The Mayor of Famalicão, Mário Passos, visited the premises last Friday, 18 December, accompanied by the new District Commander of Braga of the PSP, Leitão da Silva. 

‘These are excellent facilities, with the dignity that police facilities should have, not only for those who come here, but also for those who work here,’ said Superintendent Leitão da Silva. 

It should be noted that the work focused on the total refurbishment of the premises, with treatment of the façades, replacement of window frames, renovation of the interiors and remodelling of different spaces. 

The police station now has an entrance on Avenida 25 de Abril and is equipped with new rooms to house the city's video surveillance equipment, new cells, an identification room, among other spaces.

The work involved an investment of around €1.5 million and was carried out by the municipality through a cooperation agreement between the City Council, the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) and the Public Security Police, which enabled the renovation of the building, which was over thirty years old, to go ahead. 

‘It was a necessity that we were able to resolve, and we are very pleased to finally see the police station in a condition that allows PSP officers to carry out their work here,’ said Mário Passos. 

Once the refurbishment of the functional spaces at the Famalicão police station has been completed and the operational staff have been transferred to the new areas, the refurbishment will enter its second phase with work on the sports hall and the two police station houses. All work should be completed in the first quarter of the year.

Mário Passos takes up the issue of video surveillance and the creation of a PSP Division with the authorities

The renovated Famalicão PSP police station is now ready to receive all the equipment for the installation of the video surveillance system in the city and meets all the conditions for the creation of a Public Security Police division in Famalicão. 

‘We took care when designing the refurbishment of the building, with the entire functional programme and compliance with technical requirements to make this a reality,’ said Mário Passos. 

Regarding the video surveillance installation system in the urban perimeter, the mayor reported that the process with the National Data Protection Commission is underway and that, as soon as the green light is given, the municipality will be in a position to activate, in the first phase, 12 cameras, ‘a number that we want to extend to the entire urban perimeter, with a maximum of 54 video surveillance points’. 

The mayor also said that he will request a hearing with the Minister of Internal Administration to discuss the installation of a PSP Division in Famalicão. ‘We want more and better resources to be allocated here. The growth of Vila Nova de Famalicão justifies the creation of a PSP Division in the municipality’.