Rio tries to battle crime with police raids and armor
16 May 2007 19:35:07 GMT Source: Reuters
By Andrei Khalip RIO DE JANEIRO, May 16 (Reuters) - Police and drug traffickers battled each other in a Rio de Janeiro slum for the past two weeks and when the shooting died down, the gangsters were still in control. At least 14 people were killed and dozens wounded in the latest chapter of an urban war in a city now almost as well known for its bloodshed as its beauty. Now authorities plan more slum occupations to bolster security before the Pan-American Games in July, an event that draws athletes from around the hemisphere and is intended to showcase Rio's attractions. They are even looking to buy armored helicopters such as Black Hawks to back up the operations, despite criticism that the police tactics are heavy-handed and inefficient. If the experience of the Vila Cruzeiro slum, or favela, is anything to go by, that's not good news for its residents. "It's absurd! Police have been here for two weeks, bullets flying all over the place, children cannot go to school, and the traffickers don't even hide," said a 56-year-old grandmother in Vila Cruzeiro, who identified herself only as Rose. The fighting died down in the past few days but since May 1 there were daily clashes between police and traffickers in the favela. Many of the casualties were bystanders wounded by stray bullets. The lack of results from the police operation seemed evident. In the favela on Tuesday, a young man in typical Rio attire of shorts and flip-flops was leaning on his assault rifle just 200 yards (metres) from a police post. The favela entrance was half-blocked by rocks so cars had to move slowly under the eyes of the armed gangster. The street was filled with garbage after municipal services refused to collect waste, fearing getting caught in a cross-fire. Bullet marks and graffiti covered the walls. "There were no tangible results like arrests or gun and drug seizures," said Michel Misse, an urban violence expert at Rio de Janeiro Federal University. "Apparently they want to keep certain areas under control for the Games but they are doing the same inefficient operations they've been doing for 20 years." About 1 million people out of Rio's 8 million population live in violence-prone slums, a far cry from the opulent beaches and glittering bars of Brazil's "Marvelous City." The state security department said on Monday five more slums would be occupied soon as part of the fight against drug gangs. It plans to buy several U.S.-made armored helicopters with infrared cameras to spy on gangs and support police raids. SLUM UNDER GANG CONTROL AGAIN Human rights groups have long complained that rough police tactics that involve military-style raids and short occupations of the slums do little to root out the well-armed traffickers and instead endanger innocent residents. Five schools around the slum remained closed on Wednesday even though there have been no clashes for three days. Police still patrolled parts of Vila Cruzeiro by car and armored vehicle, known as "The Big Skull" for its emblem. "The state has been absent here for too long. Police do not represent security, they represent fear," said Mario Ferreira, director of the Vila Cruzeiro residents' association. "We'd like police to bring here doctors for the kids, accompany the garbage trucks, guarantee the rights of the people living here," he added. The plan to buy helicopters found little support. "That's gonna be another Big Skull in the sky," he said. Nei Brabosa, who sells DVDs and trinkets, said street vendors' sales dropped by half in the past two weeks. "People are afraid and stay at home most of the time." Authorities are discussing sending army troops to help fight crime in a city with one of the worst murder rates in Latin America. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Rio in the first two months of 2007, official statistics show. State security chief Jose Beltrame said the violence was confined and foreign athletes and tourists coming for the games would be safe as 18,000 police will patrol the streets.
