In a written response sent to Lusa, the PSP states that "it has sought to develop a policing approach that leads to a reduction in the causes of protest by the population residing there".

Several residents of Ramalde, the second most populous parish in the municipality of Porto, are going to create an association to alert public entities, such as the Porto City Council and the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI), to the increase in crime and insecurity in the Pinheiro Manso area.

According to the residents who spoke to Lusa, the robberies, carried out "mainly by drug addicts", are daily.

In addition to robbing cars, they also steal manhole covers, gutter grates, tiles and zinc plates.

Allegedly, these objects and materials are later sold to a scrap dealer who is located near that parish.

Questioned by Lusa, the PSP stated that criminal investigations are underway concerning the criminal offences.

The PSP also assures that it is attentive and working to "increase the feeling of security of citizens, as well as to reduce crime rates, with the aim of providing greater security in the area".

On Thursday, in statements to Lusa, the president of the Ramalde Parish Council, Patrícia Rapazote, defended the need for the PSP to be reinforced in view of the "continuous wave of robberies" and for a police station to be reopened "to guarantee the safety" of the more than 38,000 inhabitants.

There used to be three PSP police stations in Ramalde (Pinheiro Manso, João de Deus and Francos), but currently there is only one, the Viso Police Station.

In addition to reinforcing the PSP staff and police stations, Patrícia Rapazote stressed the importance of extending the video surveillance system, which has been operating in the city since June 2023, to Ramalde.

"It was very important, not as a replacement for the PSP, but as a useful tool and aid for professionals," she noted, saying that the system could also be a deterrent to crime.

In October 2023, the Metropolitan Command of the PSP of Porto stated that violent and serious crime in that area of Porto had increased compared to 2022, as well as the number of arrests related to drug trafficking.

However, overall reported crime decreased, with 358 crimes reported in 2022 and 323 in 2023.

Read Also: Ramalde Parish Council calls for more PSP to respond to "wave of robberies" (Portuguese version)