The PSP of Porto said this Friday that the robberies that occurred in the Pinheiro Manso area of Ramalda are the subject of a judicial investigation and that it is working to increase the sense of security of the population.
In a written response sent to Lusa, the PSP states that “it sought to develop policing activities that would lead to a reduction in the causes of protest among the population living there.”
Several residents of Ramalde, the second largest parish in the municipality of Porto, will form an association to warn government agencies such as the Chamber of Porto and the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) about the increase in crime and security instability in the city. Pinheiro Manso area.
Residents say robberies, committed “mostly by drug addicts,” occur daily.
In addition to stealing cars, they also steal drain covers, drain grates, tiles and zinc sheets.
It is believed that these items and materials were later sold to a scrap metal dealer located near the parish.
When asked by Lusa, a PSP spokesman said that in relation to criminal offenses, “legal investigations are ongoing.”
The PSP also ensures that it is attentive and works to “increase the sense of security of citizens, as well as reduce crime rates in order to provide greater security on site.”
In a statement to Luse on Thursday, Ramalde Parish Council President Patricia Rapasote defended the need to strengthen the PSP in the face of a “continuous wave of robberies” and to open a police station “to guarantee security.” with a population of over 38,000 people.
Ramalda already had three PSP police stations (Pineiro Manço, João de Deos and Francos), but currently there is only one police station, Viso.
In addition to strengthening PSP personnel and police stations, Patricia Rapasote stressed the importance of extending the video surveillance system, which has been operating in the city since June 2023, to Ramalda.
“It was very important not as a replacement for the PSP, but as a useful tool to help professionals,” he noted, saying the system could also serve as a crime deterrent.
In October 2023, the PSP Metropolitan Command in Porto stated that, compared to 2022, the number of violent and serious crimes in the Porto area, as well as the number of arrests related to drug trafficking, had increased.
However, the total number of reported crimes has decreased, with 358 crimes reported in 2022 and 323 in 2023.