Rio de Janeiro state records lowest number of homicides in July since 1991

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The state of Rio de Janeiro recorded the lowest number of homicides in the first seven months of the year since the historical records began in 1991.

The Institute of Public Security (ISP) released crime rates for July on Friday, August 20. Last month, 249 homicides were recorded, a 3% decrease from July last year. July also marked the lowest level on record for the index. From January through July, there were 1,975 homicide victims in the state.

In contrast to homicides, the number of deaths in confrontations with police increased 90% in July compared to the same month in 2020: 99 cases this year compared to 52 last year. Cumulatively from January to July, the growth in the record was 9%. In the first seven months of this year, there were 903 deaths, compared to 830 in the same period of 2020.

Between January and July, there was also a decrease in so-called property crimes. The total number of robberies in the first seven months of 2020 was 75,631, compared to 71,870 in the same period this year, a 5% decrease.

The total number of thefts decreased by 4% in the same period: from January to July this year, 63,608 thefts were recorded, compared to 66,035 in the first seven months of 2020.

Theft of vehicles and so-called street robberies (which include pedestrians, cell phones, and bus thefts) also decreased between January and July.

According to ISP, 560 weapons were seized nationwide in July, including 24 guns. This represents a 4% increase over the same month in 2020. 4,248 guns were seized and removed from circulation between January and July, a 9% increase over the first seven months of 2020.

The number of guns seized increased from 181 in the first seven months of last year to 240 between January and July 2021.