Porto’s commercial association conveys concerns to the interior minister about the lack of security in the city.

President of the Porto Commercial Association (ACP), Nuno Botelho, wrote a letter to Interior Minister Margarida Blasco expressing concern about the lack of security in Porto, fearing “irreversible damage to the reputation” of the city.

In a letter to which Lusa had access, the president of the association states that he is “following with concern the growing wave of instability in the city of Porto”, citing as examples cases of drug trafficking and consumption, clashes such as the attack on immigrants in Campo 24 de Agosto 4 May, thefts from cars and shops, noise and disorder in nightclubs or the increase in the number of homeless people “for whom begging is the last resort of survival.”

“If this reality continues, the Porto Commercial Association fears that this could lead to irreversible reputational damage, which in the short and medium term will affect the tourist attractiveness of Porto, the sustainability of private operators and the corresponding investment projects existing in the sector. , responsible for the mobilization of almost six million overnight stays in 2023,” says the letter to Nuno Botelho.

The association’s president also states that there is a “clear lack of policing on pedestrian streets and in more sensitive public spaces, which is already condemned by various organizations, including the Porto City Council and the Internal Security Observatory.”

“This situation is clearly unsustainable and, if no initiatives are taken, will lead to increased social instability and the degradation of economic activities for which security is one of the main success factors,” says Nuno Botelho.

The ACT therefore calls for “more decisive measures that will not only significantly alleviate these situations, but will also be able to correct them in a structural and long-term way.”

“Unlike what has happened in recent years, it would be important not to wait for a more serious event to initiate the necessary and long-requested response to this phenomenon,” the letter sent to the interior minister said.

Nuno Botelho asked Margarida Blasco to “guarantee the allocation of the human, technical and logistical resources necessary to prevent crime in the city of Porto, maintain public order and protect the rights to safety and tranquility of people and property.”

In a statement sent to Lusa, the ACP also considers it “principal to advance to the second phase of the video surveillance project proposed by the Porto City Council.”