A Brazilian tourist was delighted by her impromptu VIP tour of Lisbon, courtesy of two of the capital’s finest PSP officers.
Clearly mindful of their superior’s orders last summer to “respond to the dynamic” of what tourism means for the Portuguese economy, the two men decided to take the young lady on a 30km round trip, showing her the sights and then hunkering down for a happy evening of friendly banter round a dining table, reports Correio da Manhã newspaper.
The only trouble was they used state-paid time to offer their services. They used a patrol car, too – depleting it of state-paid petrol – and when they invited their young guest for dinner, they entertained her in uniform.
As anyone who knows the ins and outs of police regulations, these are all major no-no’s.
The fact that the young lady was taking copious photographs which she later posted on Facebook doesn’t seem to have alerted the two policemen – the most senior of which is reported to have a record full of praises for his “excellent personal and professional qualities”.
The glowing testimonials may be post-scripted with a note that he has much to learn about the world of social media – but it is unlikely that either man will be severely reprimanded. It was their Command that issued an extraordinary press release during the summer publicising the creation of a “tourism patrol” to “support the tourist at the most visited places in Lisbon”.
Whether these could be stretched to include a private dining room in Odivelas is what remains to be seen.
