Crime in Rio de Janeiro Continues to Decline

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Rio may not yet be a wonder in safety, far from it, but the rates are improving. In the first ten months of 2019, for instance, the number of homicides in the state of Rio de Janeiro fell 21 percent from the same period last year, which represents 884 fewer deaths. From January to October of this year, 3,342 victims were recorded, against 4,226 in 2018. This is the lowest number of victims for the year since 1991.

In the comparison between the months of October, the reduction was 17 percent (317 in 2019 and 383 in 2018), with the second-lowest number of victims for the month since 1991. The lowest in the historical series was in October 2012, with 314 deaths.

The strategic indicator of intentional violent lethal crimes (murder, robbery followed by death and bodily injury followed by death) also follows the downward trend: a decrease of 18 percent compared to October 2018 (71 fewer victims) and 22 percent compared to the accumulated number of deaths of the year (952 fewer deaths).

The rate of robberies followed by death recorded a 36 percent decline in the first ten months of 2019 when compared to the same period last year. The number of victims stood at 95 in the year-to-date, the lowest for the period since 1991. In October, four victims were recorded, the lowest number for the month of October since 1998.

In October, deaths due to the intervention of a government agent decreased six percent compared to September and dropped for the third month running: 194 cases in July, 170 in August, 153 in September and 144 in October this year. Compared to October 2018, there was an increase of 13 percent.

Crimes against property in decline

In October, auto theft declined 29 percent from the same month last year. There were 3,027 occurrences. In the year to date, the reduction was 24 percent, the lowest for the period since 2017. Street robberies (robbery of passers-by, collective robbery and cell phone robbery) fell 15 percent in October compared to October 2018, with 1,721 fewer cases. In the year to date, there was also a decrease of six percent.

As for cargo theft, there was an 11 percent drop in October compared to the same period in 2018, the lowest rate for the month since 2015. In the year to date, the drop was 18 percent or 1,344 fewer cases.

Record number of rifles seized

By October, the Civil and State Police had seized 7,215 firearms, which represents an average of 24 guns being removed from the streets each day. Of the total, 468 were rifles – that is, more than one such weapon seized each day in the state – the highest number collected in the period over the past 12 years.

Quarterly comparison by Integrated Public Safety Area (AISP)

Four Integrated Public Safety Areas (AISP) stood out in the state in the comparison between August and October 2019 with the same quarter last year. In suburban Baixada Fluminense, the AISP 20 (Nova Iguaçu, Mesquita and Nilópolis) recorded the largest decline in homicides. The municipality of São Gonçalo (AISP 7) recorded the largest reduction in street theft, the second-largest decrease in cargo theft and the third-largest decline in auto theft.

In the capital, the largest decrease in cargo theft occurred in AISP 16 (Olaria and adjacent areas) and in AISP 41 (Irajá and adjacent areas), where the highest decrease in deaths due to the intervention of state agents and auto theft were recorded.

The data released by the Public Safety Institute (ISP) refer to the Offense Records (ROs) compiled in the Civil Police stations of the State of Rio de Janeiro during the month of October.