Crime in Portugal
Crime rates in Portugal are generally low, and most crimes are non-violent.[1] Portugal's security and peace indicators compare favourably to those of other countries; According to the Institute for Economics and Peace's 2022 Global Peace Index report, Portugal ranks as the 6th most peaceful country in the world.[2]
Crime in Portugal is combatted by a host of government agencies including the Ministry of Internal Administration, Ministry of Justice, Maritime Authority System, Economic and Food Safety Authority, and the Informations System of the Portuguese Republic, among others.[3] Portugal has been a member of the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO), commonly known as INTERPOL, since 1930.[4]
Crime by type
Murder
In 2019 the murder rate was 0.7 per 100,000 people in Portugal; Murder rates per 100,000 people by region were 0.5 in The North, 1.4 in The Algarve, 0.6 in Central Portugal, 0.7 in The Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, 1.0 in The Alentejo, 0.8 in the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 0.0 in the autonomous island region of Madeira.[5]
In 2021 there were a total of 85 murders registered in Portugal; 78 occurred on Continental Portugal, 4 on the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 3 on the autonomous island region of Madeira.[6]
Rape
In 2021 there were a total of 397 cases of rape registered in Portugal (an increase of 82, or 26% over 2020).[7][8]
Assault
In 2021 there were a total of 48,572 crimes of assault registered in Portugal; 44,995 occurred on Continental Portugal, 2,046 on the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 1,517 on the autonomous island region of Madeira.[9]
Human trafficking
Between 2008 and 2016, authorities confirmed a total of 569 victims of human trafficking in Portugal. Of the victims, 68% were from Europe; 36% were Romanian, 28% were Portuguese, and 4% were Bulgarian. For 63% of the victims, Portugal was a Country of Destination, for 28% it was a Country of Origin, and for 9% it was a Country of Transit. Of the total, 417 victims were trafficked for the purpose of labour exploitation.[10]
Domestic violence
In 2021 there were a total of 22,524 crimes of Domestic Violence registered in Portugal; 21,028 occurred on Continental Portugal, 846 on the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 647 on the autonomous island region of Madeira.[6]
Hate crime
Racially motivated hate crimes have increased dramatically in recent years; In 2020 there were a total of 655 complaints of racist abuse (an increase of 50% over 2019) filed with The Portuguese Commission for Equality and Against Racial Discrimination (official abbreviation "CICDR"; Portuguese; Comissão para a Igualdade e Contra a Discriminação Racial).[11] Afro-Portuguese people and Romani people have had a disproportionate representation in annual arrests, incarceration numbers and police reports across the country and throughout time.[12]
Robbery
According to Eurostat data from 2019, Portugal had a robbery rate of 106 per 100,000 inhabitants per year. This ranks as the fourth highest robbery rate of the countries measured for that year, after England, Spain, and Belgium.[13]
Theft
In 2021 there were a total of 6,053 incidents of theft in public places (excluding theft from motor vehicles and carjackings) registered in Portugal; 5,863 occurred on Continental Portugal, 81 on the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 107 on the autonomous island region of Madeira.
