The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski, extended the period of operation of the National Force in Rio de Janeiro and the Legal Amazon. The decision was published in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU) this Monday (1).
According to the document, the agents will remain in the state of Rio de Janeiro at least until April 30th. The National Force will continue to support federal and state public security bodies, operating in essential activities and services to maintain public order and protect people and property.
In the Legal Amazon, agents remain on site to support the actions of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama).
According to the ordinance, the use of the National Force was extended for another 180 days, from April 1st to September 27th, in the North (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins), Northeast (Maranhão) and Center regions -West (Mato Grosso).
The decision aims to support environmental protection actions, with a special focus on combating deforestation, illegal mining and timber extraction, invasion of federal areas and combating vegetation fires.
Security operations in RJ
The National Force has been operating in Rio de Janeiro since October 2023. In November, the then Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, stated that he would maintain the operation in the state until January 2024, when a new assessment would be made on the need to maintain the teams in the fight against criminal organizations, mainly militias and drug trafficking.
This is the second extension of the provisional measure carried out by the new management of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. The first was done in January, with a deadline of 60 days.
The decision came after a request for help from Governor Cláudio Castro (PL), issued by Palácio Guanabara, without details about the reasons that motivated the request to extend the deadline — which would end on Sunday (31).
The operation has logistical support from the Rio de Janeiro government, responsible for providing the necessary infrastructure for the National Force. The contingent made available will follow the planning established by the National Force board.
Historic
Since October 2023, around 300 members of the National Force and 270 agents of the Federal Highway Police, from nine states, have been transferred to Rio de Janeiro. They are involved in patrolling the state's federal roads, aiming to combat the illegal transport of weapons and drugs.
When federal troops arrived in the state, the governor declared that their presence would be crucial to “stifle crime.”
According to data from the Public Security Institute (ISP), the presence of the National Force showed positive results at the beginning. On Wednesday (27), it was reported that the state recorded the lowest number of deaths in violent crimes since the beginning of the historical series, which dates back to 1991.
This indicator covers intentional homicides, bodily injuries followed by death, robberies followed by death and deaths resulting from intervention by state agents. In the first two months of this year, there was a 21% drop in this index compared to the same period in 2023, according to the Institute.
*under the supervision of Brenda Silva
Source: CNN Brasil
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