A UNION for criminal investigation professionals and police has called for sweeping new powers in the wake of a spate of violent and armed bank and security car hold-ups in Lisbon.
Carlos Anjos of the Associação Sindical dos Funcionários de Investigação Criminal, which represents and protects the rights and welfare of police inspectors and criminal investigators in Portugal, says that current laws are not strict enough to enable law-enforcement agencies and magistrates to hold suspected illegal arms bearers in police custody.
In the United Kingdom, for example, under the relatively new Anti-Terrorism Act 2006, in the wake of the July London 2006 underground bombings, those suspected of carrying or concealing arms, bombs and equipment and chemicals for manufacturing them can be detained for up to 28 days in police custody without being formally charged.
In Portugal, in 2008 alone, there have been literally hundreds of bank heists and hold-ups.
Both magistrates and police recognise that the new Portuguese Criminal Code, Código Penal, makes it difficult to take into police custody and hold for any length of time those suspected of illegally holding arms.
Carlos Anjos said: “This year only, 54,000 hunting licences were renewed, yet we know that at least 100,000 people who haven’t renewed their licences have got shotguns and pistols at home.”
The opposition PSD party has criticised the “silence” from Prime Minister José Sócrates on questions of public safety and have demanded the dismissal of Interior Minister, Rui Pereira.
Two weeks ago, terrified staff at a Lisbon branch of Banco Espírito Santo at Campolide endured an eight hour gun-at-the-head ordeal after two Brazilians assaulted the branch and attempted to make off with several hundred thousand euros in cash from the branch safe.
On Tuesday last week, an armoured security vehicle carrying an un-specified quantity of cash was held up on the A2 by armed robbers carrying military explosives near to Aljustrel.
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