Brazilian Government Unveils Plan to Combat Criminal Gangs

Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security announced the creation of a plan to combat criminal gangs operating throughout the country. 

RELATED:
Brazilian President Discharged From Hospital After Hip Surgery

The initiative, called the National Program for Confronting Criminal Organizations, involves an investment of around 180 million dollars and will be implemented gradually. 

The plan envisages promoting the improvement of police forces, integration and information exchange between national and regional agencies to combat drug trafficking. It also plans to "strengthen security at ports, airports and borders and increase the effectiveness of criminal justice," the ministry said in a statement. 

It is a set of actions to be implemented gradually until 2026 with the objective of "improving the human resources of public security institutions and strengthening criminal investigation and intelligence activities, in order to dismantle and decapitalize the groups, which have grown in recent years."

The tweet reads, "Dino launches program against criminal organizations and criticizes extremism. The National Program to Combat Criminal Organizations will invest R$900 million over the next three years."

The Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, said in statements to the GloboNews channel that the plan is  "focused on intelligence and investigation. On the one hand, the idea that there is security without forces is false. On the other hand, the idea that security means going out and shooting without rhyme or reason is false."

"We intend to address structural problems, such as vulnerability at borders and with currency control, the transnational nature of crime, the deficiency in asset recovery, the poor integration between security forces and the structural deficiency of police forces," the minister said. 

On the occasion, specific measures were also announced for the states of Rio de Janeiro (southeast) and Bahia (northeast), which have been suffering an escalation of violent deaths in recent weeks.

The Minister of Justice said that the state of Bahia will receive an additional 20 million reais or 3.9 million dollars to reinforce security. Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro was authorized to send agents from the National Public Security Force to reinforce the fight against drug trafficking.

The National Force, which is not related to the Armed Forces, is composed of police, firefighters and military personnel and acts in specific emergency cases. 

Insecurity in Bahia and Rio de Janeiro 

Bahia was the state with the most murders last year, with more than 6,600, according to data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum. The Northeastern state is experiencing an increase in homicides due to the confrontation of several rival drug gangs and police action.

For its part, Rio de Janeiro has recently witnessed grenade attacks against a bus on one of the main roads into the city. A training center to prepare drug traffickers for confrontations with police was also discovered in Complexo da Maré, one of Rio's largest favelas.