José Luís Carneiro justified the comparison of the crime data, referring to the first half of the year, with 2019, taking into account that 2020 and 2021 were “atypical years” due to lockdowns.

“This year there is a reduction in general crime of about 8% and as for violent and serious crime there is a reduction of 10% compared to 2019”, the minister told journalists, after a working meeting at the PSP Lisbon Metropolitan Command.

The official highlighted that this year “there is also a reduction in juvenile delinquency and gang crime in national terms, this is something very important and positive”.