Brazilian Military Police Will Be Inside World Cup Stadiums

02/21/2014 - 08h26

Brazilian police will be stationed inside the stadiums during the World Cup. The Local Organising Committee has confirmed that it will be training 20,000 professionals to carry out private security inside the arenas, known as stewards.

But there will be PMs (military police) inside the arenas who will also act in case of riots and fights.

"There will be a lot more police officers within the arenas during World Cup matches than in the Brazilian, League play for example. They will have a lower profile than the stewards, who will be the primary security," said Hilary Medeiros, director of security at LOC.

The FIFA events usually rely solely on the presence of private security guards inside the stadium.

For Medeiros, the new arenas create a way to reduce the presence of police inside the stadiums for the next few years.

The almost likely protests during the World Cup were the focus of the safety seminar that took place yesterday in Florianópolis, which hosted 23 World Cup coaches this week.

Representatives from 32 national teams playing in the competition were informed that there will be 150,000 public safety professionals and military personnel involved in protecting the tournament.

"In the Confederations Cup, there was one day in June when there were more than 1 million people on the streets. There were no games postponed, fans could enter or leave the stadium. We assume that the concept is the same," said Andrei Rodrigues , the Special Secretary for Security for Major Events by the Federal Government.

According to Andrei Rodrigues, the federal government will spend R$1.9 billion (US$80 million) on security for the World Cup.

Each state will have a professional who is respomsibe for security. And each of the 32 teams as well. This professional will accompany the team for the entire time they are in Brazil, and will be concentrated in the base city chosen by each team.

"They are former police officers, delegates, all former government employees. We chose this listi because of the requirement of hierarchy and the discipline in their jobs," said Hilary Medeiros, director of security of the Local Organizing Committee.

UNCONCERNED

Through his security director, Ralf Mutschke, FIFA said it didn't want to hide its trademarks during the World Cup for fear of being the target of demonstrations.

During the Confederations Cup, a FIFA bus was attacked in Salvador.

"We do not feel like were are a target of protesters. The protests are dealing wih a lot of issues, such as corruption, among others. FIFA doesn't need to hide," said Mutschke.

Translated by STEVE HUGHES

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	Eduardo Knapp-30.jun.2013/Folhapress
	Brazilian military police will be inside the arenas and will also act in case of riots and fights