The Judicial Police (PJ) installed 125 video surveillance cameras in forested areas of Vila Real municipality, intended to support the prevention and investigation of forest fires, the municipality announced today.
The municipal investment, exceeding 32,000 euros, aims to support the PJ in gathering images and elements that may contribute to investigating the causes of rural fires and to identifying their authors, particularly in cases of negligent behavior or deliberate acts.
“The installation of the equipment was carried out by the Judicial Police, within the scope of its competences, constituting another instrument of support for the prevention and investigation of the crime of forest fire,” the municipality stressed.
The initiative is part of the municipal strategy for the prevention of rural fires and the protection of the territory, the forest, and the populations, and it falls within the Council of Ministers’ Resolution of October 27, 2017, which approved structural changes in the prevention and suppression of forest fires and ordered the creation of the Program for Reducing the Number of Ignitions.
“By joining this effort, through the acquisition and deployment of the [125] cameras, the Vila Real municipality strengthens cooperation with the authorities and contributes to improving the means of prevention, surveillance and investigation in the municipal territory,” the City Council highlighted.
Considering that “the defense of the forest and the prevention of rural fires are collective responsibilities,” the Vila Real municipality assured that it will continue to collaborate with the security forces, civil protection agents, parish councils and the populations.
