RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Police in Rio de Janeiro could get 100 million reais ($58.3 million) from Brazil’s federal government to bolster the force after weekend drug violence claimed at least 17 lives and turned parts of the seaside city into virtual war zones.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called state Governor Sergio Cabral this weekend to offer the National Security Force and federal resources to the beleaguered state, Cabral said yesterday.
Drug battles between two rival gangs escalated on Saturday and plunged the crime-ridden city into a weekend of violence, with drug dealers shooting down a police helicopter over the “Hill of Monkeys” slum and at least eight buses set on fire.
At least 17 people have been killed so far, including three police officers who were on board the helicopter when it went down on a soccer field and burst into flames, and police raids on the favelas were expected later yesterday.
Part of the federal funds would go toward buying an armored helicopter, Cabral said. The helicopter destroyed over the weekend was only partly bullet proof.
“I got a call from President Lula to show his support and confirming the approval of the resources for the helicopter,” Cabral told reporters, adding that the state would receive the federal funds over the next six months.
Rio is widely considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities, a factor that helped it land the 2016 Olympics earlier this month over rivals Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid.
Organizers promised the International Olympic Committee that Rio could clean itself up and reduce its notoriously high levels of violence in time for the Games and the resulting wave of tourists.
The police expect coordinated action in at least six slums later yesterday in the northern part of the city with 4,000 officers at the ready, said Major Oderley Santos, a spokesman for the military police.
“We intend to take in the drug traffickers who directly or indirectly were part of the helicopter attack,” Santos said.
The Hill of Monkeys slum remained tense yesterday, with residents staying off the streets and schools and businesses only partially open.
