In Rio de Janeiro, Officers Not Allowed to Take Police Force Guns Back Home

02/26/2018 - 10h47

Despite the fact that 152 military police officers have been killed since 2017 - most of whom were off duty - the Rio de Janeiro Police Department does not allow agents on the force to take its guns back home with them.

According to the Military Police, in 2017, 134 police officers were killed in the state, a figure that is only behind the 137 deaths registered in 1996. The increase in violence has also affected civilians. The federal government has summoned the army to intervene in the state's security affairs.

In order to protect themselves while off duty, officers must acquire their own guns. Policemen interviewed by Folha said that the ban on taking guns back home with them has been enforced for years and that it has not been revisited despite the fact that many officers are being killed.

According to the officers, the Rio Police Department will, at most, help them purchase a gun by giving them the option of paying for it in twelve installments. However, not all officers can afford a weapon.

Guns cost more than a policeman's monthly salary, which is R$ 2,743 (US$ 850). According to the officers, a pistol goes for something between R$ 3,000 (US$ 930) and R$ 4,000 (US$ 1240).

Sergio de Lima, at the Brazilian Forum for Public Security, said that banning officers from using the department's guns when off duty - particularly in light of the current situation in Rio - comes off as inconsiderate.

Sociologist Ignacio Cano, at the Violence Laboratory at the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) has a slightly different take on the ban.

He believes that officers shouldn't carry guns when off duty (or take home documents linking them to their jobs as police officers) unless, for example, they are being threatened by criminals who live in their neighborhood.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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	Ricardo Moraes/Reuters
	Policemen take up positions during an operation against drug dealers near the Mare slum complex in Rio de Janeiro