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Photo: Mike Vondran.
Three years from now, Rio de Janeiro will be hosting the 2014 World Cup. Two years after that, the 2016 Summer Olympics. The city’s administration knows it has some serious work to do in terms of ensuring security is at a high and threat levels are low to host the millions and millions of visitors, but a recently published statistic isn’t helping morale: 60,000 murders from the last 10 years remain unsolved in the state, including 24,000 unidentified victims, reports the AP.
Rio police recently created a homicide division (they didn’t have one before?), but it only helped increase the solution rate from 11 to 13 percent. By comparison, the US and European solution rates remain around 70 to 80 percent.
I’m interested to know from locals, though, what the ground-level perception is to Rio’s efforts to reduce crime. The situation on the ground is often much different than the view from above. The United States, for example, boasts a higher murder rate than any European country, but I’ve felt far safer as a visitor in sketchy areas of New York than as a tourist in Europe. Anyone noticing a change, for better or worse, in Rio or the rest of Brazil?
Jason Wire
Jason Wire graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2010 and spent the year after writing and teaching English in Spain. He's back in the states now, but doesn't know where. Follow him @wirejr.
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I am afraid oversimplified criticism will not take us anywhere when it comes to such a highly complex society in a such vast territory. A relevant information: Brazil’s territory is bigger than continental US (without Alaska) and diversity also applies to how it is governed and its social dynamics as well. Rio can perhaps represent the country as its touristic capital. An obvious (and yes accurate) stereotype of urban Southeast region with drug gangs, favelas, a corrupt political class, bad police; social disorder. The so-called Brazilian social gap and overall idea of injustice have their roots attached to Colonial times and specks of a subservient society with a very low self-esteem, deficient educational system and widespread corruption. It will take us more than a World Cup or Olympic-level event to overcome such a wide range of challenges. Still, we are entitled to “be it”. If what we first need is to enhance credibility, both events are a good chance to measure where are we headed to.
these is kinda serious things.
Aha, yes. Got my i’s crossed and t’s dotted. Thanks for catching me.