By ELOISE WALTON eloise.walton@theresidentgroup.com
A British man has become the latest victim of violent robberies in the Algarve, while politicians were in the region to announce new measures to tackle the growing issue of crime and illegal immigration.
A 54-year old British resident was violently robbed as he arrived home to his property in the Moura Praia condominium in Vilamoura in the early hours of Saturday morning, before being burgled in his home while he slept the following night.
A GNR spokesman told the Algarve Resident that the man had his wallet, mobile telephone and watch stolen on the first night before burglars entered his home the next night and stole a watch, laptop computer and a BMW. Police, who are investigating, have not revealed whether the two crimes may be related.
This latest attack came as Portugal’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Rui Pereira, made a two-day visit to the Algarve to announce new measures to combat violent crime in the region.
During a presentation in Tavira on January 23, Rui Pereira announced the creation of mixed police teams composed of members of the PJ, GNR, PSP and SEF policing authorities.
A total of 48 GPS devices were also given to the region’s GNR and PSP police while the fire brigades received new fixed and mobile telecommunication devices.
Rui Pereira also revealed a pioneering pilot project to combat illegal immigration, human trafficking and other associated serious crimes is due to be tested in the Algarve between February 15 and March 15.
This new scheme, entitled SMILE, will enable documents to be read at borders as well as support investigations and inspections by consulting SEF, Shengen and Interpol information services.
During his visit, Rui Pereira also met with all of the Algarve mayors as well as the consuls from Britain, Germany and Holland to discuss regional crime among other issues.
Paul Rodwell, British consul, told the Algarve Resident: “The safety of British nationals abroad remains a major concern for the British government. The British Consular Services follow with close attention the security and crime situation in all countries, and Portugal is no exception.”
He added: “We are concerned about the increase in reported violent crime in the Algarve. For this reason, we have raised our concerns with the Portuguese authorities and will continue to work with them. We welcome the Portuguese government’s recent measures to increase security in the Algarve. Consular officers stand ready to assist any British nationals requiring emergency consular assistance.”
Community strategy
British resident David Thomas, a policing and security consultant with around 35 years of national and international policing experience, has also prepared a community engagement strategy for the region, to be presented to the civil government.
“As a resident of Loulé council and with my experience, I feel it is my duty to help, so I carried out some research into policing and crime in the Algarve and have based my proposal on this,” he said.
“The proposal has three main points: improving awareness and providing reassurance to the community, greater security visibility and responsiveness, and improved communications.”
According to David Thomas, who attended the presentation in Tavira, the government’s plans to set up a mixed police task force “is very prudent as it will improve coordination intelligence and police effectiveness in tackling crime in the region”.
Although violent crime in the Algarve has been hitting regional and national headlines, David Thomas said that the region is not a dangerous place and still has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe.
“In 2008, a total of 23,000 violent robberies were recorded in the UK. This is a huge number, which makes the Algarve comparatively safe,” he said.
TV debate
Meanwhile, Portuguese afternoon chat show Tardes da Júlia revisited the issue of violent crime in the Algarve on January 20.
Crime on a national level was discussed on the TVi channel show, with Algarve Resident Editor Inês Lopes again being invited to talk live about the general mood among the foreign community in the region (also see Algarve Resident December 25, 2009 edition).
Show presenter Júlia Pinheiro wanted to hear about the general feelings of members in the foreign community in relation to the recent crime cases.
Inês Lopes said: “Most of the foreigners who chose this region as their home have done so because they truly love this country and it is a shame that some of them have been targeted by ruthless criminals and are now living in fear. I am very glad that the crime issue is finally being given the importance that it deserves.”
She added: “As a tourist destination, we all want this subject to go away soon, but it’s good to know that a spotlight has been placed on the Algarve as this is the only way of seeing any action from the government.”
The show also invited Inspector Van der Kellen from the border and foreign migration control police (SEF) to discuss measures being taken to tackle illegal immigration in the country.
Do you have a view on this story? Please email Editor Inês Lopes at ines.lopes@theresidentgroup.com
