Citizens of Coimbra feel unsafe in places like the Baixa, República Square and the Monumental Staircase, according to an opinion article by independent councilor Maria Lencastre Portugal. The city, which is mostly university-oriented and full of young people, should also be alive at night, but many students, families, traders and visitors live with a sense of insecurity that cannot be ignored. The councilor highlights that a city begins to lose quality of life when its citizens start avoiding certain places out of fear.
The article mentions that in less than a month, two citizens were stabbed during a night out in Coimbra amid a crowd of young people. This fact serves as an example of the urgency of the situation and the need for increased security in the city.
The councilor demands the creation of a second PSP Rapid Intervention Team with the same officers, a request that has been demanded for a long time but has not yet been implemented. The text criticizes that for too long, authorities limited themselves to saying it was necessary, then that it was being considered, and then that it would be a priority, without ever implementing any action.
Maria Lencastre Portugal acknowledges that the Municipal Council should not replace the security forces, but states that it has political responsibility for the population's quality of life and the capacity to pressure the Government, liaise with security forces and demand more resources. The article ends with repeated calls for greater response capacity, effective reinforcement of police presence and a prevention strategy that restores confidence to citizens, leaving the question: "For when, Coimbra?"
