SEVENTEEN RECENTLY trained new officers have just been added to the permanent staff of Cascais municipal police force, a reinforcement in manpower that the câmara hopes will mean the start of patrols 24 hours a day.
Control of construction, illegal street vendors, security of municipal buildings as well as increased vigilance with regard to environmental issues are the areas attributed to the municipal police force. Added to this list of tasks is the control of traffic in town centres and, in particularl, the historic centre of Cascais. In addition, the municipal police force is responsible for the removal of abandoned cars, of which there can be as many as 1,000 found throughout the borough each year.
Cascais Câmara points out that the municipal police force does not have any duties relating to public order or the safety of residents. These responsibilities continue to fall exclusively under the remit of the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) and the Polícia Marítima (maritime police), as was the case before the creation of the municipal police force.
The reinforcements bring the total number of municipal police in Cascais to 35.
