During New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro, the Military Police will have 300 cars equipped with camera kits capable of simultaneously performing facial recognition and automatic license plate reading.
The teams will operate in Copacabana, Barra da Tijuca and Niterói, traveling along the entire coastline. The goal of the new technology is to identify stolen and stolen vehicles, locate criminals with an outstanding arrest warrant and make police approaches more agile.
Copacabana beach – the most popular on the night of the 31st – will be divided into five sectors, aiming to expand security measures. Police officers from the Special Rondas and Crowd Control Battalion (Recom) will also be on the waterfront, organized in groups of 20 officers, ensuring the safety of New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“Onboard technology represents a significant advance in preventive policing. With facial recognition and automatic license plate reading, we are able to identify suspects, stolen vehicles and act more quickly and accurately, increasing the safety of the population during New Year’s Eve”, explains the Secretary of Military Police, Marcelo de Menezes.
The scheme will also feature 17 inspection points in Copacabana, with metal detectors preventing the entry of weapons, sharp materials or any other dangerous object.
Policing will be reinforced with 78 observation towers distributed across the median, promenade, water mirror and around the three stages, 70 vehicle basing points and a helicopter from the Grupamento Aeromóvel (GAM).
Integration between technologies
The vehicles operate in an integrated manner with cameras connected to the Integrated Command and Control Center (CICC), allowing alerts to be monitored simultaneously by teams in the field and in monitoring rooms.
During the actions, the command trucks of the Mobile Integrated Centers will also have access to the entire technological ecosystem available, including images from body cameras (bodycams), cameras embedded in vehicles, urban cameras, license plate readers and images captured by drones in real time. The integration of these tools expands the capacity for coordination, analysis and decision-making in the areas of activity.
Firemen
In total, 1,500 military firefighters will be involved in operations throughout the State of Rio. 360 rescue vehicles, fire fighting vehicles, ambulances, motorcycles, pickupsladders and mechanical platforms, in addition to supply vehicles. And 250 vessels will also be used, including aluminum boats, speedboats, jet skis and advanced inflatable and rescue vessels. Three aircraft will be positioned at strategic points to assist in rescue actions.
In Copacabana, the operation will involve 170 military firefighters. There will be six rapid intervention groups – four on land and two at sea – in addition to 20 lifeguard stations activated along the coast, with 77 lifeguards.
Firefighting, maritime rescue, rescue and pre-hospital care teams will be strategically positioned in the main public gathering areas. Doctors will also man watercraft, ensuring faster service during New Year’s Eve.
