<![CDATA[ Registados 14 assaltos por dia a casas na área da PSP. Grupos chegam do estrangeiro só para este crime ]]>

It's one of the crimes with the greatest impact on feelings of security. Besides causing property damage, it generates outrage due to the violation of the victim's privacy. And, throughout Europe, it's increasingly being carried out by roving groups who travel from country to country to commit these crimes. Portugal is no exception. In the PSP's area of ​​operations alone, 14 homes were burglarized per day in the first half of this year. A total of 2,521 such crimes were reported to the police. In the same period, the PSP arrested 66 suspects.

Burglars typically use false identities and documents to hinder the work of police and judicial authorities—someone with a criminal record in another country, who is a first-time offender in Portugal, ends up free, even if arrested. In some cases, operational groups are composed entirely of women, to reduce suspicion. There are two to four women, but only two enter homes: the others perform logistical tasks such as transportation, finding accommodation, or conducting surveillance and contacting lawyers in case they are arrested.

The 18 municipalities of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area are where most crimes committed by these transnational groups occur, preferring to attack apartment buildings. They use a rigid card (usually plastic) to open doors only at the latch (first on the building and then on the residences). Inside the buildings, they roam the stairs and ring doorbells to ensure there are no people inside. They even push hard on doors to check if they are only at the latch, or peer through the threshold to check for movement inside the house. When necessary, they break the lock cylinder with a screwdriver and a wrench; picklocks; or acid.

One or two of the thieves enter the house and search the bedrooms and offices (first), while another operative keeps watch at the door. The gold, other jewelry, cash, and luxury clothing they find—these groups, curiously, don't carry cell phones or other computer equipment, which they know can be tracked—is hidden in the thieves' clothing (in their sleeves or underwear). They then go out into the street, where they immediately pass the stolen goods to someone else, or hide them in bushes or street furniture—where they later collect them—for fear of being caught on the spot. Cases have been reported where, to leave homes with larger items, they use victims' trolleys or suitcases, posing as residents.

To conceal their identities in the presence of video surveillance, they wear long coats, hats, sunglasses and surgical masks.

The PSP (Public Security Police) ensures that combating residential burglary is a priority for prevention and investigation. It conducts "continuous, uninterrupted, and near-real-time" monitoring of criminal analysis. As a result of this work, the PSP states that reported cases of home burglary in its area of ​​operation decreased by 3.9% compared to the first half of 2024.