Botafogo, a traditional residential neighborhood in Rio’s South Zone, where part of the city’s elite live, is experiencing a growing insecurity caused by the presence of crack users on several streets. While residents and business owners report fear and violence, the solution to the problem is hindered by a lack of coordination between the state’s security authorities and the city government. The city authorities claim that the solution is not in their hands but in the state’s. Meanwhile, this one claims that it has been doing its part. One of the main issues is copper cable thefts in public and private structures. On Rua São Clemente, on the corner of Sorocaba, there was a drug consumption point under some trees, which were removed. Residents report that drug addicts ask for money or anything that can be exchanged for drugs. If the person says they don’t have any or don’t want to give it, they threaten them. The sidewalk of their building on Rua Real Grandeza, near the São João Batista Cemetery, to consume crack. In Praça Corumbá, on the way up Morro Dona Marta, graffiti may be the source of this insecurity. On a wall, gang graffiti indicates that a criminal group controls the territory. It also says that crack cannot be smoked in the vicinities. Drug addicts buy crack because it is cheaper, and it can be exchanged for copper wires taken from power and internet networks or other stolen goods. When scattered, the presence of drug consumers increases the feeling of danger and makes it difficult for health and security authorities to act. Larger crowds also form, but they seem to be occasional and nomadic; they avoid staying in one place for too long. Although it is not possible to make a direct connection between crime rates and the presence of crack users, the fact is that Botafogo’s numbers showed an increase when comparing the accumulated total from January to November 2023 with the same period last year. According to the Public Security Institute (ISP), the number of cell phone thefts, for example, jumped 90%, from 225 to 429. Robberies of passersby went from 409 to 674 (64.7%).
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A survey carried out by the RJ2 TV show on Rede Globo indicates that, since the beginning of the year, 11 people have died in Greater Rio from stray bullets. Data from the Crossfire Institute indicates that another 17 people were injured by gunfire.
The Military Police released, Wednesday morning (01/01), a balance of the main occurrences recorded during New Year’s Eve in Copacabana. Seven people were detained (including three teenagers). The teams seized 234 bladed weapons and two gel weapons at the search points throughout the neighborhood. Seventeen cell phones were recovered. A child who was missing was found with the help of facial recognition and sent to the Guardianship Council.
01/01/2025 – A 25-year-old motorcycle courier was shot dead while delivering drinks in the Quintino neighborhood, North Zone, on Wednesday (01/01). According to witnesses, he was shot by traffickers from Serrinha, in Madureira. On social media, reports point out that criminals accused him of being a police informant.
01/01/2025 – Residents of Morro do São Carlos, in Estácio, Central Region of Rio, woke up on Wednesday (01/01) to an intense confrontation between rival factions on Rua São Carlos. Videos circulating on social networks show armed men entering one of the main access streets to the community.
01/01/2025 – A man and his daughter were victims of a stray bullet during New Year’s Eve on Copacabana Beach, South Zone, on Wednesday (01/01). In a video published on social media, he said that the shot hit his thigh, and the projectile ricocheted off the cell phone, hitting the young woman’s arm.
01/01/2025 – An Italian tourist was injured during a robbery, on Wednesday (01/01), at Flamengo Beach, South Zone. Bandits tried to take the foreigner’s cell phone when he disembarked from a car. The victim was taken to the hospital.
04/01/2025 – Police officers from the 23rd BPM (Leblon) arrested, on Saturday night (04/01), eight people from a São Paulo gang specialized in receiving cell phones in an apartment on Negreiros Lobato Street, in Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, South Zone, after being called by a robbery victim who shared the cell phone’s GPS. During the action, agents recovered 95 devices, among other electronic materials, and three vehicles.
04/01/2024 – A man was arrested on Saturday afternoon (04/01), after showing his penis to a woman inside a BRT bus, at Magarça station, in Guaratiba, West Zone. The victim even took a photo of the criminal with his genitals out of his pants. Passengers held the suspect until the woman’s husband called BRT Seguro agents. A knife was seized with him.
