The Maia Municipal Council celebrated on September 1st the 10th anniversary of the community policing program "Municipal Police, Greater Proximity", at a ceremony held in the Auditorium of the Parish Council of São Pedro Fins. The event brought together local officials, Municipal Police officers, partner entities and beneficiaries of the initiative.
The program was created following a pilot project launched in 2015 and formalized in 2016, with the main objective of accompanying elderly people in situations of social isolation, vulnerability or lack of family support. Over the ten years, it accompanied approximately 100 elderly people, made more than 11,600 phone contacts and promoted 60 awareness actions.
Currently, the program accompanies 40 beneficiaries, mostly women, aged between 65 and 90 years, residing mainly in the parishes of Folgosa and São Pedro Fins. Approximately 80% live alone, a circumstance that reinforces the importance of the accompaniment carried out by eight Municipal Police officers assigned to the project.
The president of the Maia Municipal Council, António Silva Tiago, praised the work developed by the Municipal Police, emphasizing the importance of people-centered proximity policies. The program allowed for the identification and accompaniment of risk situations such as social isolation, neglect, scams and emergencies, ensuring the referral of beneficiaries to appropriate responses in the areas of social services, health and safety.
