Cristóvão Norte has revealed that he stands with the nation’s police officers, who voiced their anger at bad pay and conditions yesterday by protesting on a large scale in Lisbon. "This discontent cannot be ignored" he said.
Around a hundred Algarvean PSP and GNR officers were present at yesterday’s security forces demonstration in front of the Assembly of the Republic. In the aftermath, Cristóvão Norte, an MP for the Algarve, in an exchange of views with a group of protesting police officers said he received complaints of dire situations for the southernmost region.
The Algarvean MP pointed out that “anyone who is aware of the operational situation of these forces must understand this demonstration. The GNR, for example, in the Algarve, has had only three night patrols for months, but is still ensuring the aid and response to occurrences of about 80 percent of the territory”.
“There is even a single patrol covering several municipalities, including Faro, Olhão and São Brás de Alportel, among others. The police are missing, many of them left for the GIPS - Intervention Protection and Relief Groups, and they have not been replaced.”
“There are occurrences that take hours to respond to. The lack of investment is brutal and the human and material resources available to these forces do not allow them to optimally ensure the safety of the Algarve,” he added.
He also points to the struggling conditions of some stations, such as in Monchique. Or the many renovation works that been promised but haven’t advanced in Lagos.
As a result of these protests, the parliamentarian, alongside other Algarve PSD MPs Rui Cristina and Ofélia Ramos, will put questions to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, pushing them to respond to the bottlenecks that are felt by the Algarve’s police forces due to a “brutal lack of resources.”
Comments
How often do we see hordes of GNR on roundabouts pointlessly checking the contents of vans and small lorries?
Or PSP officers standing for hours next to a hole in the road that could be cordoned off with cones, yarning to the workmen?
Portugal's bloated public sector thrives on unnecessary bureaucracy.
The fact is, we need police; and they need to be decently equipped and fairly paid if they're to be expected to carry out their duties.