Favela crime spiking again as Olympics approach

When Rio de Janeiro's state government dreamed upa new type of police force for the slums, this is the scene it had in mind:a good-looking, chiseled officer on patrol, stopping to talk to children.

The older siblingasks the cop to pat his young brother's head.Even the police officer's name Vando Dionisio sounds like a superhero's.

ButDionisiois no invention.In university, hestudied administration, buthe decided he could help more people in a uniform than in a suit.

"I think it's a gift from God," hesays."The sensation to save the life of somebody, to see the face of the children smile."

There wasn't much to smile about when Dionisio arrived four years ago in Vidigal, a slum in Rio.

Brazil has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and most violent crime happens in the slums known as favelas. That's why, in 2008, the state of Rio de Janeirostarted a new program: pacifying police units, known by their Portuguese acronymUPP.

They are meant to be akinder, gentler force, with stations built in the communities they had previously been too afraid to enter.

And while they have been having some success, these last months with the Olympics approaching and the government of Dilma Rousseff in turmoil haveseen an uptickin crime, particularly in some of the bigger favelas.

Establish relations

Dionisio takes me on patrol through the windingfavela streets to show me how some things have changed for the better.

He points to the alley on his left."Thatplace, before peopleselling drugs, beer, arms," he says. "Now you see children, everyone, walking here."

Two minutes later hepoints to the houses up on the hill.

"The thieves were up there, and they could see everything that was happening here," he says. "Now the people that live here help us to find the thieves."

He'stalking about residents like 80-year-oldAmelia Oliveirawhoare grateful for the police presence.

"God bless these people," Oliveirasays. "I hope they never leave."

Since the police began embedding in the favelas, the program's been a success, says Robert Muggah of the IgarapInstitute, an independent think tank specializiing in security and development issues.

"Since pacification, in at least 38 different parts of the cityyou've had a subtle change in how the police are approaching it," Muggah says. "The idea is to enter communities, try to have a permanent presence, try to establish relationships with the communities."

Crime down until recently

Muggah also says that thestatistics show the plan is working.

"Homicide rates have come down a whopping 65 per cent," hesays. "Violent crime has also come down significantly."

That's been the long-term trend.But over the last six months, murders, assaults and property crimes have started to go back up.

"We've seen an uptick in violence, we've seen an uptick in property crime," Muggah says,"and we've seen a lot of anxiety across civil society, across the elite about the direction of pacification."

Across town from Vidigalis another favela called Santa Marta. It used to be one of the most violent in Rio until the UPP set up a station.

"Originally the police would only have access to the favelawhen large-scale operations were mounted,"says unit commanderTatianaLima.

But nowcrime is getting worse again.The spike, Lima says, is caused by a new generation of criminals.

"Youths have taken over the leadership role in the drug gangs," she says, "and they're not worried about the consequences because of a lenient juvenile justice system."

Young man with a pistol

Nowhere is that more obvious than theslum of Mar, a sprawling collection of favelasnear Rio's airport.My taxi driver told me to put away my cameraas we entered the area.I soon found out why.

We were forced to stop at a homemade roadblock.A young man with no shirt approached the car,pointed a pistol anddemanded to know what we were doing there, while his companion yelled "Shoot them in the head! Shoot them in the head!"He only let us pass after he made sure we weren't cops.

Things in Mar were supposed to change; the communitywas slatedto get its own UPP unit this spring in time for the Olympics.

But last week thegovernmentslashed the country's security budget by more than 30 per cent.

Among the cuts: Mar's police force.Instead of having an embedded police station, the state willsend insoldiers, as itdid during the World Cup, to make sure there's no trouble during the Summer Games.

But as the military clamps down on the favelas, crime like a balloon rises elsewhere.

"Some of the members of these gangs are looking to recoup some of their profits by moving into property crime," says Muggah.

Muggers and thieveswill be the most likely dangers for tourists.The favela of Santa Marta alone gets approximately 10,000visitors a month; they expect that to double during the Games.

Even Dionisio who may beRio's most optimistic police officer says he doesn't know which direction things will go.

"It'll be hard to tell what willhappen," Dionisio says. "So because of that it's necessary to continue the work. It's a thing that you don't stop."