Courts across the Algarve are grappling with a shortage of magistrates, thousands of pending investigations, and archives damaged by leaks, rodents, and deteriorating conditions, according to a new report.
The Public Prosecutors’ Union (SMMP) has warned that a “lack of minimum working conditions” in the Faro judicial district is undermining the delivery of justice in the region.
“The Faro district is clearly at breaking point. There is a shortage of magistrates, a shortage of court staff, and a lack of basic working conditions, seriously compromising the justice system’s response in the Algarve,” the union said in a statement issued after a plenary meeting of public prosecutors held at Faro’s courthouse on the morning of Wednesday, 18th March.
The SMMP noted that the Faro district, the only judicial district in the Algarve, covering all 16 municipalities, is experiencing a phase of “structural dysfunction that worsens year after year”.
According to the union, Public Prosecution Service resources in the district “do not match the needs” of a region of this size. It highlighted the central civil, criminal, family and juvenile, and criminal investigation courts, all based in Faro, which have jurisdiction over eight municipalities but “operate well below what would be required to ensure even minimally effective justice” across the district.
“At present, at least eight public prosecutors are absent from duty, a figure that has exceeded ten on several recent occasions. This leads to constant case overloads, often without formal recognition, forcing substitute prosecutors to later appeal to the High Council of the Public Prosecution Service to secure payment for additional workloads, which can take years to be settled,” the union said.
The statement also pointed to an “unprecedented” caseload, with “extremely high levels of pending cases”, alongside a staffing framework “deeply misaligned with the demands of the district”.
The scale of the problem is reflected in the figures: in Loulé, a newly appointed prosecutor was assigned around 1,800 pending investigations upon taking up post; in Albufeira, the backlog stands at roughly 1,700 cases per prosecutor; in Portimão, more than 1,000; and in Lagos, likewise above 1,000. In some instances, cases from the past summer months, the peak period for criminal activity in the Algarve, have yet to even be formally registered.
The Lagos court should have four prosecutors but “operates well below that number”. Portimão, the union said, requires “at least two more” to handle its caseload and violent crime, while Loulé “needs at least one additional prosecutor”, partly due to the prolonged four-year absence of a magistrate.
The SMMP also highlighted that Silves “lost its permanent position in the Department of Investigation and Prosecution (DIAP) in 2022, when it was abolished, further weakening the service and its ability to respond to the region’s caseload”.
“A similar situation exists in Olhão, where the vacancy left by the retirement of a magistrate in the commercial jurisdiction was not filled. A colleague from the labour jurisdiction took on both labour and commercial cases, a situation that became unsustainable and led to sick leave,” the union added.
According to the union, procedural pressure has reached “unsustainable limits”, with shortages of court staff, overlapping responsibilities, and frequent redeployment of personnel between courts. In the second section of Portimão, responsible for violent crime, three staff positions are vacant, while eight employees have retired without replacement, leaving thousands of cases piling up.
The SMMP also delivered a scathing assessment of the physical conditions in several court buildings. In Albufeira, infestations of rats and cockroaches are recurrent, while leaks in the archives have left case files soaked, jeopardising the preservation of evidence. The court also lacks any form of entry security, with no screening of those entering the building.
In Loulé, similar conditions prevail, with reports of cockroaches and rats, and insufficient reserved parking spaces for staff.
One prosecutor handling domestic violence cases is currently responsible for more than 500 files, while also having to travel regularly to Faro to cover for an absent colleague.
In Lagos and Portimão, offices lack air conditioning, IT equipment is outdated, and water leaks disrupt normal operations.
In Tavira and Silves, there are no security gates or access control systems, allowing unrestricted movement of individuals right up to prosecutors’ offices, a situation compounded in Tavira by the presence of a public toilet directly opposite these workspaces.
“In light of this situation, the SMMP calls for urgent intervention, including increased staffing, the reinstatement of posts, improved working conditions, and the implementation of appropriate security measures,” the union said, warning that “without an immediate response”, the Public Prosecution Service’s ability to serve the population of the Algarve will be “seriously compromised”.
Source: LUSA
