Porto, Sept. 18, 2026 (Lusa) - A residents' organisation based in the riverfront area of Porto, stated on Friday that the Special Intervention and Security Plan, announced by the city council, sets out important measures, but expressed «scepticism» regarding its effectiveness.
«These measures are politically correct. They are all necessary to minimise the impact of homeless people sleeping rough and drug users in public spaces. They are important in theory, but in practice, things won't turn out that way,» Rui Carrapa, the spokesperson for the AVAC – Amigos Verdes Cultural Association, told Lusa.
He confirmed that he had already noticed more municipal police officers in the riverside area, but pointed out that this force lacks «authority and legal protection» to remove people from the streets.
Porto city council announced that, in conjunction with the Public Security Police (PSP), it had launched a Special Intervention and Security Plan this week in three adjacent areas of the city, namely Pasteleira, Fluvial and Aleixo – locations known for open-air drug use and encampments of homeless people.
The plan, which «combines security, social work, health, street cleaning and intervention in public spaces», involves the PSP, the Municipal Police, the municipal departments for Social Cohesion and Health, Porto Ambiente and the municipal departments responsible for green spaces and infrastructure.
Rui Carrapa, who has lived in the riverside area «for over 50 years», told Lusa that the area is «getting worse and worse», with more rubbish and more people using drugs on the streets, and stated that residents are «sceptical» about the measure's effectiveness, citing the example of the Overnight Shelter, which has been opening gradually over the course of this week.
«We imagine that [the Overnight Shelter] is a success and that the 120 beds are filled – which is a good sign. At 9.00 am, we have people out on the streets [again]; the local residents are still facing exactly the same problem: people using drugs in public spaces, in car parks, on their doorsteps. The measures in place do very little to minimise this (…) during the day, these people continue to look to buy drugs and use them on the street,» he believes.
He argued that, to get drug use off the streets, it is necessary to extend the opening hours of the supervised consumption room located in Jardim da Pasteleira and to increase its floor space.
«If, in the meantime, these announced measures prove effective, I shall be very grateful to the city council,» he said, whilst regretting that local residents had not been informed of the opening of the Overnight Shelter.
On Wednesday, when questioned by Lusa, Porto city council confirmed that it had opened the Municipal Overnight Shelter at the start of the week, on a phased basis.
The building in question is the former Lordelo EB1 Primary School, originally built in 1873, situated on Rua das Condominhas, which has been converted to provide «services such as overnight accommodation, facilities for personal hygiene and breakfast».
The plan to strengthen security began in three areas «where situations have been identified that warrant a coordinated response, namely problems relating to squatting or illegal makeshift camps, the accumulation of waste, the deterioration of public spaces, and situations of social and health vulnerability».
According to the city council, the aim is «to address the various aspects of the identified problems simultaneously», by strengthening security and a visible police presence, as well as «improving conditions in public spaces and ensuring that people in situations of greater vulnerability are supported and referred to appropriate social, health and accommodation services».
«The security cooperation plan also includes a follow-up component after interventions, enabling an assessment of developments in each area, the identification of any need for further joint action, and the referral to municipal services of requirements for intervention in public spaces, such as lighting, cleaning, maintenance or other urban improvement measures,» the statement reads.
It was further clarified that this initiative will be regularly monitored and evaluated, and that the plan's effectiveness «will be measured not only by the trend and recurrence of unlawful behaviour involving the occupation and degradation of public spaces, but also by improvements in the condition of public spaces and by enhancing access for vulnerable people to social, health and housing support».
Quoted in the press release, the Mayor, Pedro Duarte, acknowledged that the problem «cannot be resolved by a one-off intervention», which is why the municipality's action plan is justified: «The municipality has very specific responsibilities regarding the quality of public spaces and the provision of social support, whilst the police forces have their own remit, which cannot be replaced».
AFG/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
