The PSP said that in 2020 and compared to the previous year, there was a decrease of about 14 percent in the reporting of crimes against people, having recorded about 38,000 complaints. Of the nearly 19,000 arrests made last year, 900 stemmed from the involvement of suspected people in domestic violence crimes. “We believe, however, that, in a significant part of the occurrences, the adoption of self-protective behaviours constitutes an element of great importance in reducing the risk of victimisation”, he said.

To make people aware of the importance of preventive behaviours, the PSP carried out more than 20,000 awareness-raising actions, having informed more than 152,000 people about the prevention of sexual crime, 'bullying' and discrimination, among others.

“In addition, PSP has made a strong commitment to digital content, be it products aimed at specific audiences - such as FALCO animations or the sharing of content in the #estudoemcasa project - or messages addressed to the general public, via disseminated through official social networks”.

In the note, it is also highlighted that the PSP has 157 victim support rooms in its police stations and currently has 1,100 police officers in its various proximity teams, specifically trained to deal with and deal with events involving especially vulnerable victims such as children, the elderly , disabled and particularly victims of domestic violence.

The PSP recalls that the reporting of crimes is fundamental for the readjustment of police means and tactics by making institutional contacts such as proximity@psp.pt or violenciadomestica@psp.pt available, in addition to face-to-face assistance, through which citizens can seek assistance or report violent domestic crimes.