05/01/2025 – An intense shootout between rival criminals in Morro dos Macacos, in Vila Isabel, North Zone, lasted for hours and caused moments of terror, on Sunday night (05/01). In the confrontation, a woman was shot inside her home.
05/01/2025 – A stray bullet hit a child’s room on Sunday night (05/01), during a confrontation in Morro dos Macacos, in Vila Isabel, North Zone. The affected apartment is on the 12th floor, located at the beginning of Botucatu Street, in Grajaú. The bullet went through the window and ended its course on the wall on top of the bed. No one was injured.
05/01/2025 – A man was arrested in a hostel in Praça da Bandeira, North Zone, for the rape of a vulnerable person, on Sunday (05/01), after being caught caressing the private parts of a 6-year-old child. The crime happened on Friday (03/01) inside a toy store in Saracuruna, in Duque de Caxias, in the Baixada Fluminense. The victim is the suspect’s goddaughter.
06/01/2025 – Agents of the 11th Police Precinct (Rocinha) arrested, on Monday (06/01), a man accused of posing as a lawyer to apply scams, especially to the elderly. The arrest took place in the Penha neighborhood, North Zone. According to the police, the suspect deceived victims who sought help to solve issues related to retirement. Even the lawyer who represented him in a lawsuit ended up becoming a victim of the scammer, who used the defender’s data to commit new frauds.
06/01/2025 – A 20-year-old man died, shot in the neck, on Monday night (06/01), in Vila Aliança, in Bangu, West Zone, during an attempted invasion by the Red Command (CV) of Vila Kennedy, Bangu. According to reports, men on a motorcycle passed by shooting. The criminals’ target would be a local drug dealer who was also shot and died on the spot.
07/01/2025 – A criminal was arrested on Tuesday morning (07/01), while trying to steal cables on Rua Eleutério Mota, in Olaria, North Zone. According to the PM, the man used a truck to transport the stolen materials. In the action, the police of the 16th BPM (Olaria) seized an axe, a cell phone, and 163 meters of telephone cables that were in the criminal’s possession.
07/01/2025 – Two men were arrested on Tuesday (07/01), in Cinelândia Square, in the Center, for selling dermocosmetics and medicines stolen from pharmacies. Part of the material had expired. Investigations began after one of the gang members confessed to the theft of the items. He said that the products were resold to street vendors.
08/01/2025 – An intense shootout between rival factions took place in Vila Kennedy, in Bangu, West Zone. In retaliation for the deaths of Monday night (06/01), drug dealers from the TCP of Vila Aliança tried to invade Vila Kennedy, controlled by the CV. At the same time, the Military Police carried out an operation in the community to dismantle the criminal actions and serve arrest warrants.
08/01/2025 – A car was stolen by armed criminals a few meters from a PM vehicle on São Salvador Street, in Laranjeiras, South Zone, on Wednesday night (08/01) and was recorded by a security camera. In the video, it is possible to see the driver parking the car on the road, right in front of Praça São Salvador. Then, the criminals arrive in another vehicle. Three of them get out of the car and approach the driver.
08/01/2025 – A 76-year-old man died on Wednesday morning (08/01), after being hit by a stray bullet on Rua Acaré, near Morro São João, in Engenho Novo, North Zone. According to the Military Police, a UPP team from this favela was on patrol when they were attacked by drug traffickers and reacted.
09/01/2025 – Residents of the Cabeça de Porco community, in Taquara, West Zone, experienced another night of terror on Thursday (09/01) due to an intense confrontation between drug traffickers from the Red Command (CV) and Pure Third Command (TCP). In videos circulating on social media, it is possible to hear the intensity of the shooting. A stray bullet hit an apartment in the Portal da Taquara Condominium, which is located on Rua Ariapó.
10/01/2025 – On Friday (10/01), a plainclothes São Paulo police officer reacted to an attempted robbery of a bus on Avenida Francisco Bicalho, in São Cristóvão, North Zone. According to the Military Police, two men announced the robbery, and the agent was inside the transport. The suspect in the crime was hit and died on the spot. The second suspect managed to escape.
