“I am alarmed by security in Lisbon” – mayor – Portugal Resident
In the wake of a hugely inconclusive interview with the PSP national police chief, Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas has tried, yet again, to get the response for the capital that he has been seeking, in terms of security/ boots on the ground, for months.
In a discussion panel at the PSD Summer University in Castelo de Vide today, he stressed that he is “alarmed by the security situation in the capital”, which has seen multiple shootings, stabbings and day-light robberies in the space of just a few days.
Carlos Moedas, himself a member of the PSD party that holds the power in government, said that he has no wish for a dispute with the government. He simply wants the 200 police reinforcements that were promised three months ago.
A recent interview with PSP police chief Luís Carrilho suggested these may not come in the short-term (which is exactly what Moedas is looking at).
He told his audience that since 2010, Lisbon’s population has grown by 100,000 people, while police numbers have fallen by 2,000
“We are not short of 200 police officers; we are short of 2,000 police officers. That is the reality. And the figures must be stated,” he said.
This is not just his struggle, he conceded – nor that of the local authorities, but one shared by the whole country.
“I am not at war with the government, nor with any minister. I have only one battle: security in Lisbon (…) Nobody is at war with anybody. We are all in agreement and we must move in that direction.”
Generally ,Lisbon “is a safe city”, but while he was concerned about security two years ago, that concern has now morphed into full-blown alarm.
“In 2022, you’ll remember well how I was criticised, attacked, even insulted for talking about safety. I spoke about safety in the city of Lisbon and everyone turned against me. They told me: ‘don’t talk about safety, you can’t talk about safety, that’s something for the far right’.”
Moedas recalled two recent horrors in the capital that show “something is going wrong” in the legislative sphere.
“When we have a woman who is shot in downtown Lisbon and the person who shot her is still at large, something is going wrong in our country. When we have a man who has his watch snatched and he tries to exercise justice himself, something is going wrong,” he added … to applause. (No one now appears to be of the opinion that this is a taboo subject).
The mayor also spoke out against the practice of releasing dealers of ‘fake drugs’ in Lisbon city centre, arguing that “the law has to change”, so that they are treated as the criminals that they are.
“Because without the law, it is the strongest who rule. And without order, the most vulnerable won’t leave their homes,” he added.
Anyone reading the speeches, thoughts and proposals coming out of the PSD Summer University this year might take heart that ‘the worms may finally be turning’.
Source: LUSA
