Develop the website of the Safe Communities Portugal Association to provide advice to foreign tourists in the Algarve, produce and distribute informative pamphlets, as well as provide informative content to develop communication supports, within the scope of crime prevention actions for foreigners, and also organize four colloquia on these topics.
These are the four areas of the Collaboration Protocol, signed yesterday, in Lagoa, by the Assistant Secretary of State and Internal Administration and by the president of the Safe Communities Portugal Association.
David Thomas, president of this association and himself a retired Brit living in the Algarve, told the Sul Informação that “the Algarve is a relatively safe region. In fact, Portugal has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe. But there are still small crimes and we need to educate people to be more careful with their possessions». In other words, «the Algarve is a very safe place, but there is always more to be done to make it even safer».
For her part, Secretary of State Isabel Oneto told our newspaper that the objective "is to have entities that are regionally integrated and that help us with regard to prevention and security policies", in both senses in English of security e safety, that is, security and civil protection.
"What we ask of the association, which has a strong implementation with the foreign community, not only the resident in the Algarve, but also those who visit us, is to use its website to give advice to tourists and foreign residents," added the ruler.
David Thomas, a former Assistant Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police and a consultant to Interpol and the United Nations Agency for Drugs and Crime, explained: “with this protocol, we will be able to put more emphasis and more outreach on these security issues and civil protection, encouraging people to follow simple advice to increase their safety”.
"We will do this by improving communication, working with the Ministry of Internal Administration and with the Security Forces, seeing the best way to communicate with tourists, in order to make their stay in the Algarve and the country safer", he said. the president of Safe Communities.
But, according to Secretary of State Isabel Oneto, despite the protocol talking mainly about crime prevention, civil protection issues may also be the object of the association's work: “imagine a situation of insecurity on a beach cliff. We may post this information on the Safe Communities website».
The initiative also involves «promoting colloquia with the foreign resident community in order to find out what concerns them most», as well as establishing «greater interaction between the association and the Ministry of Internal Administration, in order to articulate actions aimed at our foreign community».
David Thomas, in his statements to the Sul Informação, also highlighted the importance of «collaboration with the PSP, GNR, SEF, AMN, ANPC, ASAE, Municipalities», since «working very closely with these entities, it is easier to have access to information, disclosing it later» .
But it is not only foreigners who are following the work of Safe Communities with attention: “the association is for everyone. What we do is available to everyone, foreigners or not. On Facebook, many of our followers are even Portuguese», he recalled.
However, it is certain that the association's activity is aimed especially at foreigners, residents or visitors. The site already features information in ten languages, including Chinese and Russian.
And the association's activity, which started out only in the Algarve, has now extended to Lisbon and Madeira.
The Safe Communities Portugal Association website can be accessed by clicking here, while your Facebook page can be followed here.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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