PSP police arrest over 300 in first three days of Easter operation

Operation Safe Easter runs until April 21

Portugal’s PSP police force is out in force over Easter, checking on drivers’ behaviour particularly: 307 were arrested between last Friday and this morning (the first three days of ‘Operation Safe Easter’ which runs until April 21): 179 for road crimes, 104 for drink-driving and 75 for driving without a licence.

Eighteen people were also arrested for property offences – thefts, robberies and scams – as well as 17 for drug trafficking, with more than 36,000 individual doses seized.

During the same period, 126 incidents of domestic violence were recorded and eight suspects arrested.

As part of their road checks, the PSP reports that 3,941 drivers were “inspected and 13,008 vehicles were checked by radar, resulting in 1,231 administrative offences”.

A total of 283 notices were issued for speeding, 109 for missing the mandatory periodic inspection (IPO), 49 for not having insurance, 46 for driving under the influence of alcohol, 26 for using a mobile phone while driving and seven for not wearing a seatbelt.

Police intervention also saw the seizure 18 weapons, six firearms, eight knives/ bladed weapons and four weapons of other types.

As for road accidents, 375 accidents were recorded in these first three days of the campaign, resulting in 125 injuries: four serious, 121 minor and no fatalities (this has since been updated by data from the GNR, rural area police, which recorded 620 accidents, involving two fatalities and 17 serious injuries).

In its statement, the PSP once again urged people to drive safely and not to adopt behaviours that could impair their driving skills.

But in the wider sphere, violent crime continues to raise concerns in urban centres. In the early hours of Sunday morning in Corroios, Seixal, a 39-year-old was battered to death with a hammer (the 27-year-old suspect has been arrested). The incident is believed to be connected with drug trafficking. Both victim and alleged aggressor were already known to police for trafficking. At the scene, various guns were also recovered, namely a Glock 17, and a fully-loaded G3 assault rifle.

In Porto, little more than 24-hours earlier, a 19-year-old student was knifed to death after reporting a group to bar staff after he saw them allegedly spiking a girl’s drink.

Source material: LUSA/ Correio da Manhã