The concern was expressed by the president of CEAST, Filomeno Vieira Dias, at the opening of the II Ordinary Assembly held in Luanda.
The archbishop of Luanda also said, in his speech aimed at the country's social and ecclesial life, that "violence takes over the urban environment and scares people, angolans and foreigners residing in the country who feel insecure and afraid."
According to Filomeno Vieira Dias, "safety, tranquility, feeling good is an essential element for social coexistence and for the development of societies".
The president of CEAST stated that ecclesiastical property is continually attacked, multiplying assaults and desecration of temples.
"Only in the last 12 months, and this is just an exhibition, in the area of Caxito, Luanda and Viana, church institutions, more than 60 institutions - parishes, schools, health centers, parish and religious residences - have suffered attacks. Some have been robbed, two steps away from police units, such as the church of Nazaré, in Luanda, parallel to the Ministry of Interior building, and the [church] of Remedios, in the same square as the first police station in Luanda," said the archbishop of Luanda.
According to the president of CEAST, "insecurity in the main urban centers has reached the highest levels", the numbers disclosed in the media are proof of this.
"[TV] Zimbo reported that more than 60 people died, in more than 250 accidents, in the last seven days, and that about 769 crimes of different nature were registered in the first half of 2021, in Bengo province alone. It is alarming and worrying, more than that scary," he added.
The prelate stressed that, in recent days, "citizens' testimonies on the radio are a mixture of despair, fear and revolt, a cry crying out for help, as violence takes over cities and scares people."
"One of the consequences of this fact is precisely that the police are, at this moment, one of the institutions that these days receive less trust and approval from citizens. We do not know who to trust, which often forces them to look for private security or to practice of justice by their own hands, which is not good", he stressed.
In addition to people, public goods are also affected, stressed Filomeno Vieira Dias, disapproving of the vandalization of schools, social and housing facilities under construction, electricity, sanitation and plumbing networks.
"Who protects, who defends, these goods, which belong to everyone? Now, the role of the police is one of the noblest in society, an eminently social role and one of great proximity to the citizen, ensuring public safety, providing protection to citizens and public and private goods, allowing the community to live in harmony, this is its mission, its nature, its purpose, its reason for being", he pointed out.
"Our vote is to see our police reclaim their incorruptible and sublime mission for the good of society as a whole," he added.
The general commander of the National Police, Commissioner General Paulo de Almeida, said that the public security situation in Angola remains stable and under the control of the competent authorities.
Paulo de Almeida, who was speaking at the opening, Tuesday, of the 2021 academic year of the Superior Police Institute, stated that the criminal figures have never affected the general situation of public security, as public and private institutions are fully operational, there is free circulation of people and goods throughout the national territory.
Quoted on the Ministry of Interior's Facebook social network page, Paulo de Almeida repudiated certain behaviors that tend to convey a message of fear and insecurity to citizens, using social networks for this.
"The misuse of social networks has led some people with bad faith to take advantage and spread messages that tend to intimidate unsuspecting citizens", considered Paulo de Almeida.
