Coimbra, Portugal, Oct. 9, 2025 (Lusa) - The year 2025 to date has resulted in a record 57 suspected perpetrators of arson in forest fires in Portugal under preventive detention, out of a total of 88 detentions, the Judicial Police revealed on Thursday.
"We currently have 88 detentions, all for arson, which is within our legal jurisdiction. Of these 88 arrests, we have 57 individuals under preventive measures, which is a significant number, around 65%," Avelino Lima, national head of the Judicial Police (PJ) Permanent Monitoring and Support Office (GPAA) for forest fires, told journalists.
"It's a record in our entire history," he added, noting that this year the number of fires was lower than in other years.
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference "Forest Fires, Knowing to Fight", part of the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Judicial Police (the country's main criminal investigation agency), which is taking place today in Coimbra, the director of the PJ for the centre region stressed that the data available so far demonstrates the investigative work that has been carried out in collaboration with other entities, in particular the country's national guard (GNR).
On the other hand, the number of working groups under the PJ's jurisdiction, which has increased from two to five, "helps us to produce more conclusive evidence, more demonstrative of the responsibility of the perpetrator [of the forest fires]," he explained.
"And the judicial authority, obviously, with stronger evidence, has no difficulty - considering the type of crime, the type of danger involved, the damage to the community - in placing these individuals in preventive detention and a few, some, under house arrest," emphasised Avelino Lima.
The head of the PJ Permanent Monitoring and Support Office also highlighted another record-breaking statistic, which is the number of women detained (18 out of 88) for the crime of forest fire, as well as a group of “very senior people, of advanced age and for unequivocally malicious actions”.
JLS/AYLS // AYLS
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