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6 June 2019
Welcome
At last a short breather between events, the last being our Seminar "Tourism - Responding to the effects of Climate change and high impacts events", held on 10th May.
However, more are planned over the year and we are currently discussing these with the Ministry of Internal Administration and local police commanders in the Algarve. We have some ideas to further foster closer engagement between the foreign community and police and we hope to announce some details soon.
At the same time we are working closely with the ANEPC the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority in Lisbon concerning self protection and communication matters in the event for rural fires. As can be seen from the statement by AGIF in this newsletter Portugal remains "very vulnerable" to the risk of such fires, so it is essential that we have the best systems in place to deal with this threat.
As we all know we have been going through a very hot spell, with humidity levels in some parts of Portugal as low as 10%. Coupled with moderate winds these are the main ingredients for the rapid spread of rural fires so we must all be on our guard.
Regretfully road deaths are again on the increase and in the first 6 months of the year there were over fifty two thousand road accidents, which is a slight decrease compared with the same period last year. Causation factors, continue to be drink driving and speeding.
Safe Communities is now preparing for the International Algarve fair this weekend 8th and 9th June and we will be extending a warm welcome to those who visit us at Stand 49. This is a great day out for all the family with plenty of attractions.
Again a plea to those who may be a victim of a crime or have seen something suspicious to report it to police or at least inform us here at Safe Communities Portugal. Many people take to social media where there is endless debate - but nothing tangible happens. Unless it is reported the crime will continue and there will be further victims. Social media is NOT a substitute for people to carry out their civic duty to report such matters in the interest of community safety.
To learn more about how to sponsor a newsletter by becoming one of our supporters please contact us on 913045093 or at
[email protected]
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David Thomas
President
Safe Communities Portugal
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President of Assembly of Republic proposes to dedicate June 17 as National Day in Memory of Victims of Fires
The President of the Assembly of the Republic, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, today sent to the parliamentary leaders a draft resolution to consecrate June 17 as National Day in Memory of Victims of Forest Fires, according to information sent to Lusa.
The initiative should be voted on this Friday.
In the text sent to the parliamentary leaders, Ferro Rodrigues recalls that "June 17, 2017 will remain in history as the day when the most deadly forest fire in Portugal took place, continuing for more than a week in the municipalities of Pedrógão Grande, Castanheira de Pera, Ansião, Alvaiázere, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Arganil, Góis, Penela, Pampilhosa da Serra, Oleiros and Sertã.
This fire, which broke out in Escalos Fundeiros, Pedrógão Grande county, and which later spread to neighbouring municipalities in the districts of Leiria, Coimbra and Castelo Branco, caused 66 deaths and 253 injuries, seven of them seriously, and destroyed about 500 houses , 261 of which were permanent housing, and 50 companies.
"The Assembly of the Republic, an organ of sovereignty representative of all Portuguese citizens, was sensitive to the unrest caused by a tragedy of this magnitude, so brutal and so cruel," reads the text of the initiative.
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More dead and injured in road accidents in the first five months of the year
Lisbon, 05 Jun 2019 (Lusa) - The number of deaths on Portuguese roads has risen in the first five months of the year over the same period, as well as the number of seriously injured, despite fewer accidents, according to official provisional data.
According to the latest figures of the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), between January 1 and May 31 of this year 192 people died on Portuguese roads, 10 more than in the same period (182).
In the same period, 802 serious injuries were recorded, 73 more than in the first five months of 2018.
Between January 1 and May 31 of this year there were 52,737 accidents, 59 fewer than in the same period last year (52,796).
The ANSR also indicates that 16,114 people suffered minor injuries, 551 more than in the same period last year (15,563).
Between June 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019, the district with the highest number of fatalities resulting from accidents was Porto (60), followed by Setúbal (53), Lisbon (53), Aveiro (41) and Leiria (39).
The district of Lisbon was the district with the most serious injuries (308), followed by Porto (218) and Setúbal (173).
The data of the National Road Safety Authority are for those whose death was declared at the scene of the accident or on the way to the hospital.
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Sintra - Person arrested with a firearm in a school
The GNR reported on Wednesday 5th June that they had detained a 59-year-old man with a gun in his hand after threatening a colleague at a school in Várzea, Sintra municipality.
