The Metropolitan Command of Lisbon’s Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), through the Amadora Police Division, made two arrests related to crime simulation last week.
In a statement, the PSP announced the first arrest involved a 28-year-old man on July 30, Wednesday. The suspect reportedly filed a complaint at the Reboleira police station, claiming that on July 29, “while walking home, two individuals approached him, took his phone, and fled.”
“After various investigations, evidence emerged indicating a fabricated scenario filled with inconsistencies and factual weaknesses. It was determined that the suspect had merely lost his phone and intended to claim its value from his insurance, as he was covered for such incidents,” the statement read.
On July 31, Thursday, a second crime simulation, allegedly “occurring in the morning at the Reboleira CP station,” was detected, the PSP noted. A brief investigation revealed the fraudulent nature of the reported scenario, and the complainant, like the previous suspect, was made an official suspect and subjected to identity and residence requirements.
The PSP highlighted that the Amadora Police Division has been detaining individuals caught in the act and formally charging many for simulating crimes this year, predominantly involving the false report of electronic equipment thefts, usually mobile phones, to claim insurance compensation for supposed losses. As of now, there have been more than ten cases of fraudulent complaints.
They also warn that citizens need to be aware that these acts of crime simulation are particularly severe:
- Because of the crime of falsifying official declarations itself;
- Because they represent a significant percentage of all reported crimes in Amadora, especially thefts;
- Due to the pointless procedural effort imposed on police and judicial authorities;
- For causing an unjustified sense of insecurity among the public; and also
- Because it leads to an erroneous allocation of police resources to areas not experiencing actual crimes/thefts, ultimately affecting community safety, which the PSP strives to maintain.
With such actions, the PSP believes it deters crime and the reporting of simulated crimes, especially thefts, due to the failure against effective policing. It also aims to prevent bias in the real analysis of criminal phenomena and the resulting operational decisions in preventive policing informed by (real) crime statistics.
