Brazil: Spike in murders in greater São Paulo

Event

According to data released by São Paulo state's Public Security Ministry, a total of 250 murders were registered in the Greater São Paulo area in the first three months of 2017, a 31.5 percent increase compared to the same period the year before. The Brazilian authorities have attributed this rise to intensifying inter-gang violence. However, homicides rate fluctuations vary across the state. The city of São Paulo witnessed a 13.1 percent fall in murders (to 201) while Guarulhos, the state's second-largest city and headquarters of the Brazilian Revolutionary Criminal Command crime group, saw a 60.5 percent increase.

On a related note, a new study by the Datafolha Institute commissioned by the Brazilian Forum of Public Security (FBSP) and Life Instinct (Instinto de Vida) shows that an estimated 50 million Brazilians over the age of sixteen have experienced the loss of a loved one to homicide or death during a robbery. Additionally, some 16 million people have been affected by the violent death of a family member or friend killed by a member of the security forces, a police officer, or municipal guard.

Context

Brazil's criminal landscape has witnessed changes in the past few months as turf wars between major criminal gangs and the subsequent emergence of splinter groups has further undermined security in the São Paolo metropolitan area and across other parts of the country, including Rio de Janeiro. However, statements by Brazilian officials blaming gang conflicts for rising violence should be viewed with some degree of skepticism. Civil society organizations and human rights groups have criticized Brazilian authorities for being complacent towards police brutality or ignoring the problem outright. There have been calls for the government to demilitarize the police.

Social tensions are also on the rise across the country due to poor economic conditions following a decline in commodity prices, a mounting political crisis following the 2016 impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, massive state and business corruption scandals, and the implementation of austerity measures (impacting the police and other state bureaucracies).

Advice

Individuals present in São Paolo and other Brazilian cities are advised to remain vigilant, avoid any protests, conceal signs of wealth to avoid attracting the attention of would-be thieves, and avoid entering favelas (slums often located in very close proximity to more affluent neighborhoods). Keep in mind that criminals are often armed; never offer resistance if assaulted.