In a statement, the Lisbon Territorial Command of the GNR, through the Territorial Sub-station of Sintra, said that the detention took place whilst the offender was "caught in the act", after a complaint about a disagreement between two construction workers."
According to the authorities, the man threatened the co-worker in the presence of students, in the playground of a school, where maintenance work was taking place.
Comment
A situation of this type in Portugal is extremely rare and there is no indication that the culprit was intended to harm those attending the school. It raises the question, however, over how a person carrying a firearm was able to enter a school premise.
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GNR da Feira seizes 150 kilos of drugs and detains 15 people
GNR da Feira, through the Centre for Criminal Investigation, have arrested 15 suspected drug traffickers and seized about 150 kilograms of hashish in searches carried out in several homes on 5th June.
The mega operating, which was being prepared several months ago and which began on Monday, involved elements of the territorial GNR posts and the GNR intervention unit. It included several domiciliary searches in the counties of Santa Maria da Feira, São João da Madeira and Vila Nova de Gaia.
In addition to the suspects and the drugs, they found a number of vehicles suspected to be linked to drug trafficking which were also seized, as were weapons, computers and an unspecified amount of money.
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The Queen praises the 'courage and sacrifice' of D-Day
The Queen has paid tribute to the "heroism, courage and sacrifice" of those who died in the D-Day landings.
She was joined by 16 world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, in Portsmouth to commemorate the 75th anniversary of history's largest combined land, air and naval operation.
Mr Trump, who was on the last day of his UK state visit, said D-Day "may have been the greatest battle ever".
Veterans of the landings in Normandy to liberate western Europe also attended.
The commemorations included:
- A flypast by the Red Arrows RAF aerobatic team and historic aircraft
- Parachute jumps by D-Day veterans
- Readings by world leaders from the diaries and letters of people who fought and died in the war
- An hour-long production telling the story of the invasion
- A joint statement by 16 countries pledging to avoid a repeat of the "unimaginable horrors" of the conflict
The Queen said the veterans of D-Day demonstrated "more than courage and endurance", showing "unconquerable resolve".
The events today (6
th June) move to Normandy as veterans of Operation Overlord gather on the northern French coast as they 75 years ago today.
The ceremonies began at 7.26 am local time when a lone piper marked the minute the invasion began 75 years ago at Arromanches overlooking Gold beach
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AGIF considers that Portugal remains "very vulnerable to the risk of fires
"
The Agency for Integrated Management of Rural Fire (AGIF) considers that Portugal remains "very vulnerable to the risk of fire", and there is "a long way to go" to change the behaviour of the populations and the planning.
"The country remains very vulnerable to the risk of fire because there is still a long way to go to change population behaviours (ignitions), spatial planning (exposure) and active management of forest and agricultural (fuel load) spaces. We must persevere in these areas over the next decade, "says AGIF in a response sent to Lusa.
On a day when the means of rural firefighting are strengthened, AGIF stresses that the reinforcement of operational resources "will always be insufficient in the days of extreme weather to reduce burned area, although more effective to save lives and goods" in the short term.
"Weather variability and climate change add uncertainty in an adverse context," says the AGIF, which is in operation for the first time this year during the fire season.
Asked if the changes introduced in the fight against fire will be visible this year, the agency stresses that the change of context and the system is "not instantaneous", producing the political measures, incentives and investments in the long term, between five to 10 years.
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Army receives 23 vehicles to help prevent rural fires
The Minister of National Defence, João Gomes Cravinho, presided over the delivery of 23 light vehicles to the Army for actions to prevent rural fires, which represented an investment of 964 thousand euros.
The 23 vehicles are equipped with modern geo-referencing and communication systems and are linked to the command post of the Emergency Military Support Regiment (RAME), which centralises in Abrantes the national command of the Emergency Military Support.
The delivery of these vehicles is justified by the Army's commitment to the prevention of rural fires, and represents a very strong reinforcement in terms of training of the Portuguese Armed Forces.
During his speech João Gomes Cravinho stated that "the central mission of the Armed Forces has not changed" but rather "an evolution in reinforcing conditions and understanding how this central mission of security and well-being of the Portuguese."
"In addition to the planning work that needs to be done, all means count on strengthening national capacity for prevention and response to potential complex emergencies," said the Minister, adding that "the issue we are facing today is not whether the catastrophes will happen "but" when they will happen, with what intensity and if we are prepared for the answer ".
