at a glance |
one of the most important advancements in the recent development of rio de janeiro is the creation and deployment ofthe 'unidade de polícia pacificadora - upp (pacifying police) - a military-like police/peace force aimed specifically at restoring order in rio's favelas. this special unit was designed and trained to be stationed inside rio's favelas permanently, to implement proper law enforcement and to help improve living conditions both inside and around these challenging districts. historically, the majority of rio's favelas was under the rule of drug gangs, and occasionally militia groups. these groups controlled and limited access of law enforcement officers to their territories and jeopardized the safety of local residents by constantly engaging in armed battles with rival groups and with the police. in the past the absence of permanently stationed police forces made favelas a safe heaven for a variety of criminals, committing robberies and assaults in many more affluent areas around rio, including in landmark touristy destinations such as copacabana, ipanema, and leblon. under mounting pressure from residents and further stimulated by the many upcoming international events, the city was forced to address the security problem of safety in and around favelas. they devised a new plan for the progressive invasion of these districts, the removal of the local drug lords, and the restoration of the peace and order by the polícia pacificadora - upp (pacification police). The Pacifying Police Unit - UPP is one of the most important public safety programs conducted in Brazil in recent decades - Implemented by rio de janeiro Secretariat of Security in late 2008, the program was prepared on principles that go beyond community policing, and It's strategy is based on collaboration between the public and the institutions. importantly, the program includes partnerships between municipal, state, and federal governments and different actors of society, collaboratively working towards the permanent recovery of communities dominated by drug trafficking. Pacification plays a key role in social and economic development of communities as it enhances the development of public services, infrastructure, social, sporting and cultural projects, private investment and opportunities. The state of Rio de Janeiro has received nearly 40 UPP installations, with current effective of over 9,500 officers and expected to reach 12,500. The UPPs in operation cover approximately 264 territories - notably, the effects provided by this program go beyond the pacified communities, extending to their adjacent areas, benefiting directly and indirectly a much larger population. the placement of the upp inside a favela is a two stage process - the first step is the removal of the local drug lords and their gangs via another's special force in rio - the bope (batalhão de operações policiais especiais), a special task police force made famous by the movies tropa de elite. once this initial removal of criminal organizations is completed, the upp is placed inside the now liberated favela for an undetermined period, in order to supervise and maintain the safety conditions necessary for effective urbanization and gentrification work. due to their difficult history, the relationship between the police and the residents of rio's favelas is complex. many people found themselves caught in the cross-fire during past police operations. Therefore the alliance between the UPP and the residents has not been equally easy or successful across all pacified areas. in the collective memory of some favelas, the struggle and the uncertainty of success of local police forces against organized crime often complicated the UPP's tasks. in some occupied favelas, such as the favela 'mangueira' home of the homonymous samba school, police forces worked more intensely to win the trust and cooperation of the locals. in other favelas, such as in the complexo do alemão, police forces were openly welcomed and received many tips and assistance in the chasing and removal of the drug lords. UPP presence has significantly reduced drug trade in many favelas but has not been able to eliminate it completely. however, overall security has improved visibly with gang members no longer controlling the streets with heavy arms. UPP officers have shown much optimism in relation to the force's operations. one of the reasons for this optimism is, that unlike past law-enforcement initiatives, this time the city is addressing both security and social programs simultaneously, creating a synergy of results likely to have long lasting effects on all communities. in the final stage of the process, following the deployment of the upp, the official city administration is free to enter the area. development commences by installing and improving basic infrastructure such as electric and water distribution, and by formalizing local businesses as well as residents' real estate and land ownership. overall, the results of the UPP deployment have been remarkable - improved safety inside the favelas, improved safety in the areas outside and near the favelas, substantial increase in real estate values both inside the favelas and in the surrounding areas and increased sense of security of all cariocas in the city as a whole. the UPP maintains a website detailing the progress made in each favela that can be seen here - the english version is occasionally slightly different and can be accessed here. the unidade de polícia pacificadora can be contacted via this link, and keeps a detailed newsfeed on this page. |
arpoador | |||
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