The Allied Association of Police Professionals (ASPP/PSP) warned this Thursday of the lack of police at the PSP stations at Lisbon and Porto airports as they are being “redirected to the SEF”, which “endangers the service”. .
Speaking to the Lusa agency, ASPP President Paulo Santos said that the airport security units of the Public Security Police at Lisbon and Porto airports are in a “very serious situation” due to the ongoing restructuring of the Office of Foreigners and Borders (SEF), in which the PSP will be responsible for control of air borders.
“The reality of airports and ongoing restructuring is not as clear and balanced as the minister said, the lack of staff was a concern, and now even more so. This is starting to jeopardize service operationally.” he explained to Paul Santos.
The president of the largest trade union, the PSP, said that “the PSP is not in a position to respond” at the police stations at Lisbon and Porto airports because the police are “either trained by the SEF or on assignment by the SEF”.
The police officers working at these stations told Lusa that they were unmotivated and exhausted, arguing that SEF was the priority at the moment, and if there were not enough SEF inspectors in passenger control, agents would be removed from the stations to start providing work at the SEF.
As part of the restructuring of the SEF, which was delayed until the creation of the Portuguese Agency for Migration and Asylum (APMA), the police powers of this body are transferred to the PSP, GNR and PJ, while the current powers in administrative matters regarding foreign nationals are currently exercised by the APMA and Institute of Registries and Notaries.
In evaluating protocols establishing a model for cooperation between security forces and services in the context of the restructuring of the Portuguese border control system, the Ministry of the Interior (MAI) recently indicated that 29 police officers are in air border control. every day at major national airports.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, two more training courses will continue until April, after which 306 police officers will receive qualifications for air border control.
According to the government, the legislative process of establishing the APMA will be completed by the end of March.
The president of the ASPP also deplored the “lack of knowledge about how the restructuring of the SEF is being done”, which “creates operational constraints and overload”, in addition to “clearly demotivating”.
According to Paulo Santos, most of the agents in air border control and in training work in airport squadrons, structures that were already understaffed and are now becoming “even more understaffed due to this diversion of personnel in the SEF.” . . .
The trade unionist recalled that the ASPP had already approached the Minister of the Interior, José Luis Carneiro, about this situation, but this had not yet happened.
“Police officers who are at airports face the consequences of this restructuring every day, so it was important to explain to the police what will happen. He reminded that summer is approaching and there will be a peak at airports, as well as World Youth Day. Without this information, people start to worry about what will happen,” he said.
According to the ASPP, the PSP airport division should have 20 to 30 agents, but currently there are no more than 10.
ASPP already warned in January about the situation with PSP security units at airports, opining that “the process of restructuring the SEF and empowering the PSP will need to be accompanied by the necessary resources” as “the situation is on the brink.
Then the minister replied that “it is not within the competence of trade unions to express an opinion on operational issues.”
Earlier this week, the union representing the SEF inspectors also asked the government for a meeting due to the “uncertainty of the extinction process” which “is detrimental to the security and economic and social development of the country.”
The meetings of the ministers of the interior and the deputies of the administration, as well as those of parliamentary affairs, with the trade union SEF will take place next Monday.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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