10/01/2025 – On Friday night (10/01), a man was shot dead on Capitão Bonito Street, in Bangu, West Zone. According to the Military Police, the victim was murdered by drug traffickers from Vila Kennedy because he was wearing a black shirt. The region is disputed between the Red Command (CV) and the militia. According to reports, drug traffickers prohibited the use of black shirts because they are usually worn by militiamen during confrontations.
11/01/2025 – An outsourced employee of Águas do Rio (Rio’s water company) shot on Saturday night (11/01) during an exchange of fire between criminals and military police on Estrada de Botafogo, in Complexo da Pedreira, in Pavuna, North Zone, did not resist his injuries and died. According to the Military Police, a patrol saw two armed men on a motorcycle, who shot at the military and there was a confrontation. In the action, a police officer and a bandit were injured. The criminal died at the hospital.
11/01/2025 – On Saturday afternoon (11/01), criminals broke into an apartment on Rua Cinco de Julho, in Copacabana, South Zone, and stole R$ 600,000 in cash, jewelry and watches. The crime was caught by security cameras. According to the resident, on the morning of the same day, the criminals had tried to enter a building on Rua Dias da Rocha, which is close to the site, but failed.
13/01/2025 – The Federal Revenue Service seized a shipment of 804g of skunk, a drug derived from marijuana, in an international postal package at Galeão Airport, in the North Zone of Rio, on Monday (13/01). The drug, valued at R$ 60,300, was divided into three food packages.
15/01/2025 – One person died, and two others were injured by stray bullets during an attack that took place on Avenida Alfredo Albuquerque, in Vila Kennedy, West Zone, on Wednesday night (15/01). Bandits, who would be from a rival faction of Vila Aliança and the Senador Camará Complex, opened fire on a soccer field, hitting three people. According to information, the fatal victim would be linked to the drug trafficking of Vila Kennedy.
15/01/2025 – The Civil and Military Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rio de Janeiro launched, on Wednesday (15/01), an operation in the Complexo do Alemão, North Zone, to dismantle the financial core of the Red Command (CV). There was intense shooting upon the arrival of the teams. An officer from the Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) was injured and three suspects died. According to reports from residents, since Tuesday night (14/01) drug traffickers have been moving through the set of favelas to block streets with barricades and spread oil on some of them.
16/01/2025 – A municipal guard responsible for the security of the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, was shot in an attempted robbery in the early hours of Thursday (16/01), on França Júnior Street, in Andaraí, North Zone. Inside the vehicle was also a military police officer, who reacted to the attempted robbery and exchanged fire with the criminals. The criminals fled.
19/01/2025 – One man was shot dead at around 2:50 on Sunday (19), at the Wyndham Rio Barra, on Avenida Lúcio Costa. The victim, a resident of Tijuca, in the North Zone, was staying with his family at the hotel to enjoy the weekend. According to relatives, he was returning from work when he arrived at the location and could not enter because there was a car blocking the way. Then, he started an argument with one man, whose vehicle blocked the entrance. During the discussion, the other man, who was later identified as a police officer, shot him thrice. The killer is on the run.
19/01/2025 – Singer Nego do Borel reported that he suffered an attempted robbery in Tijuca, in the North Zone of Rio, on the night of last Sunday (19). According to the funk singer, the crime took place near Praça Vanhargen, one of the main bar spots in the neighborhood. After noticing that the victim was the famous singer, the robbers returned the phone.
19/01/2025 – On Sunday morning (19/01), a military police officer who was working as a taxi driver shot dead another driver after an argument. According to the witnesses, the victim left his car with a gun in his hand and walked towards the taxi driver, who shot him right away. The incident took place in Rua Estrela, Praça Condessa, in Rio Comprido.
20/01/2025 – Two men robbed customers at a restaurant in Barra da Tijuca, in the West Zone. During the action, a police officer, who was among the customers, reacted and shot both criminals. The incident took place in the early hours of Monday (20), on Avenida do Pepê, facing the beach. One criminal was killed.
