Safety in Albufeira has been focused on the past few weeks, with the record of disadvantages caused by tourists. However, the autarchy rejects there is an increase in crime in the county, considering that statistical crimes data by number of inhabitants do not reflect the population increase.
Albufeira will have a reinforcement of 40 GNR military from this week, the municipality announced this Monday, thanking the government’s positive response to the request made by the mayor last week.
The Algarvian municipality recalled, in a statement, that the mayor of Albufeira, José Carlos Rolo, made the request to reinforce the holder of the Internal Affairs portfolio, at a meeting held on Tuesday, and now the minister, Maria Lúcia Amaral, authorized the detachment of 40 military personnel, intended to increase security in one of the main tourist destinations of the country.
Safety in Albufeira has been focusing on the last few weeks, with the registration of disadvantages caused by tourists, although the municipality rejects there is an increase in crime in the county, considering that statistical data on crimes per number of inhabitants do not reflect the population increase, which in summer even quadruple in the county due to visitors.
“[O] Government responds positively to the request of the mayor of Albufeira, José Carlos Rolo, reinforcing with 40 new GNR military personnel and various support equipment, namely motorcycles and other vehicles, as well as the use of horses for patrolling, “said the municipality, clarifying that this reinforcement will be” operational “and” go into activity “during this week.
The Algarve Chamber highlighted the importance of “sensitization” and the “appeal” made by José Carlos Rolo with the Minister of Internal Affairs.
“Understanding the need to protect, under any circumstances, the second largest national tourist destination at its visitor reception peak, a situation explained to the Minister of Internal Affairs, led to this reinforcement that it will strongly increase security in the region,” argued the House in the Faro district.
The president of the municipal executive, cited in the statement, reiterated that the crime rate attributed to Albufeira is being “alarmist” and “is false”, because it does not take into account the actual number of people in the region.
The crime in Albufeira returned to the agenda last Thursday, after GNR announced the arrest of a group of five 17-year-olds for theft and violent aggressions to another 18-year-old, recorded about a week earlier in the city.
The young people were present in court on Friday and were subject to biweekly presentations to the authorities as a measure of coercion, said the GNR after the inquiry of the detainees, who were also prohibited from moving to the county and to be absent from their areas of residence, such as additional measures applied by the Portimão Court.
Despite rejecting there is an increase in crime, the municipality considers that the increase in the population increases the risk of disagreement, often influenced by excessive alcohol consumption, and police reinforcement contributes to minimizing the feeling of insecurity in the population and responding more effectively to eventual occurrences.
