Rio to boost police force during Olympics

The Brazilian capital will increase the number of military police officers on patrol by 33 percent during the 2016 Olympic Games.

The increase means 13,900 officers will be safeguarding city streets, rather than 10,400, Col. Claudio Lima Freire, chief of staff of the Brazilian military, told the media on Monday at the Comprehensive Control Center (CiCC) set up for the Games, reports Xinhua news agency.

Some of the additional officers come from the administrative side of the force, he said, meaning they normally have desk jobs.

Some 1,300 officers will be stationed at Olympic venues where competitions are being held. The remainder will spread out throughout the city, joining police stations at Rio favelas, or slums, and check points for cars, buses and motorcycles.

"We will have greater control in the area of Barra da Tijuca," said Lima, due to the concentration of Olympic venues in the district.

"Some 10,000 military police officers have received special training in containing terrorist threats inside and outside Olympic facilities," he added.

To bolster security, officials said they will use airborne cameras that will transmit images in real time to the CiCC.

The increase in officers brings the overall security force to be deployed at the Games to nearly 55,000, including 22,000 military troops.

--IANS

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