Homicide Drops; Armed Robbery and Theft Increase in São Paulo State

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The state of São Paulo has recorded a drop in cases and victims of murder – with intent to kill. The number of reports of intentional murders dropped from 270 to 263, comparing January 2019 to 2020. The number of victims of this crime dropped from 284 to 276 – the lowest in the historical series, which began in 2001, for the month of January.

However, cases and victims of armed robbery and robbery followed by death increased, both from 17 to 18. The data are from the state Public Safety Secretariat.

In January, there were five fewer cases of rape, down from 1,071 in January 2019 to 1,066 in January 2020.

Robberies and thefts

Robberies in general increased 14.3 percent in January this year, with 23,997 incidents in total. Cargo thefts dropped from 610 to 595 from January last year to January this year. The same occurred with vehicle thefts, which fell 7.2 percent (from 3,948 to 3,662), the lowest in the historical series for the period.

Thefts in general dropped 3.1 percent from 45,163 to 43,784 – 1,379 fewer cases in the period. Vehicle thefts, on the other hand, recorded 163 more cases than in January 2019.

For the first time, the state had no bank robberies in January, compared to the same period a year earlier.

Capital

The capital city of São Paulo saw an increase in cases and victims of manslaughter, with 12 cases and 14 more victims in January this year compared to the same period last year. In the first month of last year, there were 55 occurrences of intentional murders, with a total of 56 victims.

The upward trend has extended to armed robberies, which had two reports and two more victims in January this year, compared to six cases with six victims in January 2019. In terms of rape, there was an increase of 24 cases, totaling 238 reports.