João Gomes Cravinho also said that in 2018, the Army carried out 4832 patrols of detection and surveillance, with 16,813 military personnel engaged. In this context, almost 800 thousand kilometres were covered, equivalent to 32 thousand hours of surveillance in support of various national and local entities, along with post-fire work, in terms of consolidation of aftermath.
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Features
The rush to conduct burning ahead of Critical Fire Period
The timing of this article just two weeks before the Critical Fire Period may come as a surprise to some, but there is a good reason for doing so.
Over the past months many people have conducted extensive burning of uncut vegetation (Queimada) and many more will have spent time burning cut and piled debris (Queima).
Those who have not, may have planned to do so, but their plans were put on hold due to the prohibition of all such burnings declared by the Ministry of Internal Administration and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development issued on the 24th May until 30
th May and a subsequent notice extending this until 3
rd June.
The result of this means there could well be a rush to conduct such burnings before the Critical Fire Period (CFP) which is expected to start on 1
st July and be in place until 30
th September.
Of course leaving this late, increases the fire risk as temperatures are normally higher and humidity lower closer to end of this month.
It is therefore essential that when undertaking such burnings that everyone follows the laws and guidelines that are in place to safeguard the population and property.
This full Feature will appear in the Algarve Resident on 13th June 2019
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Departure of Irish Ambassador Orla Tunney
Safe Communities will be sad to see the departure of Ambassador of Ireland to Portugal, Orla Tunney, who will be leaving her post shortly.
She took up her duty here in September 2015, and it was a great pleasure to be invited to meet her just a week or so after her arrival.
Since then I have met with her and her colleagues on many occasions and an excellent rapport has been developed. We have discussed matters regarding rural fires, crime prevention and cybercrime and she has given much support to our association over a period of almost 4 years.
During one of our more recent meetings she thanked us for our coverage of the Monchique fires and mentioned that our regular situation reports provided one of the most reliable sources of information.
We wish her and her family all the very best in her next posting.
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Tavira - Person arrested for alleged sexual abuse of a child
He was detained suspected of sexually abusing his youngest son in Tavira
The Judiciary Police, through the Southern Board of Directors, with the support of the Maritime Police, have identified and detained a man for the alleged perpetration of an aggravated child sexual abuse crime.
The incident occurred on 3rd June, around 18.00 hrs on a beach, in Tavira, in the area of the beach where there is nudism. The incident was witnessed by several naturists who were there, who questioned the person and called the authorities.
The 42-year-old detainee, without a criminal record, will be present for judicial interrogation to apply pre-trial measures considered appropriate.
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Judicial Police recover sacred art works stolen from a church and make arrest
On 28th May the Judicial Police (PJ) of Braga announced the seizure of the eight pieces of sacred art stolen in March from the Church of S. Salvador de Bravães, in Ponte da Barca, and valued at 17,500 euros.
The coordinator of the PJ / Braga, António Gomes, said that the pieces were stored in the cellar / garage of the housing of one of the alleged perpetrators of the theft, who was detained on Saturday. He is a 31-year-old man living in the municipality of Ponte da Barca.
The court applied pre-trial conditions of house arrest, with electronic surveillance.
According to António Gomes, a second suspect has already been identified, continuing the efforts to try to find a third element involved in the theft.
The theft was carried out overnight from March 14 to 15, with the suspects taking all the artwork "that was more at hand".
The Judiciary believes that the Pieces, whose values range from 1,000 to 4,000 euros, were intended for the market, national or international, and may be a commissioned crime.
In question are images dated from the seventeenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century.
The pieces will be subject to an expert examination, after which they will be returned to the church.
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Safe Communities Portugal
Crime Prevention Display held at Mar Shopping
From our previous newsletter we reported that the the display which Safe Communities held, together with Regional Tourism Algarve and GNR Faro in collaboration with Mar Shopping was a great success.
This display was part of a series of events undertaken by Safe Communities Portugal as part of our Protocol with the Ministry of Internal Administration in order to promote safe tourism in the Algarve.
A video was made of the event by Chilli Pepper productions which can be downloaded here.
We plan to hold similar events in the future.
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Safe Communities at the International Algarve Fair - Lagoa
Once again Safe Communities Portugal will be at the Fair organised by the Portugal News. This will take place on 8th and 9th June in Lagoa from 1000 to 1800 hrs each day.
