The São Paulo municipality holds the record for the lowest incidence of intentional violent deaths per 100,000 residents in Brazil, as per the 17th Brazilian Yearbook of Public Security’s findings.
In 2022, São Paulo registered a rate of 8.4 homicides per 100,000 people, notably below the national average of 23.4.
Last year, São Paulo marked the lowest annual total of intentional homicides in two decades, with 583 recorded cases – 20 less than 2021, a 4% decrease.
Nonetheless, the rest of the state witnessed a 7% increase in homicides, from 2,847 in 2021 to 3,044 in 2022.
Colonel José Vicente, an academic at the Center for High Security Studies and former National Secretary of Public Security, underlines the significance of the Military Police (MP) in achieving these numbers.
He credits the MP’s ongoing improvements since the 1990s, including management skills, training, and technology, as factors contributing to São Paulo’s crime statistics.
On the other hand, Vicente mentions that the rise in crime rates in other parts of the state may have political roots.
He notes the increase of Special Police Action Battalions (Baep) under the administration of João Doria (PSDB).
This rise in the Baep numbers, he says, could be affecting the local area battalions’ personnel strength and operations.
However, he emphasizes the need for the local area battalions’ continuous patrolling in inland and coastal cities.