Half the Weapons Taken by Criminals in São Paulo Were Found Inside Homes

Folha obtained data from the last five years via the Law of Access to Information; proportion of most dangerous equipment stolen grows

5,978 of the weapons that were taken by criminals in the last five years in the state of São Paulo, between June 2017 and May 2022, were found in residential environments, according to data from the Department of Public Security, obtained by Folha through the Law of Access to Information.

This weaponry has been stolen from apartments and houses (including rural ones) representing almost half (49.9%) of the total carried by criminals in this period: 11,985 weapons. The remainder was subtracted from places such as commercial establishments (25.5%), vehicles on public roads (16.8%), and public agencies (5.8%).

The numbers obtained by Folha also indicate that of the weapons carried by criminals in this five-year period in the state, more than half (50.2%) were revolvers and another 30% were pistols. This proportion has been falling, however, over time, according to police data.

In 2022, for example, partial data from January to May, the number of revolvers taken dropped to 40%, while the proportion of pistols rose to 39%. In 2017, this difference was 57% for revolvers, against 25% for pistols – these have greater ammunition storage capacity.

Translated by Cassy Dias

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