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Video surveillance in Porto has preserved images of 910 cases

Video surveillance in Porto has preserved images of 910 cases

Security camera outdoors, surveillance 360 degree camera on modern building facade

The video surveillance installed around a year ago in downtown Porto has enabled the preservation of images related to 910 criminal cases, 592 of which this year, the PSP Metropolitan Command revealed today, for whom the system has been “extremely advantageous”.

A few days before the one-year anniversary of the start of the video surveillance system in Porto, the balance is “frankly positive”, the Porto PSP Metropolitan Command told Lusa today.

The PSP points out that the system has proved to be “extremely advantageous” in mobilizing resources and managing police incidents, in supporting decision-making and targeting mass events, but also in gathering evidence for criminal purposes and subsequent investigation.

The system, which went into operation on June 22, 2023, has already enabled the preservation of images relating to 910 criminal cases, the majority of which (592) occurred this year.

“We can say that most of the images preserved are of high quality for evidentiary purposes, and their authors and ‘modus operandi’ are identifiable or identified,” he says.

Consisting of 79 cameras, the video surveillance system covers streets and public spaces in the city center, namely in the União de Freguesias de Cedofeita, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Miragaia, São Nicolau and Vitória.

Video surveillance is in operation 24 hours a day, every day of the week, as a result of a collaboration agreement between the municipality of Porto and the PSP.

“We believe that in the near future it will contribute to improving the population’s sense of security and will reduce crime in the places covered by video surveillance,” says the PSP.

Although the images collected are for evidentiary purposes, the PSP stresses that the “great added value” of the system is the real-time visualization and, consequently, the deployment of resources to the scene.

“As an example, we can mention an incident where two tourists were assaulted by a group of around ten individuals. The police officers on duty at the Video Surveillance Command and Control Center saw the assaults taking place and called in the necessary resources. The victims were quickly assisted by emergency medical services and nine of the perpetrators were apprehended by the PSP,” he explains.

At the end of December 2023, Porto City Council approved the award of a contract to Soltráfego, for 1.9 million euros, for the acquisition and maintenance of a further 117 video surveillance cameras.

These new cameras will be installed in the west and east of the city, namely on streets in the Asprela, Campanhã, Estádio do Dragão, Pasteleira and Diogo Botelho areas.

When questioned by Lusa, Porto City Council said today that it was still waiting for the Court of Auditors to rule before starting the contract, which foresees the installation of the system “within a maximum of 180 days”.

The location of the video surveillance cameras is defined by the PSP through “analysis of crime in the places of implementation”.

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