The Associação Sindical dos Profissionais da Polícia (ASPP/PSP) has released a document highlighting concerns regarding passenger control at Lisbon Airport, a responsibility assumed by the PSP two years ago from the Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF). Despite positive outcomes in police activities ensuring border security, the focus has centered on wait times, used as metrics to evaluate the PSP’s service quality.
The document, sent to the Minister of Internal Administration, Inspectorate General of Home Affairs, PSP’s national director, and political parties, expresses the frustration of officers who feel their efforts are undervalued by commercial standards imposed by ANA, endorsed by the Portuguese government. These standards prioritize Lisbon’s air traffic connections over Schengen and Portuguese border security.
Portugal’s largest police union describes as “completely unrealistic” the current wait time expectations given the existing structure, stressing the exhaustion that daily reports of the PSP’s alleged shortcomings in passenger control incite among officers.
The ASPP/PSP rejects claims of inefficiency, arguing that infrastructure and control positions have remained unchanged since SEF’s operations, highlighting the top rankings Lisbon Airport achieved for refusals and fraud detection.
Changes in technology, such as a new IT system and the recent implementation of the entry and exit system, coupled with record passenger numbers, have exacerbated wait times, burdening an infrastructure unsuited for the current traffic volume.
The union argues against the notion of personnel shortages, noting that the PSP’s human resources dedicated to border control in Lisbon exceed SEF’s previous allocation. It maintains that addressing wait times requires more than simply increasing staff numbers.
The recent government decree to reduce wait times is seen by the ASPP/PSP as undue pressure, demanding the establishment of a crisis management office and a 100-day target for implementing measures to meet new wait time standards without substantive changes or resources.
The ASPP/PSP also accuses political pressure exerted over Lisbon Airport, involving various ministries in collaboration with ANA Aeroportos, claiming officers from the Lisbon Foreigners and Border Control Command are entirely assigned to airport duties.
Signed by ASPP President Paulo Santos, the document criticizes political interference that undermines officers’ border control work, reporting degraded work conditions, including rodents and worn-out equipment.
The union highlights poor conditions for foreign nationals denied entry, who endure inadequate facilities with only camp beds and often lack access to hygiene facilities, creating an unpleasant environment.
The document emphasizes insufficient conditions in the border control precinct to interview families, unaccompanied minors, victims, or vulnerable individuals.
Officers face combined external and internal pressure, misinformation, unsuitable work conditions, continuous, repetitive duties without breaks, driving despondency, stress, and burnout among some professionals. The document calls for intervention by the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) and a response from the PSP’s national directorate.
