The event saw Loulé Council promise more human and technical resources from the Government, and much pomp, as the occasion demanded. The centenary of the Maritime Police (PM) was officially celebrated yesterday, Sunday, in Quarteira, in a ceremony attended by the Minister of Defense, alongside a large military presence.
The coastal town in the municipality of Loulé was chosen to host the official commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the PM. Celebrations began on Thursday and peaked to a high point yesterday, with a solemn remembrance, a military parade and demonstration of force.
One of the main themes that dominated the various speeches throughout the event was the promise of a new Quarteira detachment of the Maritime Police, helping the Algarve’s maritime protection authorities to be “reborn”, thanks to work that is already underway and will be funded by Loulé Council.
“We are in Quarteira, where a new detachment for the Maritime Police will be born, as between Portimão and Olhão, where there are two bases of this force, there was previously a very unguarded area,” said João Gomes Cravinho, Minister of Defense, on the sidelines of yesterday's ceremony.
“I would like to thank Loulé Council for the partnership that will allow new facilities to be opened here at the end of this year, or at the beginning of 2020,” expressed the Minister of Defense.
Vítor Aleixo, Mayor of Loulé, who was the driving force behind the Council having offered the 725 thousand euros needed to build the necessary facilities and buy the required equipment, said that the works should be concluded "at the beginning of next year", but he didn’t commit to a date.
"Sometimes the works suffer minor setbacks that lead to our calendars not being met with the rigor of a Swiss watch. But a month more, a month less, there is no doubt at this moment that soon a new page will open for the relationship between Loulé and the National Maritime Authority (AMN),” he added.
“There are six houses under construction to house the Maritime Police troops coming to Quarteira. There is also a big investment in the Lifeguard Station and the Maritime Police post that will be built next to the Fishing Port. This is a renewal of interest on the part of public entities for what is the root and deepest identity of this land, whose economic activities are closely linked to the sea, ”said the mayor.
From a Government perspective, AMN officials have guaranteed that there will be more funding put towards the Maritime Police at a national level. “We have a set of ideas that will be part of a new Maritime Police programme in the near future, which we will evolve over time. There is a big investment that needs to be made, both in terms of equipment and human resources”, illustrated Mr. Cravinho.
This second aspect, lack of personnel, is the most essential to tackle. “We will gradually increase the staff of the Maritime Police. Recently 38 individuals were employed, and it was the first time in ten years that this happened. We will be going ahead with the hiring of another 25 and this will allow this force to modernize, update and rejuvenate its staff,” he concluded.
These staff will be “evenly distributed throughout the national territory, including the Islands”, indicating that the force are spread rather thinly.
The commemorations of this centenary delighted many curious locals and tourists. Vice Admiral Luis Sousa Pereira, Commander-General of the Maritime Police, illustrated after the celebrations of the first hundred years that this force is prepared "to serve the Portuguese for another hundred."
