along with the fires that spread throughout the city, is considered one of the most important events in seismic history, leading to the deaths of about 20,000 people, although there are higher estimates.
Read more
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Judicial Police seize 825 kgs of cocaine
The Judicial police announced today the seizure of 825 kgs of cocaine from Colombia, landed in the port of Setúbal, which wase discovered in a warehouse in the north and were destined for the European market.
At a press conference in Lisbon, the head of the National Anti-Drug Trafficking Unit (UNCTE), Artur Vaz, explained that the drug was seized "in the last days" in a warehouse in the port area, concealed in banana boxes, following information provided by a foreign entity, which he did not want to specify, as investigations continue to investigate elements involved in trafficking.
The operation has not yet resulted in any detentions, and Arthur Vaz said that the owners of the warehouse where the drug was found hidden in banana boxes will not have been involved in the trafficking, and the company was used by the network to transport cocaine by sea.
The head of the Judicial Police said that the drug has a high degree of purity and was intended for the European market, where, after being cut, would be worth "many millions of euros".
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Three persons arrested for armed robberies at 22 pharmacies
At a press conference on Saturday 4
th January, PSP announced that it had arrested three persons for armed robberies at 22 pharmacies in Lisbon, Almada (Setúbal district) and Setúbal for about a month and a half.
According to the Public Security Police, the arrest of the two men and one woman took place on Friday, after they raided a pharmacy on Avenida da EUA in Lisbon.
The group has carried out the robberies since November 21, 2019, with the proceeds of the crimes estimated at about five thousand euros.
According to police, there are records of pharmacies that were robbed more than once.
The commander of the second PSP Criminal Investigation Squad in Lisbon, Joao Prisciliano, explained that the main suspect entered the pharmacies alone with a firearm, asked for the money in the box and then had an escape vehicle close by.
The PSP added that the robbers, aged between 20 and 23 years old, took advantage of when the pharmacies were about to close to carry out the robberies, as there were fewer people and the cash register had more money.
In a statement, the Lisbon Metropolitan Command said that the three detainees were present on Saturday in the Lisbon District Court and that one was remanded in custody, while the other two were subjected to bi-weekly police appearances.
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Safe Communities Portugal
Silver Coast activities
Colin Scarisbrick Safe Communities representative in the Silver Coast area has been very busy, and it was good to meet and catch up with him in early January.
Supermarket Car park scam
Safe Communities provide help and advice to the victim of a scam that took place in Pingo Doce Tornada, near Caldas da Raiha a few days ago (details in our crime prevention section) . After wards the victim posted the following on Facebook
"After my incident in Pingo Doce on Friday, I went to the GNR this morning, who were very helpful, I have filled in a statement and they are now investigating.
The GNR have said that unfortunately most people do not report these incidents and would like more people to come forward so these rogues can be caught.
So please if you encounter any undesirables that are con artists, please report them to the GNR with as much detail as possible.
You can always go to the Safe Communities Portugal site if you need more information".
Events
Safe Communities represented by Colin is going to be holding a number of events within the Silver Coast area this year, promoting the area and offering practical advice for both visitors and residents alike.
This is in full co operation with GNR, PSP, Tourist Authorities.etc, all of which helps to enhance the area as a safe and welcoming area to be.
Meeting with GNR
On 7
th January Colin Scarisbrick met with Captain Diogo Morgado GNR Commander Caldas da Rainha. He assumed command in December following a 18 months posting in the Azores.
Also present was Ricardo Rocha the second in command who has been working closely with SCP for the past 18 months.
Both are very supportive of Safe Communities which has enabled a close working relationship in the area.
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Local News
Despite rain one third of country still in drought
Rain that fell during December led to a further easing of the drought, but 37.3% of mainland Portugal remains in this situation, according to data from IPMA.
According to the drought weather index (PDSI) available today on IPMA website, of these 37.3%, only 3.5% is related to severe drought (eastern Algarve).
Data indicate that in December there was a worsening of the drought situation in mainland Portugal compared to November.
By the end of December however, the northern and central regions were no longer in a drought situation, due to severe and moderate rainfall in much of the north of Cape Mondego.
In the southern region, according to the IPMA, there was a significant easing of the weather drought situation, however, severe drought persisted in the eastern Algarve.
The institute classifies into nine classes the drought weather index, which ranges from "extreme rain" to "extreme drought".
The report indicates that as of December 31, 2.7% of mainland Portugal was in severe rain, 31.8% in moderate rain, 18.7% in light rain; 24.8% in slight drought, , 9.5% normal, 9% moderate drough and 3.5% in severe drought.
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President promulgates extension of Independent Technical Observatory
The President of the Republic has promulgated the diploma of the Assembly of the Republic extending the validity of the Independent Technical Observatory (ITO) for the analysis, monitoring and evaluation of forest and rural fires occurring in the national territory.
The enactment of the diploma approved by the Assembly of the Republic (AR) on December 20, 2019 was published on today on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic.
