Crime in Portugal is combatted by a host of government agencies including theMinistry of Internal Administration,Ministry of Justice,Maritime Authority System,Economic and Food Safety Authority, and theInformations System of the Portuguese Republic, among others.[1] Portugal has been a member of theInternational Criminal Police Organization (ICPO), commonly known as INTERPOL, since 1930.[2]
Crime rates inPortugal are generally low, and most crimes are non-violent.[3] Portugal's security and peace indicators compare favourably to those of other countries: According to theInstitute for Economics and Peace's 2024Global Peace Index report, Portugal ranks as the 7th most peaceful country in the world.[4] According toGallup’s 2024 Global Safety Report, 83% of people in Portugal felt safe walking alone at night in the place where they live in 2023.[5]
In 2019 themurder rate was 0.7 per 100,000 people in Portugal; Murder rates per 100,000 people by region were 0.5 inThe North, 1.4 inThe Algarve, 0.6 inCentral Portugal, 0.7 inThe Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, 1.0 inThe Alentejo, 0.8 in the autonomous island region ofThe Azores, and 0.0 in the autonomous island region ofMadeira.[6]
In 2021 there were a total of 85 murders registered in Portugal; 78 occurred onContinental Portugal, 4 on the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 3 on the autonomous island region of Madeira.[7]
In 2021 there were a total of 397 cases ofrape registered in Portugal (an increase of 82, or 26% over 2020).[8][9]
In 2021 there were a total of 48,572 crimes ofassault registered in Portugal; 44,995 occurred on Continental Portugal, 2,046 on the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 1,517 on the autonomous island region of Madeira.[10]
Portugal is a destination and transit country for women, men, and children subjected tohuman trafficking, specificallyforced prostitution andforced labor, as of 2010[update].[11] Between 2008 and 2016, authorities confirmed a total of 569 victims ofhuman trafficking in Portugal. Of the victims, 68% were fromEurope; 36% wereRomanian, 28% were Portuguese, and 4% wereBulgarian. For 63% of the victims, Portugal was a Country of Destination, for 28% it was a Country of Origin, and for 9% it was a Country of Transit. Of the total, 417 victims were trafficked for the purpose oflabour exploitation.[12] Children from Eastern Europe, includingRoma people, have been subjected to forced begging, sometimes by their families.[11]
The U.S. State Department'sOffice to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in"Tier 1" in 2017.[13] The country was at Tier 2 in 2023.[14]
From 2016 to 2020, Portugal identified 1152 victims of human trafficking (an average of almost 25 people per month); most of these were working in agriculture.[15]
In 2023, the Organized Crime Index noted that Portugal was mainly a destination country for groups in Eastern Europe, China, and Morocco.[16]
Portugal ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol in May 2004.[17]
In 2021 there were a total of 22,524 crimes ofDomestic Violence registered in Portugal; 21,028 occurred on Continental Portugal, 846 on the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 647 on the autonomous island region of Madeira.[7]
Racially motivatedhate crimes have increased dramatically in recent years; In 2020 there were a total of 655 complaints of racist abuse (an increase of 50% over 2019) filed with The Portuguese Commission for Equality and Against Racial Discrimination[18] (official abbreviation "CICDR"; Portuguese;Comissão para a Igualdade e Contra a Discriminação Racial).[19][20]
According toEurostat data from 2019, Portugal had arobbery rate of 106 per 100,000 inhabitants per year. This ranks as the fourth highest robbery rate of the countries measured for that year, afterEngland,Spain, andBelgium.[21]
Pickpockets and purse snatchers are present in crowded popular tourist sites, restaurants, transportation hubs and on public transportation in the largest cities, especially within theLisbon andPorto metropolitan areas. While thieves may operate anywhere, the largest number of reports of theft received by the authorities are usually from heavily populated areas and major tourist destinations.[22]
In 2021 there were a total of 6,053 incidents oftheft in public places (excluding theft from motor vehicles andcarjackings) registered in Portugal; 5,863 occurred on Continental Portugal, 81 on the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 107 on the autonomous island region of Madeira.
