Starting in March, military police (PM) in Rio will use ballistic helmets in operations in favelas. In Brazil, the equipment is part of the Army and Marine Corps uniforms for patrol activities and is also used by special forces from various corporations around the world, such as the US Navy Seals.
In Rio PM, however, the use of the apparatus for incursions into communities is unprecedented. The first batch of 1,342 helmets, purchased for R$ 4.5 million, arrives in March and will initially be destined for police officers from the Special Operations Battalion (Bope) and the Tactical Action Groups (GATs), small groups specialized in raids.
The corporation’s goal, however, is that in the coming years, every police officer who works on patrol in the state will have similar equipment safeguarded.
Commitment
The purchase of helmets is a commitment made by the corporation in the Police Lethality Reduction Plan sent to the Federal Supreme Court (STF) in December last year, as determined by the Court in ADPF 635, an action that questions Rio’s security policy. Currently, in the PM, only officers from the Shock Battalion wear helmets, but in riot control situations, such as demonstrations.
The new model acquired by the corporation, however, is smaller and lighter, suitable for incursions into favelas. The item also has a space where cameras can be attached to its front. In order to reduce the deaths of officers on duty, the PM also acquired, over the past year, vehicles that are more resistant to shots and armored ambulances.
In 2022, according to data from the corporation, the number of military police officers who were victims of homicide fell by 32%: there were 38, against 56 in the previous year (2021).
More news
Another novelty of the corporation scheduled for 2023 is the inauguration of outstanding companies of special PM units in the West Zone, Baixada Fluminense and in the interior of the state. The objective, according to the security secretary, is to increase the presence of officers in areas considered strategic and with a lack of policing.
The Battalion of Special Rounds and Crowd Control (Recom), whose headquarters are in the Batalhão de Choque (BAC), in downtown Rio, will gain a base on Avenida Brasil, near Campo Grande, in the West Zone, to help with patrolling of the way. BAC will have headquarters in Macaé, in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro, with the aim of carrying out operations to seize weapons and drugs in the region.
