Thousands of police personnel were deployed at Rio for Olympics, but it’s still not safe
For how many days already, several crimes were recorded at Rio de Janeiro, the host city of Olympics where athletes and some officials are also the victims.
Before the start of the games more than a week ago, Brazilian authorities have deployed 85,000 security personnel. This show of force includes 23,000 soldiers patrolling the city, some in military vehicles, along with helicopters and warships looming around the city’s most popular beaches.
But this did not prevent crimes from happening.
Few days ago, the education minister of Portugal was robbed.
Education Minister Tiago Brandão Rodrigues was leaving an Olympic cycling event Saturday night with his spokeswoman, when a man attacked him, brandishing knives and taking some of his valuables, including his mobile phone. Rodrigues was fortunate not to lose a thing in the attack, however, because local Brazilians saw the incident, tackled the main assailant, and beat him until they managed to retrieve his belongings. The attacker was hospitalized following the incident.
“It was just a scare,” Rodrigues told reporters, saying it did not take away from his enjoyment of the Games.
If robbers did not spare foreign ministers, it was inevitable they would attack Brazilian officials, as well. Felipe Seixas, the security coordinator for special events in Brazil – which makes him the head of the Olympics security – was also robbed at gunpoint. Seixas was accompanied by two undercover police, however, who quickly shot one of the assailants dead. Seeing the man killed, the other robbers fled. They have not been caught.
A police officer was also killed when his vehicle was sprayed with gunfire, and an Olympics bus carrying journalists was attacked by people throwing rocks.
Even before the armed robbery this weekend of four American swimmers, including the gold medalist Ryan Lochte, a series of crimes had drawn attention to Brazil’s shortcomings in providing security for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Lochte and three other US swimmers including Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen had left a hospitality house hosted by France early Sunday in a taxi bound for the Olympic Village when they were robbed. One of the bandits reportedly put a gun to Lochte’s forehead.
Amidst these happenings, where did the thousand spies and dozens of police officers go?
