A DUTCH couple, who were on holiday in the Algarve, complained about the “inefficiency” of Lagos PSP police, stating that they were given poor service after they had been robbed, next to the Praia D. Ana beach.
The tourists left a backpack inside their rented car for a few minutes, while they went to look at the beach in Lagos. When they returned, the car window had been smashed and the backpack, containing their belongings, had been stolen.
The couple went straight to Lagos police station to report the theft, however, upon arrival, the reception was allegedly “very awkward”. “We asked to make a phone call to cancel our credit cards, but the officer on duty said that it was not possible and that we had to make the call from the public telephone next to the station.” When the couple explained that they did not have money to make the call, the officer apparently still refused to let them use the facility. Eventually, the couple decided to walk down the street and luckily met other Dutch tourists, who lent the couple their mobile phone so they could make the call.
They then returned to the station to formalise the complaint but, apparently, “the process was incredibly slow and we had to wait for around two-and-a-half hours”. As the printer in the police station was not working, the officer told them they would have to come back at night to collect the statement. When the couple explained that they were staying in Albufeira, the officer apparently did nothing to accommodate them.
A Public Relations spokesperson from Faro PSP said that the process for making statements “is going to be improved”, and guaranteed that there were plans to attend to tourists’ problems more adequately.