We will be at stand no 49 next to our friends from the British vice Consulate, and we we extend a warm welcome to you all.
This year we will have a good variety of crime prevention and civil protection leaflets in various languages, and are able to offer advice and information on issues regarding safety and security.
The Emergency Medical Card which we launched a few months ago in conjunction with INEM, GNR and PSP has been updated and we will be showing the new card at the display.
We will also be conducting a competition to test your knowledge on an important safety subject and there is a very nice Wine Hamper provided by Apolonia supermarket for the winner.
We will also be conducting a short crime perception survey to gauge peoples views on safety in the Algarve.
We look forward to seeing you at Stand 49
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Draft inquiry report on 2017 theft of weapons from Tancos military base rules out political meddling
The preliminary report of a Portuguese committee of inquiry to the 2017 theft of materiel at an army depot in Tancos, which was handed into parliament on Friday 31st May 2019, concludes that "at no time was there any political interference in the action of the army or the activity of the Military Judicial Police" (PJM) .
The 170-page document, which was presented in committee by the representative of the enquiry team, Ricardo Bexiga, ends with conclusions and 35 recommendations.
In point seven of the conclusions, entitled 'government responsibilities', the report states that "the Ministry of National Defence has, in due time, carried out a complete report of developments" in the form of the document 'Tancos: Facts and Documents'.
The committee of inquiry "found that at no time was there any political interference in the action of the army or in the activity of the PJM" - the military police - and that the country's prime minister "had no prior knowledge of any other information about the finding of the material stolen beyond what was known by various state organs", the report states.
The preliminary report is now to be discussed, according to the committee chairman, Filipe Neto Brandão, with members who will be able to submit proposed amendments until 10.00 hrs on 11 June.
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Training for the security forces for appropriate intervention with LGBTI people
The Secretary of State for Citizenship and Equality, Rosa Monteiro, said that training aimed at security forces dealing with crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex people (LGBTI), aims to enable those professionals to provide" appropriate intervention with those who are victims'.
"That the professionals of the security forces understand this specificity and what can be done to help avoid victimisation", added the Secretary of State, in statements to the Lusa news agency, in the presentation of the manual "Policing of Hate Crimes against LGBTI people: Forming a Professional Police Response in Lisbon.
The group will have access to a manual produced by the Council of Europe, translated into Portuguese, with guidelines and a comprehensive approach for daily use, dealing with issues ranging from insults to physical violence.
Rosa Monteiro also mentioned the situations faced by an immigrant transsexual woman or a homosexual gypsy man, for whom the absence of a support network makes it urgent to perceive the complexity that these persons face, not just another victim of an aggression.
Read more
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New SEF inspectors reinforce services at Lisbon airport
Lisbon Airport has 45 new trainee inspectors from the Aliens and Borders Service (SEF).
During the reception of new trainee inspectors at the airport, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Eduardo Cabrita, stated that at the beginning of April, a total of 22 inspectors at the airport had been reinforced, with a total of 67 trainees. This is the largest number of inspectors ever at Lisbon airport, which is more than double that of 2014.
Eduardo Cabrita said that these decisions are part of a series of changes in the airport response made in dialogue with the concessionaire ANA Aeroportos de Portugal.
The Minister said that 49 electronic control stations will be set up at Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Funchal airports, aimed at improving passenger access conditions and response conditions.
Eduardo Cabrita also said that soon he will meet with ANA and that "new conditions are already being considered for SEF and PSP in preparation for the enlargement of Lisbon airport".
With the reinforcement of trainees at the airport, the Government intends to anticipate the response to traffic growth at the airport.
The Minister stated that 'the number of non-Schengen passengers doubled between 2013 and 2019' and that 'the SEF response is more than doubling its human resources at Lisbon airport and proposing to the ANA differentiation of passenger service areas by flight origins, creating areas of faster movement for passengers in transit '.
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Over £27 million reported lost to crypto and forex investment scams
New warning from The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Action Fraud.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Action Fraud are warning the public to be wary of investment scams carried out via bogus online trading platforms. This warning comes as cryptoassests1 (crypto) and forex investment scams reports more than tripled last year to over 1,800. Fraudsters promise high returns from investments in crypto and forex, with victims losing over £27 million in total in 2018/19.
Fraudsters often use social media to promote their 'get rich quick' online trading platforms. Posts often use fake celebrity endorsements and images of luxury items like expensive watches and cars.
