at the end of the dictatorship, the growth of organized crime combined with the fast expansion of hideouts in favelas, and the lack of a police force adequately prepared to deal with this new situation, resulted in many armed confrontations between criminals and government forces - over the years, both sides experienced hardship caused by the conflict, resulting, among other things, in the overly negative reputation that affected rio de janeiro for years to come.

while major crime fighting in the favelas kept the police forces occupied, petty theft became increasingly difficult to control in touristic areas - these two factors, combined and often based on incorrect or incomplete information, furthered the reputation of rio as a dangerous city.

the economic boom of the last decade created legitimate employment opportunities to many who could have otherwise been vulnerable to the recruitment by criminal organizations - thus reducing crime in all areas.

furthermore, an enriched city and state could afford to invest in more prevention programs and a variety of police forces, even creating a special unit (UPP) in charge of establishing permanent police presence inside favelas.