Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09RIODEJANEIRO365
2009-11-09 17:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Cable title:  

RIO WEIGHS OPTIONS FOR NEXT FAVELA PACIFICATION

Tags:  SOCI SNAR PGOV ASEC BR 
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FM AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0014
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA IMMEDIATE 0012
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE IMMEDIATE 0006
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO IMMEDIATE
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIO DE JANEIRO 000365 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/09
TAGS: SOCI SNAR PGOV ASEC BR
SUBJECT: RIO WEIGHS OPTIONS FOR NEXT FAVELA PACIFICATION

REF: RIO DE JANEIRO 329; RIO DE JANEIRO 346; RIO DE JANEIRO 353

RIO DE JAN 00000365 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Dennis W. Hearne, Principal Officer; REASON: 1.4(B),
(D)

SUMMARY



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIO DE JANEIRO 000365

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/09
TAGS: SOCI SNAR PGOV ASEC BR
SUBJECT: RIO WEIGHS OPTIONS FOR NEXT FAVELA PACIFICATION

REF: RIO DE JANEIRO 329; RIO DE JANEIRO 346; RIO DE JANEIRO 353

RIO DE JAN 00000365 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Dennis W. Hearne, Principal Officer; REASON: 1.4(B),
(D)

SUMMARY




1. (C) On October 29, the Superintendent for Operational Planning
from Rio's State Security Secretariat said Rio Governor Sergio
Cabral would decide by the end of November whether to "pacify" five
less populated, lower-threat favela communities or focus on one
largely populated, higher-threat favela by the end of the year.
According to Alzir, the Favela Pacification Program's strategic
plan envisions the pacification of 131 favela communities over the
next five years, and would do so by increasing Pacification Police
Unit (UPP) personnel from 500 to 12,000. Alzir stated increasing
police recruitment was critical to making the five year horizon
viable, and said Rio state would be seeking federal funding to
increase police salaries. End Summary.



RIO AUTHORITIES WEIGH OPTIONS FOR NEXT FAVELA PACIFICATION




2. (C) Rio state and police authorities will decide the next
target(s) for the Favela Pacification Program (FPP) in the coming
weeks. During an October 29 meeting with consulate officers to lay
out the FPP strategy and time-line, Roberto Alzir, Superintendent
for Operational Planning from Rio's State Security Secretariat,
said Rio de Janeiro Governor Sergio Cabral would decide by the end
of the November whether to "pacify" five less populated,
lower-threat favela communities or focus on one largely populated,
higher-threat favela by the end of the year. Four other favelas
with some 90,000 residents are currently pacified, i.e. mostly free
of gang activity and with the population accessible for city
services and social assistance (Note: As reported in reftel A, the
"pacification" of a favela community involves state police special
operations units (BOPE) first entering a favela by force. Once
criminal elements that control a favela are purged,
state-administered Pacification Police Unit (UPP) officers then
replace traditional police forces, in order to maintain order,
foster long-term ties between the state and the community, and

assist with the delivery of basic services to the favela. End
Note.)



RIO'S FAVELAS PACIFIED IN FIVE YEARS TIME?




3. (C) FPP objectives encompass over 100 favela communities, using
12,000 UPP officers, within a target time horizon of five years.
According to Alzir, the FPP strategic plan envisions the
pacification of 131 favela communities, with a total affected
population of approximately 780,000 residents - including the key,
drug gang-controlled favelas Complexo de Alemao, Rocinha, and
Complexo de Mare. He said this goal would normally take 13-15
years to achieve, but the Rio government sought to accomplish the
objective within five years. In order to do so, security officials
plan to increase the number of UPP officers - the centerpiece of
the FPP strategy - to 12,000, as well as increase overall Military
Police (MP) numbers to 55,000 by 2016. (Note: UPP ranks currently
number only 500 officers, of a total of 36,000 MP men and women.
End Note).




4. (C) Alzir stated increasing police recruitment was critical to
making the five year horizon viable, and said Rio state would be
seeking federal funding to increase police salaries (Note: Standard
MP officer monthly salary is approximately 1,000 Brazilian Reals,
or 600 USD. UPP officers earn an additional 500 Brazilian Reals,
or 300 USD, paid for by the Rio municipal government. End Note.)
Stating, "The state does not have enough money," Alzir explained
the Rio state government was asking for federal assistance to cover
the increase (amount unspecified) until 2016, when the state would
assume the additional amount.



CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

RIO DE JAN 00000365 002.2 OF 002



5. (C) In selecting favelas for pacification, state and police
authorities weigh location, strategic impact, tactical terrain, and
resource requirements, with final approval coming from the
Governor. Showing consulate officers a satellite image of a
pacified favela's radius of gunfire reach, extending well into
Rio's famed Copacabana neighborhood and beach area, Alzir explained
the FPP's goal was to prioritize favelas adjacent to concentrated
tourist areas. In selecting favelas for pacification, security
officials first gather intelligence to develop a comprehensive
profile for each community, crafting tactical maps that show
primary access and escape routes, known drug gang hideouts and
strongholds, and key civilian points, such as schools and churches.
Authorities also weigh the strategic impact of a pacification.
They analyze this information against manpower and resources
available, and draw up a list of suitable target favelas. The
Governor, with recommendations from the MP Police Chief and State
Secretary for Security, then selects the community.




6. (C) Alzir explained his biggest concern about the FPP was losing
progress due to change of governments. "We need the next state
government to pursue this, to continue with this commitment," That
said, Alzir expressed optimism that Rio's hosting of the 2016
Olympics will make state, local, and federal authorities "move
forward, faster" on favela pacification.



COMMENT




7. (SBU) While Alzir did not specifically name the Complexo de
Alemao - controlled by the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) drug
faction - as the large, high-threat candidate for pacification by
year's end, it is likely the principal stronghold Rio authorities
have their sights on. Rio State Secretary for Security Jose
Mariano Beltrame told Principal Officer on September 22 this favela
was the "epicenter of the fight," and stated a pacification
operation would take place there in early 2010 (reftel A). On
October 17, Comando Vermelho gunmen shot down a police helicopter,
killing four officers (reftel B),and, in retaliation, MP tactical
raids since targeted 14 Comando Vermelho-controlled favelas. Given
that any police operation into Complexo de Alemao would be
"traumatic" in terms of scale of violence, however, it is unlikely
that the Rio security apparatus would be prepared to launch an
operation into Complexo de Alemao before the December holidays and
February Carnival festivities.




8. (SBU) Whether Rio's next step involves a high-profile operation
in Complexo de Alemao or the pacification of smaller,
easier-to-secure favelas, we anticipate continued unintended
consequences, such as those reported in reftel C. In yet another
example of such consequences, a neighborhood association from the
affluent Leme neighborhood recently met with State Security
Secretary Beltrame to complain about the expansion of the
Babilonia-Chapeu Mangueira favela - one of Rio's four pacified
favela communities - that borders Leme. According to the
neighborhood association, the new-found stability in this favela is
attracting squatters from other areas, resulting in a flurry of
hastily - and illegally - constructed new abodes and rising crime
rates in the neighborhood. We will continue to monitor and report
on such developments, as well as how ongoing FPP operations bear on
Rio's overall security, commercial, and social environment. End
Comment.