Carlos Moedas requests urgent meeting with minister for internal security
The situation of insecurity and violence prevalent in Portugal’s capital city has led mayor Carlos Moedas to request an urgent meeting with the incoming minister of internal affairs, Maria Lúcia Amaral.
Ms Amaral comes to the post following years as Portugal’s Ombudsman. As such, mayor Moedas believes her experience is a “source of hope” that Lisbon’s increasing problems can finally be dealt with.
As reports all stress today, Moedas wants measures ‘with immediate effect that can respond effectively to the problems’ that, in themselves, have fed support for the country’s far right – now the second most powerful political force in parliament.
Moedas’ understanding is that these problems “must be tackled with a humanist vision” , but they also have to be “realistic of the needs that a capital like Lisbon faces”. As he has pointed out in his request to the incoming minister, the city council does not have competence on questions related to security – this lies with the government; but it is, he stresses, absolutely available to collaborate “in all aspects that may be necessary”.
Observador online adds that Moedas has for some time been asking for more PSP police to patrol the streets, and more powers for municipal police. He has not accepted assertions from police hierarchy that crime is not increasing in the capital, arguing that the perception of criminality is most definitely increasing: people need much more in the way of reassurance, he believes.
Mayor Moedas has already called for CCTV cameras in certain problematic neighbourhoods, namely Martim Moniz, Mouraria, Arroios, São Domingos de Benfica and Avenida da Liberdade. This far, the capital has (only) 64 CCTV cameras sited around the city. ND
Source material: LUSA/ Observador
