A crime prevention seminar aimed at foreign residents living in the Loulé area was attended by around 130 people, keen to hear first-hand advice, in English, from the local GNR police force.
The event, which took place on October 10, was attended by Loulé Mayor Seruca Emídio and presenters included Captain Adriano, Commander of GNR Loulé, David Thomas, founder of Safe Communities Algarve (event organiser), Bruno Brito from the victims’ support association Apoio à Vítima (APAV) and Angela Morado, Vice Consul of the British Consulate.
Also in attendance were the Boliqueime parish council president Rui Mogo and British Consul Clive Jewell.
The seminar was aimed at promoting safer communities through crime prevention. It was the first time that these organisations had come together at a single event to share their experiences with the public, and provided a unique opportunity for questions and answers on matters of interest to the public.
In his introductory speech, David Thomas stated that the seminar was not being held in response to crime problems in the area but aimed to be a proactive initiative to help maintain the Algarve as a safe place to live and visit.
“Like any country or region, there is crime, so it is important that we as a community know what we can do to help the authorities in their efforts to keep us safe,” he said.
In his presentation, Captain Adriano covered a number of topics, including the work of the GNR, the Safe Residence Programme, the importance of reporting suspicious activities, and crime trends showing a decrease in the area over the last three years.
Safe Communities Algarve stressed the importance of the public engagement with the GNR, while APAV and the British Consulate presented their work in helping to deal with crime victims.
Loulé Mayor Seruca Emidio said: “We all have a shared responsibility for the security and safety of residents. I am pleased to see that in the last two years much progress has been made in the coming together of organisations to prevent crime. This provides greater reassurance to the public.”
|| Silves seminar
The fourth in the series of Crime Prevention Seminars aimed at the foreign community in the Algarve will take place on October 24 at the Silves Municipal Library from 4pm to 6pm.
Held in English, the seminar is being organised by Safe Communities Algarve in partnership with the Silves and Albufeira GNR.
The free-to-attend event will include presentations by Captain Bailote, Commander of GNR Silves, Captain Henriques, Commander of GNR Albufeira, the Night Guard Service, British Consulate and Safe Communities Algarve.
The Safe Residence Programme team will also be on hand for those interested in joining the scheme. info@safecommunitiesalgarve