These then link to professional-looking websites where consumers are persuaded to invest.
Investors will often be led to believe that their first investment has successfully made a profit. The fraudster will then contact the victim to invest more money or introduce friends and family with the false promise of greater profits. However, eventually the returns stop, the customer account is closed and the scammer disappears with no further contact.
Action Fraud reports show that on average, victims were each scammed out of £14,600 from forex and crypto scams in 2018/19.
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Fraudsters pretending to be the tax officials face a crackdown as HMRC deletes more than 1,000 fake telephone numbers
Fraudsters looking to mimic the taxman by imitating helpline numbers to scam taxpayers out of money could find it more difficult, with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC )announcing they are cracking down on the practice
.
The taxman said it had worked with Ofcom and the telecommunications industry to prevent spoofing of over 1,050 numbers used by scammers to imitate HMRC, many beginning with 0300 - its extension number.
It said it had 'reduced to zero the number of phone scams spoofing genuine HMRC numbers' since introducing the controls last month, resulting in the tax authority receiving 25 per cent fewer reports compared to March.
Gareth Shaw, head of money at consumer group Which?, said: 'Number spoofing can be incredibly hard to spot, so it is good to see HMRC, one of the most impersonated firms, taking action to stop fraudsters from exploiting their helpline number and identity.'
The taxman said it received nearly 105,000 reports of phone scams against UK taxpayers in the last tax year, up nearly 100,000 on 2017-18, when it received 7,778 reports.
It said such spoofing scams worked as 'taxpayers would receive calls and, on checking the numbers online, would find they appeared to belong to HMRC.
'This often led people to believe fake calls were real and enabled fraud.'
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Programa Estou Aqui!
® I'm Here Child Safety Program
The Public Safety Police and other partners know the importance of your child in your life.
We want you to make the most of this relationship and the Bracelet I AM HERE! ® To help you with this mission.
The I'M HERE! ® Program is designed so you never miss a moment of your children's presence, and helps reunify the child with parents if the child goes missing. The program
involves the issue of a bracelet, and
runs from 1
st
June 2019 to 31
st
May 2020
It is designed for children from 2 to 10 years old but bracelets for children under the age of 2 may exceptionally be available if they are demonstrably capable of walking alone.
The I'M HERE! ® bracelet has been developed to high quality standards. The tests performed ensure that the fabric is prepared to withstand up to 12 months without losing quality.
The bracelet consists of a fabric ribbon containing an alphanumeric code and the inscription "Call / LIGA 112".
The bracelet can be ordered on-line from the official website for collection at a nominated police station.
PSP contact details concerning the program here Telephone: 218 111 087 (from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) Email: [email protected]
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Direct Key - Home Security whilst on holiday
If you're going on vacation the GNR or PSP will keep any eye on your home
Both security forces have activated the direct key program, which aims to ensure the safety of the habitual residences of citizens who are on vacation, by GNR/PSP patrols during the absence of their owners.
Membership of the programme should be requested at least 48 hours before the absence of the owners of the residence, through the internet
https://veraoseguro.mai.gov.pt/Pages/Home.aspx
or
a request delivered at the GNR post of your residence area.
The direct key program is active from June 15 to September 15, 2019.
Police recommend the following if you are leaving your home vacant whilst on holiday:
- Install an Intrusion Alarm and inform the law enforcement agencies in your area of residence;
- Give the appearance that there is activity in your absence;
- Ask someone to open the blinds and curtains regularly during the day, and turn on the interior lighting some nights;
- Do not disclose to strangers that you are going on vacation;
- Check and close doors and windows tightly;
- Do not let mail accumulate in your mailbox; ask someone you trust to collect it;
- Catalogue, if possible, your valuables and write down their serial numbers.
- Inform your neighbour of trust to keep an eye open to any suspicious activities whilst you are away;
- Keep in a safe jewellery, money, valuables and art objects.
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Civil Protection and Public Safety
Rural Fire Prevention - Safe Use of Garden Power Tools
The careless use of garden power tools can inadvertently cause a fire in these very dry conditions. Typically at this time of the year minimum humidity levels can be as low as 8 - 10% in some parts of the country. To avoid a fire
1. Avoid using metal blades in strimmers use only nylon cord
2. Do not refuel equipment whilst machine is hot
3. Refuel in cooler place not on inflammable vegetation
4. Keep spare fuel container in a cool place away from vegetation
5. Ensure equipment does not become overheated
6. Avoid leaving equipment unattended whilst it is running
7. Do not smoke whilst using such equipment
Some of these are obvious but if everyone followed this would help reduce the risk of fires.
