CRIME-BRAZIL: New Plan to Curb Violence

By Mario Osava Reprint | | Print |

Mario Osava

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jun 21 2000 (IPS) - The Brazilian government announced a new National Programme on Public Security entailing 124 measures designed to curb violent crime, ranging from a ban on firearms sales to a major restructuring of the justice ministry to allow it to exclusively focus on cracking down on violence.

“Alarming statistics” and “personal tragedies” justify assigning top priority to the fight against violent crime, said President Fernando Henrique Cardoso Tuesday, announcing a plan that had been tied up in heated debate for the past four months.

The catalyst that pushed the government to hastily put the finishing touches on the new programme was the commotion caused by the Jun 12 death of a school-teacher taken hostage during a bus robbery in Rio de Janeiro.

In an attempt to shoot the aggressor at a short distance with a submachine gun, a police officer missed and killed the young hostage instead.

The assailant was arrested uninjured, but was strangled to death by military police on the way to the hospital.

The bungled police operation sparked a public scandal, which dealt a new blow to the already low level of confidence in Brazil’s security forces, which are also frequently accused by local and international human rights groups of committing abuses.

An effective fight against violent crime demands “ongoing tough actions, with the support of society,” said Cardoso, who ruled out “isolated decisions and measures with a short-lived impact.”

Through 2002, the central government will earmark three billion reals (1.66 billion dollars) to finance the programme, which includes 124 measures aimed at reducing the country’s high levels of violence.

In Brazil, public security is the responsibility of state governments, which have two police institutions for that purpose, one military and the other civilian.

National authorities “will complement the actions of the states” and reinforce them with funding and training, among other measures, said the president.

Justice minister Jose Gregori said a new National Fund for Public Security would be assigned 330 million reals (183 million dollars) to fund training, equipment and information systems for police forces in states that meet several requirements.

To become eligible for those funds, state governments will have to reduce local crime rates, increase the number of arrests, draw up their own security plans and improve training of police officers, Gregori explained.

The new programme was announced as a provisional measure (a presidential decree valid for 30 days) to go into effect immediately, and to be renewed every month until Congress — sometime before year-end — passes a permanent law on public security, currently under study.

The ban on selling firearms addresses the demands of a broad- based movement, which gained strength last year after a series of shootings in schools and an increase in murders committed for trivial reasons like stealing brand-name items of clothing from youngsters.

But the measure is facing resistance from industry and businesses that have a stake in the arms trade, and from politicians who argue that such a measure would be all but useless.

Other initiatives detailed by Gregori are increased funds for building new prisons, a beefing-up of the federal police force, which answers to the ministry of justice and is dedicated to fighting drug trafficking and border control tasks, increased lighting of streets, and an expansion of the witness protection programme.

Meanwhile, bills will to be sent to Congress to reform the penal code, reorganise state police forces, and introduce innovations in combatting organised crime, such as allowing police agents to infiltrate criminal bands.

In addition, the presence of the armed forces along the borders to curb trafficking of weapons and drugs will be stepped up, announced General Alberto Cardoso, the head of the Cabinet of Institutional Security, which answers to the president.

The government will also be restructured in order to improve the conditions for compliance with the new programme, added the head of the ‘Casa Civil’ of the Presidency, minister Pedro Parente.

A few entities — like the National Indigenous Foundation which assists native communities and offices that defend human rights — will be removed from the jurisdiction of the ministry of justice (in charge of directing the new programme), in order to allow it to concentrate its efforts on fighting violent crime.

The new plan is designed to calm the public, which cites the lack of safety in Brazil’s big cities as one of its most pressing concerns.

In Sao Paulo — Brazil’s largest city, home to 10 million — the murder rate soared from 8.3 to 66.9 per 100,000 inhabitants between 1975 and 1999. A similar increase was seen in several other metropolitan regions in this country of over 163 million.

Another pressing issue constantly mentioned by rights organisations at home and abroad is the question of police brutality and deaths in custody.

Meanwhile, the lion’s share of crimes go unsolved, while impunity is the norm for cases of police violations of citizens’ rights.

The new programme is part of an attempt to shore up the credibility of the Cardoso administration, which since late 1998 has posted one of the lowest approval ratings of any government in the past 20 years.