The PSP (Public Security Police) in the Algarve expects more than 200 officers to leave the force by 2030, around a quarter of its total manpower, amid an ageing workforce and longstanding staff shortages.
More than 200 officers serving with the PSP in the Algarve are due to retire by 2030, representing roughly 25% of the personnel assigned to the Faro District Command, a police union source told Lusa today.
“The Algarve Command currently has around 850 officers, but it is operating with a depleted and ageing workforce, with an average age above 45,” said José Rosado, leader of the ASPP/PSP police union. The retirement of 200 officers who will reach the mandatory retirement age within the next five years was announced on Tuesday in a statement from the District Command.
According to the union official, the number of officers reaching the mandatory retirement threshold by 2030 accounts for a huge chunk of the force, causing a situation he predicts will “further exacerbate the shortage of personnel in a region under intense tourism pressure.”
“The district of Faro already has a deficit of around 100 officers, and the problem will only worsen as more leave,” he said.
Under current law, police officers must retire at 60, though they may opt for early retirement from the age of 55 provided they have 36 years of service, a rule that allows a full or partial reduction in duties before the mandatory retirement age, subject to government approval.
The PSP’s Faro Command says the ongoing national recruitment drive is “essential and an opportunity” to restore part of the region’s staffing levels.
Applications for the recruitment competition for the Police Officer Training Course (CFA), the entry route into the PSP’s frontline policing career, are open until 23 December.
The new recruitment process “offers a chance to rebalance staffing levels in a region under heavy tourist pressure and with added responsibilities, including security at Faro’s Gago Coutinho international airport”, a source within the Faro Command told Lusa.
According to the same source, the process hopes to offset the upcoming wave of retirements and represents “an important opportunity for anyone wishing to settle in the Algarve, joining a demanding and rewarding public service career with strong prospects for advancement.”
Source: LUSA
