The “Safe Summer” program, organized annually in the Algarve, will be extended to Lisbon, Porto and beaches with higher tourist pressure due to increased tourist numbers and World Youth Days, it was announced today.
The Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) said it had decided this year to extend the usual “Safe Algarve” program, as the summer looks set to be “particularly challenging due to the expected increase in tourist numbers and the high number of young pilgrims taking part in World Youth Day (WYD)”, which takes place in Lisbon in the first week of August.
AMI points out that the “Safe Summer 2023” program has been extended to Lisbon and Porto, as well as to the beaches with the highest tourist pressure nationwide.
According to the Ministry headed by José Luís Carneiro, the “Safe Summer” program is an instrument designed annually and adapted to the specific circumstances of the time and territory, covering “several dimensions of security”, namely police, fire prevention and control, air border control and road safety.
The program, which aims to create “a general sense of security among residents and holidaymakers”, involves the security forces, civil protection and road safety.
According to AMI, the National Republican Guard and the Public Security Police will be supported by international police officers, notably from France and Germany, who will “concentrate their operational capacity in the most touristic areas, with high visibility and tourist-oriented policing”.
During this summer operation, the security forces will also be paying “particular attention to road safety, as well as to the control of night-time establishments”.
According to AMI, over 4.5 million passengers and more than 35,000 flights were checked at air borders up to June, while at sea borders, more than 56,000 people and 337 boats were checked.
The “Safe Algarve Summer 2023” program is the first initiative to be presented at a ceremony in Faro on Wednesday, attended by the Minister of Internal Administration.