By Ségolène Poirier, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The first UPP (Police Pacification Unit) installation in Complexo do Alemão began on Wednesday, April 18th at two locations with a total of 660 military police officers set to patrol sixteen communities. The initiative is the first step in plans to install a total of eight units that will cover the entire Complexo do Alemão by the end of June.
The area has been occupied by officers of the Police Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) Police Battalion and the Shock (Shock Battalion) since March 28th of this year, as well as the Brazilian Army’s Peace Force who had first fought for control of the streets in November 2010.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by community leaders and officials including the governor, Sérgio Cabral, Secretary of Security, José Mariano Beltrame, the commander of the Military Police, Colonel Erir Ribeiro Costa Filho and the general coordinator of the UPP, Colonel Rogério Seabra.
The transition, which was originally scheduled for October 2011, was delayed by Governor Cabral, because UPP units were apparently still undergoing training.
The units will be in charge of assuring security in Fazendinha and in the neighborhoods of Relicário, Palmeirinha, Morro das Palmeiras, Vila Matinha, Parque Alvorada and Casinhas.
According to Secretary of Security, José Mariano Beltrame, the whole process of implementation of the eight UPPs will be completed in June 27.
Beltrame also said the schedule for the city’s UPP deployment, which provides for the pacification of more than forty communities by 2014, is following a schedule in which each step has its own right time.
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