The Ministry of Justice decided that the Federal Highway Police (PRF) will start patrolling Avenida Brasil, one of Rio’s main expressways. The decision was taken on Thursday (28/09), one day after criminals threw a grenade at a bus with passengers. The attack left three people injured, one of them seriously, near Barros Filho, North Zone. In a meeting, Minister Flávio Dino determined that the PRF operates in the entire length of Avenida Brasil, which connects downtown Rio to Santa Cruz, West Zone. The guideline is for the PRF to carry out overt policing, in an attempt to curb cargo theft and mass robberies.
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How It Was
Although it is managed by Rio City Hall, the Avenue includes sections of three federal highways: BR-101, BR-116 and BR-040. Today, Rio’s Military Police is in charge of patrol the avenue.
Support for Rio Security
The dispatch of the PRF is part of a package of measures to be announced by the federal government in support of Rio’ security. The Ministry of Justice will also offer help from the National Security Force to reinforce the fight against organized crime in Complexo da Maré, which is local on the margins of Avenida Brazil.
Problems with the PRF
During the Independence holiday, on September 7, a PRF action shot a 3-year-old girl in Arco Metropolitano, also in Rio. The girl was hit in the spine and head when approaching the car in which she was traveling with her family. After that, 28 PRF agents went to the public hospital where she was admitted to in serious condition. The family reported scenes of intimidation. One of the agents even approached the girl’s father in the pediatric emergency. The girl died on 16 September, after nine days in the ICU.
Federal Government in Rio Public Security
There are three decades of joint and specific work, with successes and failures. 2010 was an emblematic year, with emphasis on the military troops occupying the Complexos do Alemão and Penha. The action lasted two years. The armed forces were also present to provide security during election periods and major events, such as World Youth Day in 2013 and the World Cup in 2014. That same year, the armed forces occupied Complexo da Maré. The action lasted one year and three months. 2016, the year of the Rio Olympics, and once again the men of the national force came to Rio. In 2018, federal intervention came in the State’s public security. There were almost eleven months of armed forces on the streets.
Analysis:
At times like the current one in Rio de Janeiro where these criminal factions are having almost daily conflicts in different parts of the city in a dispute over territories and drug sales points, the security situation is beyond the control of the Military Police. This is clear in the recent episode where a grenade was thrown at a bus on Avenida Brasil, one of the most important highways in the city and where there is a large flow of people. In these times of crisis, the State government can ask the federal government for help. This has already happened at other times. In this specific case we will not have a federal intervention like the one that happened in 2018, only the Federal Highway Police (PRF) will be responsible for patrolling Avenida Brasil. What worries several experts is that the PRF has a recent history of troubled actions that led to the deaths of innocent people.
