In August of this year, the Military Police seized 78 rifles, the highest number recorded in a single month since the beginning of the survey conducted by the corporation. This figure represents an average of approximately 2.5 rifles seized per day throughout the state. Since the beginning of the year, 4,410 weapons have been seized throughout the state, 449 of which were rifles.
This significant number of weapons of war removed from circulation “reflects the intensification of the actions of the Military Police Secretariat in confronting criminal factions and demonstrates the challenges faced by the corporation, destabilizing criminal groups that use these weapons to confront public security agents and subjugate the population in an attempt to dominate territories”.
The Secretary of the Military Police, Colonel Marcelo de Menezes, highlighted the importance of these actions: “The seizure of so many rifles is a significant result and demonstrates our commitment to dismantling gangs and ensuring security in our state. The Military Police will spare no effort to remove these criminals and their weapons of war from the streets.”
The operations that resulted in the seizure of the rifles were carried out in several regions of the state, with the use of teams from operational and specialized battalions, in addition to the corporation’s intelligence sector, with the largest area of seizures being the north and west zones of the capital of Rio de Janeiro. “The seizure of these weapons contributes to the dismantling of important criminal structures and to the recovery of areas dominated by organized crime.”