In 2021 there were a total of 29,735 incidents of theft from motor vehicles and carjackings registered in Portugal; 28,922 incidents occurred on Continental Portugal, 569 on the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 239 on the autonomous island region of Madeira.[15]
Organised crime
Portugal became a destination for several thousand emigrants from diverse locations around the globe (particularly Eastern Europe, Brazil and the former Portuguese territories in Africa - the PALOP countries). With the development and modernisation of the economy within the globalisation process, corporate crime, financial crime, and corruption are increasingly important issues.[16]
According to the World Economic Forum's 2019 Global Competitiveness Report, Portugal ranked 9th best out of 141 countries for level of costs imposed on businesses by organised crime.[17] According to the 2021 Global Organized Crime Index, Portugal received a score of 4.55 for criminality, and 6.46 for resilience, ranking 117th, and 29th out of 193 countries globally, 24th, and 21st out of 44 countries in Europe, and 5th, and 2nd out of 8 countries in Southern Europe.[18]
The
Various groups of the Italian Mafia have been known to be active throughout Portugal since at least the 1980s. The Camorra is known to be active in Porto where it is involved in the business of fake designer fashion merchandise. Calabrian organised crime group 'Ndrangheta has been involved in drug trafficking, as well as money laundering specifically through the tourism sector.[21]
Organised crime groups from
Since the 2000s, Mexican drug cartels including Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán's Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas, and the Gulf Cartel, have been establishing their presence in Portugal. Of these three, the Sinaloa cartel has evolved to become the one with the most dominant presence in the country, where it is involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. The group's primary modus operandi is smuggling cocaine of Colombian origin into Portugal, with the aid of corrupt officials and businessmen; The smuggling operation is overseen by Joaquín Guzmán's two sons Iván Archivaldo, and Jesús Alfredo. Once in Portugal, only a small amount of the smuggled cocaine remains in the country; The majority is transferred to partners with whom the Sinaloa Cartel has alliances, including Portuguese, Brazilian and Russian drug traffickers, who then distribute the drugs throughout the rest of Europe to command higher prices.[20]
In the 2010s the presence of Brazilian organised crime group
Corruption
In Transparency International's 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, Portugal scored 62 out of 100, ranking it 32nd out of 180 countries surveyed.[31] The nonprofit's 2021 Global Corruption Barometer revealed that of those surveyed, when asked if they thought that the level of corruption had changed in the past twelve months, and if so how, 41% said that corruption had increased, 13% said it had decreased, 41% said it had remained the same, and 4% either did not know, or declined to answer.
The percentage of people surveyed who thought that most, or all of the people in specific institutions were involved in corruption was 33% for bankers, 27% for business executives, 27% for Members of Parliament, 19% for local government representatives (including mayors), 16% for national government officials, 15% for the Prime Minister, 13% for non-governmental organisations, 11% for judges and magistrates, and 5% for the police.
The bribery rate for public services overall, based on people who had used them within the past twelve months was 3%. For specific services, the rates were 3% for social security benefits, 3% for police, 2% for public schools, 2% for public clinics or hospitals, and 2% for identity documents.[32]
By location
Portugal's largest metropolitan areas of
- Greater Lisbon: Theft is widespread in tourist destinations in the Greater Lisbon area such as the towns of Sintra, Cascais, and Mafra. Casal Ventoso, a neighbourhood of Lisbon where drug traffickers and drug users used to gather, was demolished in response to its increasingly unsavoury reputation. Amadora, the municipality where Buraca and the feared Cova da Moura neighbourhood is located, is a stopping point for many of the displaced people of the former Casal Ventoso, and Marvila (a parish in eastern area of the Lisbon municipality), neighbourhoods. Some areas of the municipalities of Odivelas, Loures and Vila Franca de Xiraaround the Portuguese capital also have a higher incidence of crime. Automobile break-ins sometimes occur in parking areas at tourist attractions and near restaurants. There are reports of organised crime and gangs.
- municipalities have been especially problematic. There are reports of organised crime and gangs.
- late 2000s economic crisis, which brought decreasing economic opportunities for African, Eastern European and South American immigrants, and a rise in the number of unemployed Portuguese.
- Azores (archipelago): Pickpocketing and purse snatching are not common occurrences in the Azores. Organised crime is mostly centred around drug trafficking, https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2021-10-03/criminal-drug-network-brought-down/62751
- Madeira (archipelago): Pickpocketing, while infrequent, may occur in some areas of Funchal, such as at Pico do Arieiro, Mercado dos Lavradores, Zona Velha (near the cable car), Old Town, and Santa Catarina Park.[33]
Other cities where some violent crime occurs are Aveiro, Braga and Coimbra.
