With 23 More Murders, Deaths in Ceará after State Police Mutiny Total 170

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Data released yesterday, February 25th, by the state secretariat of Public Safety and Social Defense, show that the number of murders (when the killer acts with the intention of killing), femicides, and armed robberies (theft followed by death) increased after part of the Ceará state police (PM) started a riot that goes into its ninth day.

The labor union, including police officers who continue to work regularly, rejects the proposed salary readjustment by the state government and demands better working conditions.

On Monday alone, February 24th, 23 intentional lethal violent crimes were reported in the state. This number is almost seven times higher than the three murders recorded on Monday, 17th, the day before the riot began, which has seen PMs occupying state police facilities, men in masks deflating car tires and ordering storekeepers to close down businesses.

In Sobral, Senator Cid Gomes (on licensed leave) was shot last Wednesday, February 19th, using a backhoe in an attempt to clear a PM headquarters occupied by police officers.

The secretariat has been releasing the number of crimes recorded daily over the past week to show the impact of the police mutiny. On Tuesday, 18th, the day the police protests began, five murders were reported – two more than the day before. On Wednesday, 19th, the number of incidents soared to 29.

On Thursday, 20th, there were 22 records. On Friday, 21st, the highest number of victims to date was recorded: 37. From then on, the number of daily occurrences dropped: on Saturday, 22nd, there were 34; on Sunday, 23rd, there were 25; and on Monday, 24th, the total number of cases was 23.

Legally, state police officers are prohibited from striking, which is why protests in this class are classified as rioting. On Friday, February 21st, the government of Ceará removed 167 police officers from the strike for 120 days.

The officers must hand in their working IDs, badges, weapons, handcuffs, and any other items that distinguish them in their units and will be off the payroll as of this month of February.

Military inquiries brought against the discharged officers will be tried by the Military Courts. The administrative disciplinary procedures will be carried out by the Comptroller General’s Office (CGD) of the PM.

At the request of the Ceará government, more than a hundred police officers from the National Forces were deployed in Fortaleza last Thursday to increase security. On the same day, President Jair Bolsonaro authorized the employment of up to 2,500 servicemen of the Armed Forces in the state.

The Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO) decree was published in a special edition of the Federal Gazette and is effective for the period from February 20th to 28th, a term that could be extended. Federal highway police officers will also reinforce ostensive patrolling.

On Monday, a delegation comprising the Ministers of Justice and Public Safety, Sérgio Moro, of Defense, Fernando Azevedo, and the Attorney General of the Union (AGU), André Mendonça, visited the state. Speaking to journalists, Moro said that the situation is under control and he hopes that the strike by part of the state’s police officers will be soon solved.

Source: Agência Brasil