It had "one of the worst" GNR barracks in the country, but now things have gone "from 8 to 800" and Lagos has a "5 star" Territorial Post. This sentence joins the opinion of representatives of the three entities involved in the agreement that culminated in the inauguration of the new GNR barracks lacobrigense, which took place this Friday, and illustrates well how expected this equipment was.
Yesterday's ceremony, on December 3, brought Eduardo Cabrita, then still minister of Internal Affairs, and Rui Carlos Clero, commander-general of the GNR, who joined host Hugo Pereira, to Chinicato, where the barracks are located. Mayor of Lagos, guaranteeing that the central state, the Guard and the municipality, from whose partnership the new Territorial Post was “born”, were represented.
And it was the member of the Government who admitted, in his speech, that the old premises did not meet the minimum requirements.
“This new barracks gives dignity and working conditions to the soldiers in Lagos. These were among the worst facilities that the GNR had in the country”, he said.
Eduardo Cabrita recalled that the signing of the collaboration protocol that allowed the creation of the new GNR barracks in Lagos, with all the conditions required for equipment of this nature, was "one of the first acts" he had as Minister of Internal Affairs, in November 2017 – had been sworn in the previous month.
“Fortunately, despite the political vicissitudes that led to early elections, it was still possible for me to complete this work”, he concluded.
Ironically, Eduardo Cabrita was, without knowing it, having his last official act there, since, hours later, resigned from office.
Returning to the work, it is, in fact, important, as illustrated by 1st sergeant Nuno Pereira, the commander of the Territorial Post of Lagos, to whom the general commander and regional commander of Faro, Carlos Almeida, delegated the task of speaking for the GNR.
"With this new barracks, we went from 8 to 0", said the person in charge of the post, being seconded by Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Almeida: "from 800 to 8".
«Before, we were installed in the Largo da Senhora da Glória, in the former convent, a building that was not adapted for police functions. This new equipment comes, effectively, respond to our needs. We are equipped with all the divisions that are essential to our service», he said.
The GNR military even admits that it turns out to be a little strange to have all the conditions and equipment to use and that they are «all quite satisfied».
«In this new barracks, we have rooms that we didn't have before, such as the victim support room, which is very important for referring people to this post, especially the most vulnerable victims, such as those of domestic violence and rape. Having a room where we can direct these people and provide a more private service is very important», he considered.
Also central is the new instruction room, «which it allows the provision of training to the military on legislative changes, which will certainly be reflected in greater quality abroad».
This division can also be used to plan 'a transit operation, for example. We can make a projection of the location of forces, of the areas in which we are going to intervene».
These are two rooms in the post itself, which is the military's workplace and occupies the entire ground floor of the building. But there is a 1st floor, which "is their home".
«This is where they socialize, this is where they spend the night and can have their home here. Because the Guard has soldiers from all over the country, many of them hundreds of kilometers from home. Obviously, after the service, they need to have a place where they have quality of life and this equipment transmits that quality to them», revealed Nuno Pereira.
In addition to a dining and social room, this space has several rooms, with the capacity to accommodate seven soldiers. At the moment, Lagos only has one soldier living in the post, but in summer, with the reinforcement that usually happens, the other beds will be very handy.
Furthermore, there is hope, particularly on the part of the municipality of Lagos, that the number of staff will be increased.
“What we have tried to pass on to the Minister today and which we have been bringing to the Internal Administration and to the command of the GNR is that, in our view, the soldiers in Lagos are insufficient to be able to secure an area as large as the one they have to secure. », Hugo Pereira, president of the Chamber, told journalists.
After all, emphasizes the mayor, the percentage of the municipality's territory under the jurisdiction of the GNR «is almost 95% and we are talking about a large total extension».
The population served, which is around 13 thousand people, «triples or quadruples in high season».
To do the job, there are currently 25 GNR soldiers assigned to the Lagos post, 23 men and two women.
“Without troops, you can't get anywhere. Therefore, we want the military staff to be strengthened and we had the indication, in the minister's speech, that it will be like that», he adds.
“There are soldiers to be trained, which will be spread across the country. Let us hope that Lagos has the necessary reinforcement and the human resources it needs to face the security issues that we demand as a flag for Lagos. We will do everything for that to happen», guaranteed the president of the Chamber.
The new barracks is prepared for this reinforcement, as it was designed to accommodate the 4th military.
Until I got here, I had to wait a long time, “longer. But I think today is the day to turn the page and give thanks that the military is already occupying this new barracks», says the mayor lacobrigense.
«The desire was to build a new barracks, from scratch. Unfortunately, it was not possible. But, even so, we have five-star facilities, as was clearly visible during the visit. We managed, once and for all, to have a post that dignifies the GNR and the entire municipality of Lagos», he concludes.
The space where the new GNR gas station in Lagos is located is located along the EN125, in Chinicato, in a complex that was originally a commercial space.
The building was acquired by the municipality that installed some of its services there.
However, with the inauguration of the new City Hall facilities in the city center, this building was used as an archive and support.
Later, «this opportunity arose to create this multi-purpose building for outdoor use. Initially, the GNR transit detachment came here and, later, the ICNF Barlavento delegation».
“However, this central building continued to be used by the City Council. In 2017, we thought it would be a good place to adapt, through works, and transform it into what it is today, the new GNR Territorial Post in Lagos», following an investment of 400 thousand euros, says Hugo Pereira.
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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