Regions such as
Crime dynamics
The crime rate rose in the 1990s, reaching an all-time high during much of the decade. It still is low compared to other developed countries, and has decreased substantially beginning in the 2000s. Violent crime also rose during the same period and reached record highs before falling.[34][35][36]
Victims
Victims of crime should report to the nearest
The law enforcement and justice system assists victims, helping them to find appropriate medical care, contact family members or friends, explain how further legal procedures could be used, understand the criminal justice process, obtain financial compensation, and find an attorney if necessary.
Portugal has a crime victim's assistance program administered through an organisation known as the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (official abbreviation "APAV"; Portuguese; Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima). The organisation operates a free victims support telephone hotline on weekdays from 9h to 21h, and can be reached by dialling number 116 006, in addition to their website. Services are available in a variety of languages.[38]
Tolerance of drugs
Portugal has arguably the most liberal laws concerning the possession and use of illicit drugs in the
See also
References
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- ^ "Global Peace Index Map » The Most & Least Peaceful Countries". Vision of Humanity. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Police in Portugal | Safe Communities Portugal". safecommunitiesportugal.com. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ^ "Portugal". interpol.int. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Regional Social and Environmental indicators : Safety in regions". stats.oecd.org. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Statistics Portugal - Web Portal". ine.pt. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Crime Rates in Portugal: Is Portugal Safe?". Portugal.com. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ Paulo, Celia (26 May 2022). "Portugal in 2021 sees biggest annual increase in gang crime, rape". euractiv.com. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Statistics Portugal - Web Portal". ine.pt. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ GJERDINGEN, ulf (29 November 2018). "Portugal". Together Against Trafficking in Human Beings - European Commission. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ Demony, Victoria Waldersee, Catarina (24 March 2021). "Confront your colonial past, Council of Europe tells Portugal". Reuters. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
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- ^ US Department of State
- ^ "Statistics Portugal - Web Portal". ine.pt. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ People & Power, Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera (March 2008)
- ^ "Competitiveness Rankings". Global Competitiveness Report 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "Criminality in Portugal - The Organized Crime Index". ocindex.net. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ Lois, Elisa (9 August 2018). "Arrest of 85-year-old drug lord confirms return of historical gangs to Galicia". El País. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ a b "The Cartel's Colour | Small Wars Journal". smallwarsjournal.com. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^ "Portugal". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ISSN 1072-7825. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ "Portugal police raid 'Russian football gang'". BBC News. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Police dismantle Russian money laundering ring operating in the football sector". Europol. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Nine 'Georgian Mafia' convicts released". theportugalnews.com. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ Sleinan, Julett Pineda. "Portuguese Authorities Arrest Members of Montenegrin Mafia". occrp.org. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ Janeiro, Mariana Oliveira e Nuno Amaral, Rio de (6 March 2009). "Autoridades portuguesas em alerta para eventual presença do PCC no país". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 March 2021.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "The Cartel's Colour | Small Wars Journal". smallwarsjournal.com. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Investigação detecta membros do PCC em EUA, Europa e América do Sul". noticias.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "PCC-'Ndrangheta, the International Criminal Alliance Flooding Europe with Cocaine". InSight Crime. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "2021 Corruption Perceptions Index - Explore Portugal's results". Transparency.org. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Results - European Union - GCB". Transparency.org. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "16 Tourist targeted scams in Portugal". Travelscams.org. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ (in Portuguese) "Portugal surge em terceiro lugar no ranking dos países da União Europeia (UE) onde mais aumentou o número de crimes violentos e de roubos na década de 1995 a 2005.", Licínio Lima, Crescem o roubo e crime violento Archived 7 July 2012 at archive.today, Diário de Notícias (27 November 2007)
- ^ Distribuição da evolução global - Todos os Departamentos Archived 1 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Polícia de Segurança Pública
- ^ "The greatest rises were in France, Greece and Portugal (16%),...", International Review of Crime Statistics, International Review of Crime Statistics
- ^ "What to do if you are a victim". apav.pt. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "APAV EN". apav.pt. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ Soares, Eduardo (July 2016). "Decriminalization of Narcotics: Portugal". loc.gov. Retrieved 24 February 2021.