Temer to let another 800 military agents to be sent to Rio

Débora Brito and Yara Aquino report from Agência Brasil

President Michel Temer granted permission today (Jul 20) for 800 officers to reinforce security in Rio de Janeiro. By late July, 380 men from the Federal Highway Police will arrive in the state to tighten up checks on roads leading to Rio, as well as 420 military agents from the National Security Force.

The extra force will join the 200 National Force agents already serving in Rio de Janeiro state. They are to work in the state for 18 months in joint efforts with local security forces.

At a meeting with Rio de Janeiro Governor Luiz Fernando Pezão and government security ministers—among them Defense Minister Raul Jungmann—Temer stipulated that all spheres of the federal government must cooperate to fulfill the National Security Plan, including intelligence.

“Rio’s problem is the entry of guns and drugs manufactured elsewhere. Figures show that cargo theft, a veritable plague in Rio, has dropped some 12% from one month to another after the implementation of integration efforts,” the governor said.