“It is true that the RASI [Annual Internal Security Report] confirms worsening circumstances in some criminal types, but these are concerns that come from some specific geographic areas and some types of crime. Portugal is a safe country, it is objectively one of the safest countries in Europe and the world”, said Luís Montenegro.

According to the head of the Government, this is due to “the exercise of the functions and missions of the structures that, on behalf of the Portuguese State, monitor security matters”.

The Prime Minister was at the Internal Security System, where he presided over the meetings of the Internal Security Cabinet and the Superior Internal Security Council in which the 2023 RASI was considered and which will now be sent by the Government to the Assembly of the Republic.

At the end of the meeting of the Superior Council for Internal Security, where seven ministers and leaders of the security forces and services were present, the head of the Government wanted to leave “a note of tranquillity and confidence in the internal security system”.

Luís Montenegro highlighted “all the effort made by these entities to give citizens real security and perceived security so that they can live peacefully with respect for fundamental values”.

The Prime Minister also highlighted that the security component and the reduction of criminal phenomena are important for the country's “economic assets”.

“Portugal is a competitive country to be able to attract and develop investments that create wealth, employment opportunities and that create conditions to retain young people, human resources and labour from abroad”, he stated.

Data released at the end of March by the Directorate-General for Justice Policy showed that crimes recorded by Portuguese police increased by around 8% last year compared to 2022, reaching the highest values in 10 years, totalling 371,995.