Lisbon Taxi Driver Arrests Skyrocket by 3960% in Crackdown on Price Gouging
The Traffic Division of the PSP in Lisbon has detained 198 taxi drivers for price speculation in the first nine months of this year. This represents a staggering increase of 3960% compared to the same period in 2024, when only five arrests were made.
Proactive Policing Leads to Surge in Arrests
According to Subintendente Henrique Figueiredo, commander of the Traffic Division, price speculation by taxi drivers is carried out in various ways, not just through tampering with taximeters. He emphasized that arrests are not limited to the airport but extend across the entire city. The unit, which patrols Lisbon and five surrounding municipalities, detained a total of 1,412 people for road-related crimes during this period, up from 328 in the previous year—a 400% increase.
Figueiredo attributed this rise in enforcement to increased proactivity thanks to the reinforcement of dozens of officers this year. He noted that the beginning of 2024 was marked by a police protest, which had an impact on operational statistics.
National Figures Also Show Significant Increase
On a national level, the PSP arrested 900 people for similar offenses last month alone, marking a 125% increase from the 720 arrests in September 2024.
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