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Recently ABTA the British association of tour operators launched an excellent video on safety whilst quad biking. It is a very apt reminder.
In Portugal all such companies should be registered as a business; have personal accident insurance; civil liability insurance and be registered as an operator with Turismo de Portugal.
If in doubt you can ask for proof of the above.
In addition to the advice given in the ABTA video, please check when the fire risk is extreme that you have plenty of water with you and that you receive safety information from the tour leader/operator in the event of action to take should a fire break out or in the event of an accident.
SAFETY FIRST WHEN CHOOSING A QUAD BIKE OPERATOR
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Overseas News
Police dismantle group stealing historic maps from libraries across Europe
Three people have been detained in France in a joint operation of that country's National Police and the Spanish Civil Guard, as part of a group suspected of stealing historical maps in libraries across Europe. Which has been dismantled, Europol has reported.
In a statement, the European agency revealed that on the 20th May six properties in Spain and France were searched simultaneously, leading to the arrests of three suspects and the seizure of six thousand euros in cash.
The 'modus operandi' was well-defined: one of the members of the organized crime group entered a library pretending to be a researcher interested in consulting the archives. The individual then distracted the librarian and seized the opportunity to cut the maps from XVI century books, "explained Europol, without identifying the countries in which the group acted, as investigations are still underway.
The maps were then sold for "several tens of thousands of euros" in the criminal market for cultural goods.
Europol provided analytical support and highlighted a mobile office in the French city of Montpellier to "extract and analyse mobile data on the day of action".
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Macau: Almost 2,500 fined for smoking illegally
Macau, China, Jun. 4, 2019 (Lusa) - Macau's authorities have fined almost 2,500 people for smoking in places where it is banned, the health services said on Tuesday five months after new, tougher laws against tobacco smoke were introduced.
It has been completely illegal to smoke in enclosed public spaces since the beginning of the year except in special rooms created and authorised specifically at airports and casinos.
Most of the infractions occurred in casinos (26.5%) at a time when the authorities are still assessing casinos' requests to licence smoking areas.
Most culprits were men (94.1%) and more than half of the fines were applied to tourists. The security forces were only required in 45 cases and a large majority (89.9%) simply paid the fine.
The health services had received until the end of May requests to licence 597 smoking rooms at 35 casinos, and so far 556 have been approved.
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Interpol operation against "paedophilia "saves 50 children
An operation coordinated by Interpol against paedophilia has "saved 50 children" and led to the arrest of eight people in Thailand, Australia and the United States.
Interpol explained that the investigation of the material found in this operation, called "Black wrist" and in which almost 60 countries participated, will allow more arrests.
According to information from Interpol, the operation "saved 50 children", whose age and nationality are not revealed, and another 100 children may have been abused in this network.
The investigation began in early 2017 with the discovery of content on the so-called "darkweb" that showed abuse to eleven children under 13 on a pay-per-view page with 63,000 users worldwide.
The work of the Thailand Special Investigations Department, in coordination with Interpol, accompanied by researchers from other countries, enabled the identification of the IP address (identification of an electronic device when using the Internet) of the page in the United States.
In November 2017, the first victims were identified and, two months later, simultaneous arrests were held in Thailand and Australia.
In Thailand, senior administrator Montri Salangam was identified in a seized video that abused 11 young men, one of whom was his nephew, and was sentenced in 2018 to 146 years in prison.
In Australia , a second administrator, Ruecha Tokputza, was arrested for abusing minors (the youngest was 15 months old) and sentenced to 40 years, the highest sentence in that country for paedophilia.
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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 13th June 2019.
We also have a 5 minute feature named "Crimecheck" on Sir Owen Gee's Solid Gold Sunday which is usually aired at 0915 hrs on the last Sunday of each month. Over the last few months with the kind agreement of Owen we have run additional features covering topical issues, such as fire protection.
The next one is on
30th June 2019.
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How your friends can obtain up to date Crime Prevention advice
Please pass on details of Safe Communities Algarve 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
6th June 2019
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