The AR unanimously approved the continuation until the end of 2020 of the mandate of the Independent Technical Observatory for analysis, monitoring and evaluation of forest fires, created in 2018 by the Assembly of the Republic and currently chaired by the expert Francisco Castro Rego and composed of 10 members.
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The seven parties consider, at the time of approval, that the OTI period was coming to an end without being able to complete the planned work, given the delay in producing the Integrated Rural Fire Management Plan, on which the observatory had its mission to issue an opinion.
The continuity of the body was also justified by the existence of outstanding work "as a result of the lack of response from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests to its requests".
The OTI's mission is to carry out an independent assessment of forest and rural fires occurring in the country, providing scientific support to parliamentary committees with expertise in integrated rural fire management, civil protection, spatial planning, agriculture and rural development, forest and nature conservation.
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Passports - What to do if lost or stolen
Stolen and lost passports are highly valuable to terrorists and international criminals who use them to cross borders undetected. In the wrong hands, your passport is like a weapon.
In several major terrorist attacks over recent decades, the perpetrators had travelled internationally using invalid passports to conceal their identity.
A lost or stolen passport can help: fugitives to escape justice; foreign terrorist fighters to travel to or from conflict zones or human trafficking networks to get their victims across borders.
Even if no one tries to travel on your passport, it could still leave you vulnerable to identity theft. Someone could use your passport for criminal purposes, such as opening a bank account as part of a money laundering process.
When you report your passport as lost or stolen, the police in your country will enter this into their national database, in line with their national standard operating procedures.
Your country then shares this data with INTERPOL through their secure police network (known as "I-24/7") and it goes into its SLTD data base..
Law enforcement officials at frontline locations - such as airports and border crossings - in INTERPOL member countries can check a travel document against the SLTD database to see if it is valid, getting a result in seconds.
If the database search triggers a match, police can take follow-up action, for example, taking the passenger aside for questioning or further checks.
If you have reported your passport as lost or stolen, in line with your country's national procedures, it will no longer be valid for travel.
If you subsequently find it and try and use it, border police could call you aside for inspection, taking up time and causing stress, with no guarantee you will able to continue your journey afterwards.
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Supermarket car parks - scams
There are several cases that have come to Safe Communities attention over the last two weeks concerning this type of crime.
One took place in at a Pingo Doce car park at Tornada, near Caldas da Rainha.
An elderly man out shopping was approached by a Portuguese male aged about 50 years. The man claimed that he knew the elderly man. He shook his hand and said 'You know me, don't you, I am a doctor in the farmácia, and centro de saúde. I need your help, the cash machine has just swallowed my card, and I need petrol, can you lend me some money and you can pick it up from the farmácia or centro de Saúde."
The man's daughter was close by, intervened, and as she did not recognise the person claiming to be a doctor, no money changed hands. They use the farmácia, and centro de Saúde and have never seen him before.
Two others, one in Tavira at Aldi and another at Bricomarche supermarket in Viseu , both involved people being approached by strangers claiming that they had "bumped" their car and demanding money to compensate for the damage. In both cases the victims confirmed not such accidents took place.
Advice
Please watch out for these. The tactics vary a great deal and they prey on people who are vulnerable in some way including the elderly. If you are approached by a stranger in a car park please be cautious and report with details to the supermarket security and/or police. NEVER hand over any money. If you can record the description of the victim and registration of vehicle that will help in reporting to police.
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Passports - What to do if lost or stolen
Stolen and lost passports are highly valuable to terrorists and international criminals who use them to cross borders undetected. In the wrong hands, your passport is like a weapon.
In several major terrorist attacks over recent decades, the perpetrators had travelled internationally using invalid passports to conceal their identity.
A lost or stolen passport can help: fugitives to escape justice; foreign terrorist fighters to travel to or from conflict zones or human trafficking networks to get their victims across borders.
Even if no one tries to travel on your passport, it could still leave you vulnerable to identity theft. Someone could use your passport for criminal purposes, such as opening a bank account as part of a money laundering process.
When you report your passport as lost or stolen, the police in your country will enter this into their national database, in line with their national standard operating procedures.
Your country then shares this data with INTERPOL through their secure police network (known as "I-24/7") and it goes into its SLTD data base..
Law enforcement officials at frontline locations - such as airports and border crossings - in INTERPOL member countries can check a travel document against the SLTD database to see if it is valid, getting a result in seconds.
If the database search triggers a match, police can take follow-up action, for example, taking the passenger aside for questioning or further checks.
If you have reported your passport as lost or stolen, in line with your country's national procedures, it will no longer be valid for travel.
If you subsequently find it and try and use it, border police could call you aside for inspection, taking up time and causing stress, with no guarantee you will able to continue your journey afterwards.
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Civil Protection and Public Safety
Land Cleaning (Fuel Management) Registering a burn
Images from the fires in Australia and from experience gained in Portugal during recent major fires, shows the vital importance of land cleaning (fuel management) to help protect life and property.
Much of this land cleaning here is performed by the extensive burning of land and burning heaped piles of waste. Unfortunately some of those performing these tasks do not take the basic safety steps to control such burnings, do not register the burn, and or undertake such burnings in weather conditions which are inappropriate to do so e.g. - high winds.
