On Monday (15/05), hundreds of truck drivers held a demonstration against cargo theft and robbery in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The movement took place just after the announcement of a 45.5% increase in the number of cargo robberies reported in the capital’s metropolitan area in March, when compared to the same period from 2022. The surge in cases led authorities to change the methodology used to classify a cargo robbery.
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Protest
The demonstration brought together entrepreneurs and self-employed drivers. They gathered in the early morning near Mercado São Sebastião, in Penha neighborhood, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The group moved in line along Avenida Brasil and returned to Penha around noon, where they demobilized. The protest caused several traffic jams in the surrounding area, particularly in Avenida Brasil.
Increase in Crimes
The protest took place after two relevant events related to the topic. First, there is the quick and strong increase in the number of cargo robberies in Rio de Janeiro state in March, when a 44.1% increase was confirmed by the Rio Janeiro Public Security Institute (ISP-RJ). In the capital’s metropolitan area, this number was even a bit higher, 45.5%. Most cases take place in this zone, where a total of 476 (97.1%) were recorded in March, meanwhile, the state had 490 crimes perpetrated.
From January to April 2023, there were 1,526 cases in the state, which represents a growth of 13.9% in incidents or 186 new events in relation to 2022. In this timeframe, the Baixada Fluminense and a few other cities that are part of the Integrated Public Security Region 3 stood out with 662 incidents. RISP 2 and 1 came, respectively, in second and third places, with 411 and 330 robberies. These two represent essentially Rio city. In fourth, it was RISP 4, with 99 robberies. The remainder of the state, RISP 5, 6 and 7 had a sum of incidents quite inferior, 24.
Change in Methodology
The increase in cargo robberies led the Civil Police to retake an ordinance from January of last year that was not being followed and change the classification methodology. Since April, the corporation’s leadership has sent alerts in closed WhatsApp groups to its members, establishing criteria for categorizing cargo theft or robbery. To be considered a “cargo robbery or theft”, goods have to be transported by trucks and vans. When cargo is stolen from vehicles less than 1.5 tons, such as motorcycles and standard delivery cars, the incident can be labeled as street or vehicle robbery/theft. This change results and reduces the number of incidents identified as cargo robberies.
Day to Day Risks
When it comes to critical areas for cargo robbery, according to media sources, truck drivers have complained particularly about Avenida Brasil. However, Washington Luís highway and the Arco Metropolitano are also quite problematic points.
Even though vehicle tracking and blocking mechanisms are seen as modern solutions, they are not consensus. Truckers complain that the blocking mechanism puts them in danger, since criminals threaten them when the trucks are locked by the central. On the other hand, the tracking devices are accepted by the drivers, but they cannot prevent robbers from moving the trucks to the favelas, and once there, it is almost always necessary to request a police operation to recover the truck. In the meantime, criminals steal the entire cargo.
In order to reduce risks, drivers create their own techniques. They always take the selective lane; avoid places that border favelas; exchange information using radio, cell phone and apps; avoid driving at certain periods and more.
Source: O Globo [1], [2]; Agência Brasil.
