Light, the electricity distributor responsible for supplying 31 cities in Rio de Janeiro, including the capital, reported 115 incidents of power cable punctures in its concession area between January and June. In total, 87.5 kilometers of cables were vandalized. To put the scale of the problem into perspective, this amount of wiring would be enough to cross the 13.2 km Rio-Niterói Bridge approximately 6.6 times — or to cover the round-trip distance between downtown Rio and São Gonçalo.
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Most Affected Neighborhoods
The neighborhoods most affected by these crimes are Ipanema, Copacabana, downtown Rio (Centro), and Barra da Tijuca — all high-traffic areas critical to the city’s infrastructure.
2024
In 2024 alone, the company had already recorded 351 incidents, resulting in the loss of approximately 76,000 meters of cables.
City of Police
In January, criminals stole power cables that supply electricity to the City of Police, located in the Jacaré neighborhood in Rio’s North Zone. As a result, the complex — which houses 15 police precincts — was left without power. The outage caused system failures across various departments, preventing the registration of police reports. The incident occurred on the same day civil police forces from Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo launched a major operation in the Complexo da Maré. The City of Police is surrounded by the favelas of Jacarezinho and Manguinhos. It houses 15 specialized police departments, linked to the leadership of the civil police force, and employs over 3,000 agents. The facility is enclosed by high walls, which have not deterred criminal activity.
Building in Ipanema
In April, a building in Ipanema, in Rio’s South Zone, was left without electricity for eight hours after Light’s cables were stolen. The material was taken from an underground gallery supplying the building. Power went out at 6:00, and Light technicians restored service around 14:00.
Stray Bullets and Illegal Connections
In addition to thefts, Light also faced acts of vandalism involving firearms. In the first half of this year, 68 incidents were recorded in which equipment was hit by gunfire, including 29 transformers. These attacks left more than 38,000 customers without electricity during this period. The company notes that thanks to the redundancy of its power grid, an additional 69,000 customers were not affected.
Analysis:
The surge in cable thefts and vandalism targeting Light’s energy infrastructure reveals a growing and complex security challenge that directly affects essential urban services in Rio de Janeiro. The theft of nearly 88 kilometers of cables in just six months — enough to span the Rio-Niterói Bridge multiple times — illustrates not only the scale of criminal activity but also the operational vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. These crimes, concentrated in densely populated and economically strategic neighborhoods like Ipanema and Centro, create significant disruptions to both residential life and business continuity.
The incident at the Cidade da Polícia is particularly alarming. Beyond the symbolism of attacking the state’s central policing complex, the blackout compromised public security operations at a time of heightened law enforcement activity. This reflects the boldness of criminal networks operating in or around high-risk areas like Jacarezinho and Manguinhos, where territorial control by armed groups remains a persistent threat.
