The city of São Paulo recorded the highest number of thefts in the first quarter of 2025 since the beginning of the historical series, which began in 2001 by the Public Security Department (SSP). On the other hand, the number of people killed by police decreased; however, the number is still quite above the total from previous state administrations. Furthermore, a committee for public security policies was implemented to reinforce strategic decisions, such as the monitoring program, Muralha Paulista.
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Thefts and Homicides Grow in São Paulo
With 61,829 thefts in January, February, and March of this year, the capital surpassed the number of cases recorded in 2023, 61,415, the highest mark recorded until then. The lowest number of thefts in the series was in 2001, with 28,859 cases. Compared to the quarter of the previous year, 2024, there was an increase of 4.61%.
In the case of vehicle thefts, there was a slight increase: from 22,527 in the first quarter of 2024 to 22,552 this year.
Among the stolen objects were wedding rings. The state of São Paulo had 1,333 wedding rings and rings stolen by criminals (robberies and thefts) — compared to 851 in the first two months of 2024. That is, an increase of 56%. The capital of São Paulo alone accounts for 57% of the cases, taking the lead in the ranking of the most dangerous cities for this type of crime.
Cell phones also make up for this total number of thefts. Neighborhoods in the West Zone and the city center, with a higher concentration of pedestrians, lead the list. Pinheiros is the most dangerous neighborhood in the capital, with 1,023 cases in the first two months — the equivalent of 17 cell phones stolen or stolen per day.
Between January and March of this year, the capital recorded 130 cases of intentional homicide. In the same period of 2024, there were 117 occurrences, an increase of 11.1%.
Rape cases increased in the city of São Paulo: they jumped from 706 to 815, an increase of 15.4%.
In relation to thefts in general, there was an increase: it went from 59,104 in the 1st quarter of 2024 to 61,829 this year (+ 4.61%).
The total number of miscellaneous robberies fell from 30,881 to 26,758 occurrences — a reduction of 13.4%.
The biggest individual drop was in cargo theft, which fell from 608 to 460 records, a reduction of 24.3%.
Committee for Public Security Policies
The first meeting of the Strategic Advisory Committee for Public Security Policies, created by Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), was held on Wednesday (30/04). The group’s responsibilities include recommending measures, protocols, management, and information solutions for formulating public policies, and supporting the implementation of actions, projects, and programs. The main topics of discussion at this first meeting were the Muralha Paulista program — a monitoring system using private cameras or cameras owned by municipalities that have agreements with the government — and the body cameras used by police officers.
Muralha Paulista is already in operation in four cities: Indaiatuba, São Paulo, São Carlos, and Praia Grande — the latter two with 100% integration. Technological tools allow data to be cross-referenced to identify fugitives. The purpose of Muralha Paulista is to promote full and collaborative interaction with municipalities in the fight against organized crime. The acquisition of 12,000 new Motorola cameras, which have features such as license plate recognition, improved connectivity, and the possibility of live streaming.
In addition to Muralha Paulista and the cameras, initiatives were presented in which technology has been an ally of public safety, such as the creation of the Digital Observation and Analysis Center (Noad), which identifies virtual crimes on platforms such as Telegram and Discord.
Police Lethality
A total of 163 people were killed by security forces in the state of São Paulo in the first three months of this year, according to data released by the government of Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) on Wednesday (30).
This represents a 25% drop compared to the same period last year, when police interventions left 219 people dead. Despite this reduction, the level of police lethality is higher than in 2022 and 2023 — respectively, the last years of João Doria (no party) as head of the São Paulo government and the first of Tarcísio. Most of the deaths occurred in cases where military police officers were on duty — they were responsible for 131 of the 163 deaths.
In the first quarter of 2025, a total of six police officers were killed violently. Among them are two on-duty PMs, two on-duty civil police officers, and two off-duty police officers. These numbers represent a drop in deaths among security forces. In the first quarter of last year, there were a total of nine deaths—four PMs and five civil police officers.
The first year of Tarcísio’s administration saw a total of 504 deaths caused by police officers, an increase of almost 20% compared to the previous year, when the state was governed by Doria and Rodrigo Garcia. Last year, there were a total of 814 deaths caused by police officers on and off duty, an increase of 63% compared to the first year of Tarcísio’s administration.