The consequences are obvious with over half of all fires caused in Portugal last year because of uncontrolled burnings.
The map
shown here is the up to date situation showing GREEN those municipalities that are connected to the system and in WHITE those which are NOT. For those in WHITE it is necessary to contact the municipality concerned.
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Road Safety
Road Safety - New Legislation
The Government is working on new legislation to change the penalties on various types of offences, such as drunk driving and mobile phone use, the Secretary of State for Home Affairs announced today.
"In terms of legislation we have to improve certain situations, particularly with regard to penalties," said Patrícia Gaspar, considering that driving under the influence of alcohol and using devices such as mobile phones "are situations that obviously cannot be acceptable and endanger the safety of the perpetrator and other drivers".
The Secretary of State participated in a press conference to present the provisional figures of the number of accidents and road enforcement action for 2019 and the Christmas and New Year campaign, promoted by the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR).
Asked about the legislative changes, Patrícia Gaspar said that the Government is working on road safety legislation, with "the penalties and sanctions associated with certain types of infractions being on the table".
"I cannot 100% guarantee at this moment what will be the final result of these decisions, but I can guarantee that it is something that is being worked out so that in the coming months we can present alternative solutions to what is stipulated today", she said.
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Overseas News
Portuguese woman arrested at Perth airport trafficking in cocaine.
A 42-year-old Portuguese woman was arrested Monday by the Australian Federal Police after being caught with several kilos of drugs distributed in six packs of toiletries at Perth Airport in Australia.
According to an official source from the Australian authorities, the Portuguese woman arrived on an overnight flight Sunday, 29, being questioned by an official agent of the Australian Border Force.
Her luggage was examined and "six plastic bottles containing cocaine were discovered, the official statement said.
The same source said that the total weight of the bottles corresponds to just under five kilos.
The tourist visa with which the woman was using was automatically cancelled and the person was arrested by the authorities for the crime of importing "a commercial amount of that drug, controlled at the border, namely cocaine", contrary to a law in the Penal Code of that country.
The maximum penalty for that crime is life imprisonment, but the person will not start trial until January. However, the woman appeared before a judge, who has remanded her in custody.
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Man jailed for life for 136 rapes against men in Manchester
A man described as "Britain's most prolific rapist" will never be safe to be released, a court has heard, as he was jailed for a minimum of 30 years after being found guilty of raping or sexually assaulting 48 young men in Manchester.
Reynhard Sinaga, 36, a mature student from Indonesia, is thought by police to have abused at least 195 men over two-and-a-half years after luring them to his flat under the guise of being a "good samaritan", drugging his victims and then attacking them after they passed out.
Ian Rushton, the north-west deputy chief crown prosecutor, called Sinaga the "most prolific rapist in British legal history".
He was proved to have committed 159 offences, including 136 rapes, which he filmed on two mobile phones. Police have yet to identify at least 70 of his victims.
On Monday, Sinaga was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 30 years, bringing a two-year media blackout to an end at the conclusion of his fourth trial.
Sinaga is already serving 88 concurrent life sentences with a minimum of 20 years before he can be considered for parole following his first two trials, which related to 25 victims and were heard between 2018 and last year. He was sentenced on Monday for trials three and four, where he was convicted of counts relating to a further 23 victims. All but four of the 48 victims whose cases came to court were raped.
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How you can help - Donation for crime prevention in Portugal
Each week Safe Communities Portugal provides advice and assistance to those who have contacted the association. No charge is made for this service. If you have benefited from this then why not make a small donation in return. Safe Communities Portugal is a non-profit association run by unpaid volunteers. Our services are free of charge and the association is funded by donations. Your generosity by making a donation to help maintain and further develop the work of the association and thereby help keep Portugal a safe place to live and visit would be appreciated. Any amount helps.
Three ways to make a donation
Paypal - If you would like to make a donation through Paypal please visit our Welcome page and click on the "donate" button.
By cheque - If you wish to donate by cheque the bank account name is "Associacao SCP Safe Communities Portugal" and cheques can be posted to Caixa 207-Z, Alfontes, Boliqueime, 8100-062, Algarve.
By interbank transfer - If you wish to donate through inter bank transfer please use the same name with the following account details NIB 0033 0000 4542 9864 44705.
All donations should be marked "Donation for crime prevention". Thank you.
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Safe Communities Portugal - Regular Features
Just a reminder that in addition to our website and Facebook page, Safe Communities Portugal produces regular crime prevention features to help the community. These are
in the Algarve Resident and the next one is out 6th February.
It's a well come return to Owen Gee who hosts Solid Gold Sunday and we returned to the show with our regular "Crimecheck" feature on 10th November. The next feature will be on Sunday 26th January 2020- stay tuned!.
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How your friends can obtain up to date Crime Prevention advice
Please pass on details of Safe Communities Portugal to neighbours and friends so they to can benefit from the up to date crime prevention advice. Simply ask them to click on the following link to obtain the latest newsletter: www.safecommunitiesportugal.com This is a free service.
David Thomas
President
Safe Communities Portugal
9th January 2020
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