Police arrest teen robbers after identifying them through CCTV footage
Two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, were arrested for robbing two other youngsters at knifepoint in Praia da Rocha, Portimão in the early hours of Wednesday morning (December 28).
The criminal duo is believed to have made off with the victims’ mobile phones, watches and some piece of clothing, PSP police say in a statement to the press.
After consulting the CCTV cameras which were installed this year in Praia da Rocha and other key locations around the borough, the police force was able to identify and track down the suspects.
PSP agents also seized the knife used during the robbery as well as the stolen items.
The teenagers have already appeared before a judge and will await trial under Portugal’s ‘termo de identidade e residência’ scheme, under which they are obliged to report to authorities whenever necessary.
In November, Portimão Council has announced that the 36 CCTV cameras that have been installed in the borough are fully operational.
The cameras are located in some of the borough’s busiest areas, such as the ‘old bridge’ linking the municipalities of Portimão and Lagoa, the Chão das Donas intersection, Penina, and of course, Praia da Rocha, where the cameras are installed between the Vau roundabout and the bar strip.
Says the local council, the main goal of the new CCTV system is to “dissuade criminality.”
