On the sidelines of the reception for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, at the Prime Minister’s official residence, Luís Montenegro was asked about the actions of the Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, after the escape of five inmates on Saturday.

“I believe that the Minister of Justice was particularly efficient and conclusive in her assessment of the Government regarding this process, which is a regrettable process, which should not have happened and which needs to be clarified to the last detail”, he stated, praising the fact that he had “waited for the necessary information” before making a statement about the case.

“There are those who are quicker and more hasty in drawing conclusions. However, a Government that exercises its function thinking of the whole country must speak when it has the most relevant elements to do so, and that is what happened”, he stated, admitting that it would have been better if it had only taken two days instead of three, but adding that if it had been necessary to wait four days, the important thing was for the Government to have “a perfect understanding of what happened”.

When asked if he still believes that Portugal is a safe country, he replied: “I have no doubt that Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world”.

“Does this mean that we are turning a blind eye? Certainly not. We must take care of security in public facilities, and prisons are public facilities,” he argued.

On the other hand, he said, “We must also take care of security on the streets, with closer policing and a more effective deterrence of inappropriate behaviour.”

“We are making this effort knowing that we need to tell people, on the one hand, that there are reasons for them to remain calm and serene, and that, on the other hand, we are paying attention to the criminal phenomena that have frightened people the most and have occurred in various parts of the country,” he assured.

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