UPP – Peacemaker Police Unit - is a program of the Government of Rio de Janeiro whose objective is to establish the end of the territories of trafficking in drugs in Rio's favelas through the permanent occupation of police units in strategic locations selected.
Currently, according to data released by the state government itself, there are 36 UPPs in the city of Rio de Janeiro, among which we can highlight the UPPs of Rocinha, the UPP manguinhos, the UPPs Complexo do Alemão and the UPP hose. In all, government militias work in 185 communities and more than 500,000 inhabitants, according to official information [1].
The role of the Pacifying Police Units, however, has been the subject of deep debates in Brazil, about the extent to which it is efficient action of repression and direct action on points of high social tension, where crime and drug trafficking are the rule. The discussions took on a greater tone with some armed attacks carried out by drug traffickers in a kind of “counter-attack” on the UPPs at the beginning of the year 2014. This was, then, the moment of greatest tension since the beginning of the occupations in 2008.
The result, so far, of these conflicts has been the death of four military police officers, in the Penha and Alemão complexes. In Manguinhos, containers of the local UPP were set on fire, while in Rocinha and Lins de Vasconcelos, the units were attacked by armed attacks. In response, the Government of Rio de Janeiro and the Federal Government announced the dispatch of federal troops to the regions of greatest tension.
What is questioned in this process is the social factor, as the conditions of marginality that generate the rise in crime rates need to be modified. In this sense, some argue about the need to transform the socio-spatial framework of favelas and more violent areas in order to remedy certain social contradictions.
The government's answer is the program Social UPP. Generally, after the occupation and installation of a UPP in a given community, the activities of the social UPP, commanded by the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro and by Instituto Pereira Passos, in addition to some partnerships between the government and NGOs aimed at promoting education and culture in high-income areas. violence.
The objectives of the social UPPs would be the consolidation of the occupation and pacification process of the territories, the promotion of urban and social development, in addition to the integration of these areas with each other and with the whole of the City. However, in opposition, part of the population of the communities and critics of the policy of repression have accused the UPPs and social UPPs of promoting abuses on workers, such as home invasions in homes not related to trafficking, illegal toll collection, among other cases [2].
The main argument of those who are against the permanence of the UPPs in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro is that drug trafficking and violence will not end with this action, which would only motivate the intensification of conflicts between criminals and cops. In the opinion of critics, the correct thing would be the regulated liberalization (with limitations) of the trade in illicit substances, which currently supports the traffickers, and the urbanization and installation of infrastructure, in addition to social improvements in the space of communities.
On the other hand, the positions favorable to the action of the UPPs are based on the principle that military action is important to restrain and regulate violent actions by traffickers, even if this generates conflicts and increases the number of deaths and injuries in combat. In addition, the holding of major sporting events - the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics – is also concerned that such activities intensify the cases of deaths and violence in the cities.
Despite the divergences about the performance of the UPPs and the heated debates that took place, a synthesis or a consensus on the issue, which is still the target of much controversy in the media and social sectors across the parents.
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[1] Source: Social UPP Portal.
[2] Source: Brazil 247, 20/03/2014.
* Image Credits: Daniel Julie / Wikimedia Commons
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/brasil/atuacao-das-upps-nas-favelas-rio-janeiro.htm
