Portugal's GNR warns of summer vehicle‑theft surge

The Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) has issued an alert that vehicle‑inside thefts rise sharply between June and September, especially in beach‑side parking lots, tourist zones and coastal areas. In 2025 the force registered 5,667 total crimes – a 7.6 % drop from the previous year – but recorded a 160 % increase in arrests for vehicle thefts, with 68 detainees. The districts with the highest numbers of such offences were Porto (1,440), Setúbal (722), Lisbon (691) and Faro (629); the interior districts of Beja, Évora and Portalegre together reported 159 incidents.

Criminals typically break a window, enter the car in seconds and steal visible items such as backpacks, luggage, tablets, wallets and sunglasses, often also compromising personal data stored on electronic devices. The GNR has reinforced patrols in critical zones and urges drivers to lock the vehicle at all times, avoid leaving any objects in sight, store belongings in the trunk before reaching the parking area, park in well‑lit or monitored locations, and activate alarms and tracking apps where possible.