The Minister of Internal Administration, José Luís Carneiro, said this Sunday that “there has been a very significant reduction” in passenger waiting times at Lisbon and Faro airports, with the application of a contingency plan.
“The combined response has allowed us to overcome, for now, some of the difficulties that were felt last weekend. The contingency plan, at least so far, has worked,” the minister told reporters, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the reclassification of the GNR territorial post in Macedo de Cavaleiros, district of Bragança.
The contingency plan, announced at the end of May, foresees a gradual reinforcement of human and technological resources at national airports until July 4, to respond to a greater entry of people into the country in the summer months.
José Luís Carneiro revealed today that on Monday, “for the first time, public security police [PSP] start operating on the front line with access to databases and with the seal of authorization and supervision” of the Immigration and Borders Service (SEF).
According to the contingency plan, the national airports will have a reinforcement of 238 elements of the SEF and 168 agents of the PSP, who will be under the operational command of the Immigration and Border Service in the control of passengers.
Regarding the actions of the police at the airports, the PSP clarified this Saturday that the consent of the police is necessary so that they can be in a special commission regime in the SEF.
On Friday, the National Police Union (Sinapol) requested an “urgent” meeting with the Minister of Internal Affairs due to the transfer of PSP agents to the SEF “under special services commission.”
Minister José Luís Carneiro today underlined the intention of dialogue between the Government and the union structures, referring that the Secretary of State for Internal Administration will meet with two unions.
At the end of May, ANA Aeroportos reported the “unacceptable and very worrying” existence of long waiting times for passengers – who arrived at five hours – at the SEF border control at Lisbon airport.
In question were the high waiting times generated in the arrivals area for passengers from outside Europe at the Humberto Delgado airport in Lisbon.
In Macedo de Cavaleiros, José Luís Carneiro attended the inauguration of a GNR territorial post, the object of rehabilitation and recovery works worth 700 thousand euros.
Source: Observadora