24/01/2025 – The Military Police, with support from the Civil Police, carried out an operation in the Alemão and Penha complexes, in the North Zone of Rio, on Friday morning. There was intense shooting in the areas. A man died after being hit by a stray bullet near the Penha BRT station. A police officer was shot in the head and taken in serious condition to the Getúlio Vargas State Hospital. Wander Souza dos Santos, 21, was admitted to the same unit. He was injured while at home and is in stable condition. A woman who was grazed on the head sought help at the hospital. In all, 500 officers were mobilized for the operation.
26/01/2025 – A 2-year-old girl was shot in the head on Sunday night (26/01), in Pilares, North Zone. According to the mother’s report, the family was passing by Avenida João Ribeiro, near Morro do Engenho when they heard a bang and realized that the child was injured. According to the police, bandits were robbing in the region and there was a report of shooting.
27/01/2025 – An influencer, the girlfriend of a famous singer, was the victim of a robbery, on Monday (27/01), inside the parking lot of Shopping Nova América, in Del Castilho, North Zone. Rayane was approached by criminals on a motorcycle after entering the parking lot of the shopping center. She was not injured. The vehicle was recovered hours later by Military Police and Civil Police in a condominium in the Morar Carioca community, in Triagem.
28/01/2025 – A Civil Police Chief was shot at and cornered in the Morar Carioca community, in Triagem, North Zone, on Monday (28/01). He was rescued by other civil police officers. The police officer would have entered the community by mistake. During the shooting, a 22-year-old resident was hit by a stray bullet.
28/01/2025 – A bandit stole a bicycle on Rua Barata Ribeiro, in Copacabana, South Zone, on Tuesday afternoon (28/01). According to the Civil Police, the bicycle had a tracker. The victim followed the instructions of the locator and found the thief, who assaulted her. People intervened and assaulted the suspect. In videos circulating on the internet, it is possible to see the man being dragged by the people to the door of the 12th DP (Copacabana). He was arrested.
29/01/2025 – Civil police officers from Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, with the support of the Military Police, began on Wednesday (29/01) Operation Lost Connection, against drug traffickers from the Third Pure Command (TCP) of the state of Espírito Santo established in Complexo da Maré an extortion and money laundering scheme that moved R$ 43 million in just one year. Ten people were arrested, one bandit died, and another was injured. Avenida Brasil was closed for a few minutes. There were intense gunfights and burning barricades.
31/01/2025 – A lieutenant of the 41BPM (Irajá) was shot dead on Friday (31/01), during a mega operation in the Israel Complex, North Zone. He was injured in Jardim América and was taken to a hospital but he did not resist. Due to the intense shooting, Avenida Brasil was closed in both directions.
TRENDS & ADVICE
- During summer months, mass robberies and thefts in touristic spots become the most prevalent security risks in Rio de Janeiro, specially in the city’s South Zone.
- Crowded beaches and its vicinities should be avoided.
- Avoid any display of wealth (jewelry, cell phones), but always carry a small amount of money (R$50) to hand over to muggers.
- In case of robbery: cooperate, do not try to run after the assailant as he or she might not be alone or turn violent.
- In the case of being in the immediate vicinity of a shootout:
- Lay on the ground and seek cover.
- When it is safe to do so, find the nearest building, stay away from windows, do not move unless you are sure that the gunfire has ended.
- Avoid walking alone in poorly lit areas or beaches after nightfall. Avoid walking through tunnels.
- Avoid the vicinity of crime-prone areas such as ‘communities’ (so-called ‘favelas’) and lower-income neighborhoods.
- Be always cautious, even in the areas considered safe such as Downtown, Botafogo, Copacabana and Ipanema. Exercise caution in the Centro during the day and avoid the area after nightfall and on Sundays.
- Be careful when using the GPS as they may lead you to unsafe areas controlled by organized crime. Prefere Cooperative taxis instead of driving yourself.