In 2021 there were a total of 29,735 incidents of theft from motor vehicles and carjackings registered in Portugal; 28,922 incidents occurred on Continental Portugal, 569 on the autonomous island region of The Azores, and 239 on the autonomous island region of Madeira.[23]
With the development and modernisation of theeconomy within theglobalisation process,corporate crime,financial crime, andcorruption are increasingly important issues.[24]
According to theWorld Economic Forum's2019 Global Competitiveness Report, Portugal ranked 9th best out of 141 countries for level of costs imposed on businesses byorganised crime.[25] According to the 2021Global Organized Crime Index, Portugal received a score of 4.55 for criminality, and 6.46 for resilience, ranking 117th, and 29th out of 193 countries globally, 24th, and 21st out of 44 countries in Europe, and 5th, and 2nd out of 8 countries inSouthern Europe.[26]
TheGalician clans, particularly theLos Charlines clan, have been major players in illicitdrug trafficking, primarily involved in smugglingcocaine andhashish fromColombia andMorocco into Portugal via sea routes since the 1970s.[27][28]
Various groups of theItalian Mafia have been known to be active throughout Portugal since at least the 1980s. TheCamorra is known to be active inPorto where it is involved in the business of fake designer fashion merchandise. Calabrian organised crime group'Ndrangheta has been involved in drug trafficking, as well asmoney laundering specifically through the tourism sector.[29]
Organised crime groups fromformer Soviet states have been increasingly active in theIberian Peninsula since the 1990s, especially after the fall of the USSR.[30] In 2016, members of a Russian criminal gang led byAlexander Tolstikov, with ties to theRussian mafia, were caught running a money laundering operation using the Portuguese football clubU.D. Leiria.[31][32] By 2019, members of theGeorgian mafia had committed over 370burglaries throughout Portugal.[33] In 2021, two members of theMontenegrin Kavač clan, which is responsible for money laundering, extortion, and smuggling cocaine fromSouth America into Europe, were arrested in Portugal after living and operating discreetly in the country for nearly one year.[34]
Since the 2000s,Mexican drug cartels includingJoaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán'sSinaloa Cartel,Los Zetas, and theGulf Cartel, have been establishing their presence in Portugal. Of these three, the Sinaloa cartel has evolved to become the one with the most dominant presence in the country, where it is involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. The group's primary modus operandi is smuggling cocaine of Colombian origin into Portugal, with the aid of corrupt officials and businessmen; The smuggling operation is overseen by Joaquín Guzmán's two sonsIván Archivaldo, and Jesús Alfredo. Once in Portugal, only a small amount of the smuggled cocaine remains in the country; The majority is transferred to partners with whom the Sinaloa Cartel has alliances, including Portuguese, Brazilian and Russian drug traffickers, who then distribute the drugs throughout the rest of Europe to command higher prices.[28]
In the 2010s the presence of Brazilian organised crime groupFirst Capital Command (abbreviation "PCC"; Portuguese;Primeiro Comando da Capital) in Portugal was confirmed for the first time by Portuguese authorities.[35][36] A federal report by the Brazilian government revealed that there were at least 43 members of the group involved in drug trafficking known to be operating in Portugal, the highest number of any country in Europe.[37] First Capital Command has had a working relationship with 'Ndrangheta since the 1980s to export drugs from Brazil to Europe, where 'Ndrangheta then takes over trafficking and distribution operations throughout the continent.[38]
InTransparency International's 2021Corruption Perceptions Index, Portugal scored 62 out of 100, ranking it 32nd out of 180 countries surveyed.[39] The nonprofit's 2021Global Corruption Barometer revealed that of those surveyed, when asked if they thought that the level of corruption had changed in the past twelve months, and if so how, 41% said that corruption had increased, 13% said it had decreased, 41% said it had remained the same, and 4% either did not know, or declined to answer.
The percentage of people surveyed who thought that most, or all of the people in specific institutions were involved in corruption was 33% for bankers, 27% for business executives, 27% for Members of Parliament, 19% for local government representatives (including mayors), 16% for national government officials, 15% for thePrime Minister, 13% fornon-governmental organisations, 11% forjudges andmagistrates, and 5% for thepolice.
Thebribery rate for public services overall, based on people who had used them within the past twelve months was 3%. For specific services, the rates were 3% for social security benefits, 3% for police, 2% for public schools, 2% for public clinics or hospitals, and 2% for identity documents.[40]
Portugal's largest metropolitan areas ofLisbon andPorto are the main sources of both petty and violent crime.[22]
Other cities where some violent crime occurs areAveiro,Braga andCoimbra.
Regions such asSetúbal,Alentejo andRibatejo are the safest areas next toLisbon, with lower crime levels compared to the capital.
The crime rate rose in the 1990s, reaching an all-time high during much of the decade. It still is low compared to other developed countries, and has decreased substantially beginning in the 2000s.Violent crime also rose during the same period and reached record highs before falling.[43][44][45]
Victims of crime should report to the nearestpolice station,national republican guard station,judiciary police post, or directly to thepublic prosecution services. Thenational telephone emergency number is112, which is used throughout theEuropean Union. To file a criminal complaint online, victims may use the officialElectronic Complaint System Portal (Portuguese;Portal do Sistema Queixa Eletrónica) administered by the Ministry of Internal Administration.[46]
Law enforcement and the justice system assists victims, helping them to find appropriate medical care, contact family members or friends, understand how further legal procedures could be used, understand the criminal justice process, obtain financial compensation, and find an attorney if necessary.
Portugal has a crime victim's assistance program administered through an organisation known as the Portuguese Association for Victim Support[47] (official abbreviation "APAV"; Portuguese;Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima). The organisation operates a free victims support telephone hotline on weekdays from 9h to 21h, and can be reached by dialling number 116 006, in addition to their website. Services are available in a variety of languages.[48]
Portugal has arguably the most liberal laws concerning the possession and use of illicit drugs in theWestern world. In 2001 Portugal decriminalised possession of effectively all drugs that are still illegal in other developed nations including, but not limited to,marijuana,cocaine,heroin, andLSD. However while drug consumption is not a crime, it is considered an illness, and people who use drugs are in most cases required to undergo rehabilitation. While possession is not a crime, trafficking and possession of amounts greater than "10 days worth of personal use" are still punishable by jail time and fines.[49]
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)