In response to Lusa agency, the municipality of Porto clarified that the contract "was approved" by the Court of Auditors on October 18 and that its execution began the following day.

The contract provides for a phase of contract execution and installation of the communication network, as well as the installation of support elements, video cameras and support servers.

"The equipment will be installed for a maximum contractual period of 180 days", adds the city hall.

The contract for the installation of another 117 video surveillance cameras in Porto came into effect four days after the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) authorized the municipality to move forward with the expansion of the system, in an order published in the Official Gazette.

The order, dated October 15, was the "only thing missing" to install another 117 cameras in the west and east of Porto, according to the mayor, who even raised the possibility of removing the budget for video surveillance from the budget for 2025 if the resolution was not signed.

The budget for next year determines a budget of €25.9 million for the mobility area, particularly the supply, installation and maintenance of the video monitoring system.

The authorisation to expand the system requires compliance with several conditions, some of which had already been highlighted by the National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) in the two opinions it issued on the matter.

The 117 cameras, to be installed on streets in the area of ​​Asprela, Campanhã, Estádio do Dragão, Pasteleira and Diogo Botelho, will join the 79 cameras that began operating on June 22, 2023 in the city center and which have already made it possible to preserve images relating to 910 criminal cases.

The public tender, launched on July 24, 2023 by the chamber for the acquisition and maintenance of video surveillance under the collaboration protocol between the municipality and the PSP, was awarded in December to Soltráfego for 1.9 million euros.