In 2014, Porto Alegre entered the infamous ranking of the 50 most violent cities in the world. In 2011, there were 17.5 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in Rio Grande do Sul, a rate 45% higher than that of São Paulo, according to the Brazilian Public Security Forum. In five years, the rate in Rio Grande do Sul rose to almost two and a half times that of São Paulo. However, from 2017 on, the situation begun to improve consistently. The progress appears to have been the result of a consistent public security plan, which could work as a model for other states.
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The Improvement
Rio Grande do Sul has seen drops of over 50% in four types of crime since 2017: intentional homicides have fallen by 54%, robberies by 78%, vehicle theft by 87% and robberies of pedestrians by 78%.
Strategy
The pillars that sustain such improvement are: 1) direct participation by the governor; 2) integration between the Executive and the Judiciary; 3) emphasis on the Civil Police, using intelligence and data to define prevention and combat actions. The RS Seguro program was central.
The administration receives information from police reports on a daily basis. The data can be accessed by police officers, prosecutors and judges. Once the diagnosis is made, crime reduction targets are established in the 23 most violent municipalities. The strategy involves repression and deterrence, with selective arrests and social prevention initiatives.
Rio Invests in Protection for Police
Meanwhile, the Rio de Janeiro state administration has to deal with a much more violent reality and difficulties in containing it. Due to that, to improve the security of police officers, the state has decided to invest R$10 million to purchase 4,000 ballistic helmets for military police officers. The equipment will protect officers against firearm projectiles, shrapnel, and explosions, in addition to mitigating direct impacts. The helmets will be used by officers assigned to units of the corporation that work in special operations, as they are more exposed to risk situations.
Despite many years of consecutive falls in the numbers of intentional homicides across the state, Rio still concentrated, in 2024, 18.3 intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The rate is a reflection of the high violence scenario, which comes as a consequence of the war between the drug trafficking gangs, the militias, and a confrontation strategy adopted by police and politicians. Another consequence of this is seen through high expenses with security.
More Cameras in São Paulo
In São Paulo, where the lowest rate of intentional homicides in Brazil is found – 5.9 per 100,000 inhabitants – the installation of cameras is among some of the main trends. This technology is quickly spreading through private and public investment. One company alone has now 7,000 cameras across the city streets, another one has 4,000, and a third group has 1,500.
The companies cooperate with the public administration, and they can help the police investigations. Requests for images can be made by the police themselves, by the client, or even by someone who identifies a camera near where the victim of a crime was. The cameras can recognize criminal patterns and trigger internal alarms to draw the operators’ attention. Others can even allow operators to communicate with a victim or someone in distress.
The city administration is the leader when it comes to the number of cameras. It currently holds 25,000, out of which 25% are in partnership with private companies. The leading project is “Smart Sampa”, which helps find missing people, identify and chase criminals, detect crimes, and more.
Analysis:
The crime map in Rio Grande do Sul is dominated by local factions, with no significant presence from the largest national factions, First Capital Command (PCC) and Red Command (CV). However, the measures implemented in Rio Grande do Sul could have good results if replicated in other states, despite their differences in scenarios. In Brazil, there is no defined pattern for crime. The PCC was born and grew up in São Paulo, the state with the lowest homicide rates. Rio, the birthplace of CV, has a high rate. In the North and Northeast, where local groups prevail, murders reach epidemic proportions. Whatever the situation, the fight against crime must rely on targets based on reliable and up-to-date data, cooperation with the justice system, coordinated actions, and constant attention from the governor. The formula could help even the worst scenarios, like in those seen in the states of the Northeast and in Rio.
Sources: O Globo; Extra; Folha de SP.
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