More than 500 military personnel reinforce security at the Port of Santos, on the São Paulo coast
By First Lieutenant (RM2-T) Vanessa Mendonça – Santos, SP
Patrols and inspections have been stepped up since Monday (06) at the accesses to the Port of Santos, with the start of the Operation to Guarantee Law and Order (GLO) decreed by the Federal Government. With 535 military personnel deployed in the region, the Brazilian Navy (MB) is conducting searches of personnel and vehicles, in preventive and repressive actions to combat drug and arms trafficking, as well as other crimes. Operations in the region are supported by MB naval and marine resources.
In conjunction with public security agencies, MB military personnel inspect maritime traffic; inspect cargo vehicles using sniffer dogs; search for explosives; patrol the port’s internal streets with armored vehicles; and use metal detectors and divers to inspect ship hulls.
According to the Commander of the Task Group in Santos, Rear Admiral Elson Luiz de Oliveira Góis, the actions to strengthen security will take place uninterruptedly throughout the period of the GLO and will preserve the routine in the Port of Santos. “The Naval Power’s characteristics of mobility and permanence give the Brazilian Navy the capacity to act in a unique way in this Operation of Limited Employment of the Force. We are starting with a preventive focus and will also act to crack down on arms trafficking, drug trafficking and illicit activities in general, as provided for in the Presidential Decree, all in an integrated manner with the other participating Forces,” he explained.
The Captain of the Ports of São Paulo and Chief of Staff of the Task Force in Santos, Captain Robledo de Lemos Costa e Sá, also highlighted the use of state-of-the-art equipment in the operation. “The high-tech equipment on the ships involved, such as sensors, radars, thermal imaging cameras and optronic loops, improves the surveillance of ships and vessels, providing great detection capacity and compilation of the tactical picture, as well as situational awareness at the time of each approach.”
Understand what GLO is
The Operation to Guarantee Law and Order (GLO) is carried out exclusively by order of the President of the Republic, in an established area and for a fixed period of time. It is provided for in article 142 of the Federal Constitution, in cases where the traditional public security forces, such as the state Military Police and Civil Police, are exhausted in serious situations of disturbed order. It is usually enacted when state governments ask for federal help.
The GLO assigns the military of the Armed Forces police power until normality is restored, seeking to preserve public order, the integrity of the population and the regular functioning of institutions.
The Armed Forces
The Armed Forces have been involved in GLO operations since the 1990s. The first took place in June 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, ECO-92, with the aim of contributing to public security.
This type of operation was also used at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20), in 2012; at the Confederations Cup and Pope Francis’ visit to Aparecida (SP), in 2013; at the World Cup, in 2014; and at the Olympic Games, in 2016.
In Rio de Janeiro, the last operation was carried out between 2017 and 2018, during the Federal Intervention, which aimed to reduce crime and strengthen public security institutions in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Resources deployed in Santos
– Ocean Patrol Vessel “Apa”
– Maracanã” Patrol Ship
– Patrol Notice “Barracuda”
– Teaching and Patrol Support Boats
– Piranha Armored Wheeled Vehicles
– ATEGO Heavy Vehicles
– UNIMOG Heavy Vehicles
– L-200 Light Vehicles
– Land Rover Light Vehicles
Source: Agência Marinha de Notícias *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***