Discovered: 52 Firearms in Portuguese Schools During Previous Academic Year
The Portuguese Public Security Police (PSP) has launched an operation to strengthen its presence near educational establishments and on home-school and school-home routes, marking the start of the 2025/2026 academic year. The operation will run until September 19.
The PSP has made it easier for the public to report crimes, clarify questions, or schedule awareness-raising actions by providing an email address: [email protected].
Last academic year, most of the criminal occurrences registered by the PSP were physical integrity offenses. The authority responsible for the safety of 3,243 schools in Portugal, involving a total of 966,987 students and 148,481 teachers and support staff, is under the jurisdiction of the PSP.
During the 2024/2025 academic year, 43 white weapons and two firearms were detected and seized in schools. The PSP also recorded 3,887 occurrences within the scope of the Safe School Program, a slight decrease compared to the previous year. Of these occurrences, 2,786 were of a criminal nature, and 1,101 were non-criminal. The PSP found 52 weapons in Portuguese schools during the same period.
Most of the occurrences reported to the PSP occurred within the school grounds. The PSP mobilises police from various operational areas, including the Safe School Program, Police Patrol Teams, Traffic and Highway Safety Inspection Teams, and Criminal Investigation Brigades.
In the last academic year, most of the non-criminal occurrences in which the PSP was called to intervene in schools were situations of disruption of school activities. Parents are advised to know their children's school hours, routes, and contacts, and to warn them about safety precautions such as not accepting rides from strangers, not displaying valuables, and not playing in deserted areas.
The PSP also highlights that the number of cases involving the possession or use of weapons was 52. The operation aims to strengthen the PSP's presence near educational establishments and on home-school and school-home routes, ensuring a safer environment for students, teachers, and staff.
