The Liberal Initiative (IL) wants the Annual Internal Security Report (RASI) to include the nationality and gender of criminals and victims, so that there is no “political exploitation” of the “statistical gap”.
This Wednesday, IL will deliver a resolution to parliament for RASI to disclose the nationality and gender of criminals and victims, arguing that this data would contribute to combat misinformation.
In a draft resolution – which serves as a recommendation to the Government and does not have the force of law – the Liberal Initiative says that the RASI “provides the Portuguese with a global vision of crime” and is a “fundamental tool for making a serious, conscious and responsible analysis the state of public security and crime in Portugal”.
“By allowing a continuous comparison over time of crime figures, RASI allows the discussion and execution of public policies related to internal security to be based on credible, reliable, transparent and complete data”, the text reads.
However, IL considers that, currently, the information published in RASI and the Justice Statistics online portal is insufficient, because it only “makes data available with little granularity, making more detailed and specific analyzes difficult to understand in depth. criminal dynamics, the sociodemographic characteristics of those involved, local particularities and the evolutionary patterns” of crime phenomena.
The party therefore considers that “the data collected, made available and published through the Justice Statistics online portal and subsequently compiled in RASI must be reinforced, taking into account a data policy based on transparency and no access to information”.
Identify patterns and put an end to “guesswork”
“Reported crime statistics must therefore include clear and complete information regarding the gender, age, nationality and type of residence permit or stay of the perpetrators and victims”, argues the party.
“A correct data policy is fundamental in the development and execution of public policies, which can and should be used to identify patterns in crime, especially transnational crimes, human trafficking, irregular immigration or drug trafficking networks”, argues IL.
“AND in combating misinformation and political exploitation of the statistical void that reveals the true value of political filigree. Lack of information is a precursor to misinformation and emotion-based politics. IL believes that policy should be based on facts and data and their non-availability or poor quality is counterproductive”, it reads.
The party considers that, by disclosing this data relating to criminals and victims, the State “contributes to improving public debate and combating misinformationwhile promoting trust in democratic institutions and consolidating a scientific approach to the formulation of public policies”.
On the radio program “And the winner is…”, the journalist Paulo Ferreira highlighted this IL proposal, which aims to “put an end to ‘guesswork’”.
“We have been discussing for months, in one way or another, whether there is a relationship between immigration and crime, based on strictly no data; only in perceptions. This IL proposal is to be welcomed, but it is already late”, he considered.
“Only based on data can we draw conclusions; if it is not ‘guesswork’ on one side; a ‘guess’ of another; and we’ve been at it for months.”
