(Reuters) – The use of the Armed Forces to fight crime in the state of Rio de Janeiro is being studied by the federal government, Justice and Public Security Minister Flávio Dino said on Monday.
According to him, although the issue is under analysis, it is initially necessary to wait for the results of the task force set up to tackle organized crime.
This week, 300 men from the National Public Security Force and 250 from the Federal Highway Police will begin operating in Rio in support of the local security forces. The Federal Police are also helping to reinforce actions at ports and airports, and are being assisted by the Brazilian Navy.
“Does the issue exist? Yes, it exists,” said Dino when asked by journalists about the possible use of the Armed Forces in the fight against crime in Rio de Janeiro.
“Not necessarily in the form of a GLO (Guarantee of Law and Order)… technical study, debate. And there is no decision by the President of the Republic on this. This will depend on the diagnosis and the evolution of the facts in Rio,” he added, saying that he is waiting for the end of the Ministry of Defense’s role in the withdrawal of Brazilians from Israel to move forward with the discussions.
Dino said that security planning has to be dynamic in order to combat crime.
“This is an analysis of the situation and nobody is going to maintain the same plan for months on end. You have to measure week by week, is there a decline in the rate of violence? How much property has been seized, how many blocked?” he said. “You can only gauge the planning line in two or three weeks with concrete results.”
The possibility of using the Armed Forces, according to the minister, would be based on Complementary Law 97, which dates back to the Fernando Henrique Cardoso administration. The law allows the use of the Armed Forces without the need for a GLO, which in practice gives police power to the military of the Armed Forces.
Under the Michel Temer administration, public security in the state of Rio de Janeiro underwent federal intervention and a GLO was decreed.
“There is a technical study being debated, but it hasn’t been defined,” Dino said of the use of the Armed Forces.