Between 2011 and 2023, the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office denounced only 9% of cases of deaths caused by the police (691 out of 7,641 investigations), compared to 3.7% in Rio (147 out of 4,014), according to a study by the Justiça Forum. The investigation highlights the persistent impunity of state agents involved in killings and denounces the exceptionally long average delays in judicial decisions. The report recommends the creation of specialized groups, support from the first hours after the fact, independent expert opinions, and more rigorous monitoring of police actions to guarantee the criminal responsibility of the perpetrators.
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In 2024, São Paulo accounted for 18.5% of all cellphone thefts and robberies in Brazil—169,556 stolen devices, or 19 per hour—despite having only 5.6% of the national population. The data reveals a structured criminal chain: phones are quickly resold, unlocked, used for fraud, dismantled for parts, or exported to countries like Senegal, Nigeria, India, and China, where IMEI checks are weak or absent. Central São Paulo, especially Rua Guaianases, serves as a logistics hub. Victims are mostly Black men aged 20–39, targeted during weekday rush hours, while non-violent thefts more often involve women in commercial spaces on weekends.
In 2024, São Paulo recorded the highest rise in police killings in Brazil, with a 61% increase, reaching 813 deaths, while the national average declined by 3.1%, according to the 19th Brazilian Public Security Yearbook. This spike—returning to pre-bodycam levels—is largely attributed to PM operations in the Baixada Santista and cases like Paraisópolis, where suspects were executed despite surrendering. Critics link the rise to a lack of political accountability and weakened oversight. The surge contrasts with a national drop in violent deaths and comes amid controversy over the state’s shift from uninterrupted to trigger-activated police body cameras.
21/07/2025 – On Monday (21/07), a 51-year-old woman named Maria Gerlene Barbosa de França was fatally stabbed by her ex-husband during a party in São Mateus, East Zone. Surveillance footage captured the moment she was attacked in a crowded bar after refusing to leave with him. The suspect fled the scene and was later found by military police. He had a prior conviction for attempted homicide, and the case is being investigated as femicide.
21/07/2025 – On Monday (21/07), three buses were vandalized in São Paulo, one in Brasilândia (North Zone), another in Vila Mariana (South Zone), and a third at an undisclosed location. In one incident, a driver was assaulted and an elderly passenger injured when a man threw objects at a bus; he was arrested and claimed to be drunk. Another suspect was caught after shattering a bus window with a rock. Since 1 June, the Greater São Paulo area has recorded 813 such attacks, with 12 arrests. Investigators suspect a power struggle within the urban transport workers’ union may be behind the coordinated acts of sabotage.
22/07/2025 – On Tuesday (22/07), São Paulo’s Military Police Internal Affairs arrested two Tactical Force officers in connection with the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jeferson de Souza, a homeless man killed on 13 June near the Viaduto 25 de Março. The officers claimed Jeferson, wanted for rape and assault, attempted to seize a weapon during an ID check, prompting them to fire multiple rifle shots. However, forensic analysis revealed eight gunshot wounds, including two to the head. The incident, partially recorded on body cameras, is under judicial secrecy. The officers were transferred to Romão Gomes prison.
23/07/2025 – On Wednesday (23/07), around 300 members of the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) occupied the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) headquarters in downtown São Paulo. The protest, part of the Peasant Week, criticizes President Lula’s slow progress on agrarian reform. The MST demands include food production credit, permanent technical support, dignified rural housing, and integration into the PAC. In response, the federal government stated that 13,944 settlement lots were secured in 2025, with a goal of 30,000 by year-end and 60,000 by the end of 2026.
23/07/2025 – On Wednesday (23/07), a 34-year-old woman was arrested after police found an AK-47 rifle, a pistol, and ammunition in her luggage during a bus inspection in the Cambuci neighborhood. The bus had departed from Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, carrying street vendors headed to shop in the Brás district. None of the passengers initially claimed the suspicious bag, but boarding footage helped identify the suspect. The woman was taken to the Brás police station.
23/07/2025 – On Wednesday (23/07), São Paulo’s mayor, Ricardo Nunes, announced that military police officers will ride city buses to prevent further vandalism. Over 800 attacks have occurred since June in the capital and metro area, including 545 damaged buses in São Paulo city. Seventeen people have been arrested, including a longtime civil servant accused of 17 attacks and using an official vehicle. Authorities suspect internal disputes within the drivers’ union as a possible motive. The Municipal Guard has also deployed 50 patrol cars to reinforce security in affected areas.
