Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas has asked the government to set up mobile police stations in the city’s most troubled tourist areas where violence has been a problem, the mayor said on Monday.
An “urgent request” was made on Sunday to the interior minister, Carlos Moedas (PSD) said after an emergency meeting of the restricted municipal security council, attended by Lisbon’s PSP and municipal police, convened by the mayor.
“I ask the government to make the police more visible in this city. I’m offering the government here, right now, the opportunity to have mobile posts, that is, mobile police stations, in the city. police on the street and I offer the government the opportunity to do so,” he said.
The coins advocated that these mobile stations should be in places where there is more tourism and more events, namely Cais do Sodre, Bairro Alto and Santos.
“We can even forge a partnership between the municipal police and the PSP, but we need mobile posts in this city,” he added, providing “materials and vehicles that are needed” for these police stations.
The mayor said this urgent meeting with the authorities follows complaints from people who work in restaurants, at night and in retail about violence in these places, namely another death that occurred this weekend, without there was visibility of the police. on the street.
“It was due to this concern. We have a unique asset in this city, which is security. And we cannot afford to lose it. The increase in violence. There may not have been an increase in the number of crimes, but the acts of Violence that is being committed make me very worries,” he said.
Carlos Moedas also asked for an increase in the police force, namely the municipal police, which has 450 people, and should be 600.
“My request as mayor is that these numbers increase. We must provide more conditions to the police, we must pay the police better, and we must have more efficient police officers. This is the foundation of everything,” he said, stressing that Lisbon is seeing a big increase in tourism, but it is also necessary to “protect the people of Lisbon, who need to feel safe in the city.”
The mayor stressed that the visibility of the police on the streets of Lisbon is not comparable to what is happening in other European capitals, where there may be fewer effective officers in global numbers, but where “part of the police work is done by civilians.”
“This is not happening in Portugal. In other words, all those who do bureaucratic work, even in the police, many of them must be police officers, and therefore the police are often not on the street. rethink,” he said.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
