Portugal’s PSP police have rejected claims of a lack of officers in Lisbon’s Baixa district and called for the sale of substances passed off as illegal drugs to be made a criminal offence.
The force told DN that the area receives “regular and highly visible policing”, contradicting accounts from shopkeepers who say they have noticed a significant reduction in police presence.
According to the PSP, officers from Lisbon Metropolitan Command’s 1st Police Division carry out daily patrols, reinforced by the Intervention Corps.
The comments follow a DN report in which workers at historic businesses along Rua Augusta complained about policing and the persistent presence of people offering tourists so-called “fake drugs”.
The PSP acknowledged that the sale of fake narcotics has been a problem for more than 20 years, becoming increasingly visible as tourism and Lisbon’s nightlife have grown.
However, it said one of the biggest obstacles facing officers is the lack of legislation specifically covering the practice.
“The main obstacle to resolving this problem is the lack of a legal framework, since this conduct currently has no legal basis as either a criminal or administrative offence,” the PSP told DN.
Police have attempted to tackle the activity through rules governing unlicensed street selling, including by seizing products. But the PSP said this approach had proved ineffective and confirmed it had proposed making the practice a criminal offence.
The debate has intensified following the shooting of a Swedish tourist in Lisbon’s Baixa on Monday, August 10. The incident reportedly followed a dispute involving suspects linked to the sale of fake drugs.
On Thursday, Iniciativa Liberal (IL) presented draft legislation proposing prison sentences of up to one year for manufacturing, possessing for sale or selling legal substances while falsely presenting them as narcotics or psychotropic drugs for financial gain.
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas has also backed criminalisation and called for a more visible police presence.
“Lisbon residents need to feel that the police are on the streets. That is essential,” he said on Friday.
Lisbon City Council has meanwhile identified the expansion of CCTV surveillance to the Baixa Pombalina district as a short-term priority, with works expected to be launched in 2027.
Source: DN/Lusa