Clashes erupted in Rio de Janeiro as thousands of people gathered for a march in support of striking teachers.

The action was peaceful, as it was previously announced. It took only 50 minutes, then had police and soldiers occupied the favela complex in northern Rio de Janeiro Lin on Sunday, a collection of twelve slums, with an estimated population of 15,000. On the summit of one of the slums they hoisted the Brazilian flag, thus demonstrating the state power, we have recaptured this site.

Before there reigned a heavily armed drug dealers of course, as in most of the more than 300 favelas of Rio. The gangsters fled after the police had announced that favela complex was equipped with a UPP. This abbreviation stands for unity of peace police. It stands in the center of the security strategy of Rio Governor Sérgio Cabral.

Built the first permanent police stations in the favelas – the slums before she entered only during raids, then pulled off again. Usually they can lead to gunfights, often innocent people died. There are now 34 UPPs in Rio, they control more than a hundred favelas with hundreds of thousands of residents.

So the city will be safer, especially with regard to the World Cup next year and the 2016 Olympic Games. Is responsible for the implementation of the strategy security secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame, a level-headed, respected former police commissioner from the south of the country. He ordered that the occupation of the favelas will be announced in advance to avoid a bloodbath. Previously went to this concept, the traffickers usually sat off in time.

Violence Rio de Janeiro:Police officers are considered bat and murderer

Only in the occupation of the Complexo do Alemão, one of the largest collections of Rio favela, it was two years ago, several days of shooting. In the huge slum area had Rios greatest criminal organization, the Comando Vermelho, established his headquarters. They terrorized the city with stops on buses and police stations, there were more than a dozen deaths.

In Rio, the murder rate has fallen dramatically since the introduction of the UPPs. In the favelas of the real estate market is booming, especially in the slums of the South Zone have become popular as a destination for tourists and locals. Enterprising residents rent their verandas and roofs for parties and photo shoots.

But how long will the peace in the huts? Rios police officers enjoy many favela residents a worse reputation than the criminal drug gangs: They are considered as bats and killer. Often rightly, as well as security minister admits Beltrame.

Ten policemen, including the head of the UPP will be responsible for the torture and murder of a laborer Amarildo de Souza in Rio’s largest favela Rocinha favela residents at least 20 more were tortured by the police. This resulted in an investigation of the prosecution, which was completed last week. De Souza was born on 14 July was intercepted by police and ordered to the UPP-guard. The officers, the prosecutors believed that the builder’s mate was doing henchmen services for the drug mafia. They wanted information from him about the whereabouts of the gangsters and their weapons cache.

The UPP police claim that they de Souza sent home after the hearing because he had no information. But they overlook the fact that a surveillance camera filmed the only access to the station around the clock. On the video you can see how de Souza goes into the guard, but he can not get out. The investigation of a special unit showed that he was tortured in the presence of UPP-area conductor with electric shocks and eventually murdered. His body has disappeared, probably she was taken from the favela in the trunk of a police car.

Violence  Rio de Janerio:”Under the military dictatorship, the police were less violent”

The crime casts a shadow on the entire pacification strategy of the government. “Where is Amarildo”, asked angry citizens on Facebook, demonstrators marched almost daily in front of the governor’s palace and demanded explanation.

Torture is routine in many police stations, the wrongdoing is hardly pronounced. Police officers, firefighters and ex-military form militias, they have driven the traffickers in many favelas and built their own tyranny.

For the UPPs, the Government has turned mostly young policemen, who mostly come directly from the training. You get a salary supplement if they work in a UPP and are less susceptible to bribery, the government hopes. However, reports of attacks by UPP officers are piling up.

UPP several commanders were removed because they are involved in corruption scandals. At the same time, the drug mafia has repeatedly tried to retake occupied favelas. Especially in the Complexo do Alemão, there has been shootings. Gangster who fled from the UPP favelas have searched in other slums on the outskirts refuge in the suburbs of the violence has increased.

At the same time the police are more brutal action against protesters. Practically every week there is in Rio street battles between protesters and police. With sadistic pleasure the officers sprayed tear gas and beat up innocent people. “Under the military dictatorship, the police were less violent than under Governor Cabral,” says the historian Francisco Carlos Teixeira da Silva of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Security experts have been calling for years for a comprehensive reform of the police, especially the security forces would have to be demilitarized. So far, the Order Police in the states is organized militarily in the barracks there as esprit de corps in the armed forces. Many crimes are committed by police, remain unpunished.

In Rocinha Security Minister Beltrame has now pulled first consequences of the scandal over the torturing and murdering police officers. He replaced the commander of the UPP by a woman. Priscilla de Oliveira Azevedo successfully led the first UPP in the city. Now waiting for them now a double challenge: Azevedo should not only keep the drug dealers at bay, but especially the guide under its macho cops to civilized behavior.

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