Lisbon, Dec. 20, 2024 (Lusa) - Two people were detained by the PSP police force in an operation in Martim Moniz, Lisbon, which resulted in the seizure of almost €4,000 in cash, sticks, documents, one bladed weapon and one mobile phone.
In a statement, the force's Lisbon Metropolitan Command (COMETLIS) explains that a special crime prevention operation that took place on Thursday in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, in Lisbon, resulted in the detention of two people: one for possession of a prohibited weapon and drugs and another who was suspected of at least eight offences of theft.
In the statement, released on Thursday night, the PSP said it had seized €435 in cash that was suspected of having come from illegal activities; seven batons (made of wood and iron); 17 envelopes containing passport photos suspected of being used in illegal activities; €3,435 in cash, a passport and various documents suspected of aiding illegal immigration; 581.37 grams of drugs suspected of being hashish; one bladed weapon; and a mobile phone that had been stolen.
The PSP adds that the operation took place in Rua do Benformoso, in an area "where disorderly situations involving bladed weapons and other incidents related to offences against physical integrity frequently occur."
The police operation was accompanied by a public prosecutor; six search warrants for non-residential premises were served.
"The PSP remains committed to the safety and protection of all citizens, continuing to promote the safety of the Portuguese, those who have chosen Portugal to live in and those who visit us," the statement adds.
In a previous statement, the PSP said that in this operation, which resulted in the closure of Rua do Benformoso, as seen in images taken at the scene, some of which were broadcast on television, around 100 counterfeit items were also seized.
The large number of police in the area prompted the circulation of images on social media, in which dozens of people were seen lined up against the wall in Rua do Benformoso, with their hands up, to be searched by the police, and comments about whether such a procedure was really necessary.
When COMETLIS spokeswoman Ana Raquel Ricardo was asked about the issue, she explained that a "special crime prevention operation gives us the legitimacy to carry out other types of measures, namely searching citizens who are there and searching vehicles" travelling through the area.
The same official said that the contingent employed "was what was necessary" for an operation of this type, without, however, revealing the number of professionals involved.
According to the PSP, resources from the Rapid Intervention Teams (EIR), the Prevention and Immediate Reaction Teams, traffic and civil - criminal investigation and inspection - took part in the operation.
In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon publicising the operation, COMETLIS said that the aim of the operation in the parish of Santa Maria Maior was to "boost the safety and public tranquillity of the resident and floating population" and that it took place in the Praça do Martim Moniz area, "an area where incidents involving weapons are frequently recorded."
The aim of the operation, according to the PSP, was "to arrest people suspected of committing crimes of illegal possession of weapons and to seize weapons that may be found inside suspects' vehicles and to increase the sense of security of people who habitually use public transport, the spaces that give access to them, as well as the surrounding areas, by monitoring suspicious users of public transport."
It also focussed on "places considered and assessed to be of greater risk, such as cafés, associations, among others in the area, taking into account the collection of information during the planning and execution phase of the operations."
The operation took place in coordination with the Unit Against Especially Violent Crime (UECCEV) of the Lisbon Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP).
SO/ARO // ARO.
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