The Portuguese Prime Minister claimed that Portugal "continues to be a safe country, one of the safest in Europe and the world", noting nonetheless that "safety is not to be taken for granted" and that it "it is a given we want to permanently safeguard".
Stabilising crime and institutional coordination
In his speech after presiding over the Higher Internal Security Council at the Internal Security headquarters in Lisbon, the Prime Minister noted the drop in serious and violent crime, despite the "rise in general reported crime", deeming that "the small variation" represents "the stabilisation of the numbers overall".
The meeting approved the Annual Internal Security Report (RASI) for 2025, which will be sent to Parliament. The Prime Minister stressed that "we have reasons to envisage a controlled situation in Portugal, to be able to present Portugal as a safe country", upholding at the same time the importance of "continuing to narrow the articulation and coordination work" in the internal security system with the two government pillars, Home Affairs and Justice, to boost the State response’s efficacy.
Priorities in fighting crime
Among the priority areas, Luís Montenegro noted the reinforcement of the fight against drug trafficking, indicating the "rise in seizures and arrests". "It is a crime from which many others are committed", he claimed, mentioning "offenses against wealth, sometimes people’s lives, and more sophisticated economic crimes". The Prime Minister also stressed that "what happened in 2025 was the expression of a strategy we planned out and which is yielding effects with a greater seizure capability and also a greater number of arrests".
Domestic violence was also indicated as one of the main concerns with 27 deaths in 2025. The Prime Minister classified this phenomenon as a "crime of terror" and guaranteed "a relentless fight against it, as well as increasing support for the victims, especially women and children and youths", highlighting that the meeting enabled a reinforcement of the articulation between "all of the State’s forces and services".
Another one of the central themes was road accidents, which he classified as a "social scourge in Portugal". "It is true we had less fatalities in 2025, but that should not rest usa t ease because we had more accidents and we continue to have a big number that we need to halt in Portugal", he claimed, announcing "double efforts to supervise and also raise awareness on this matter". The Head of Government also cautioned to "risky behaviours" and "excessive road offences in Portugal".
In terms of immigration, Luís Montenegro signalled that aiding illegal immigration "also led to more arrests in 2025" under the Government strategy for "regulated and humane immigration". "It is worth moving to Portugal legally, it is not worth coming over illegally", he claimed, guaranteeing that the Executive will continue to dismantle human trafficking networks.
