Brazil police protest spreads to Rio

A partial police shutdown over unpaid wages put Rio de Janeiro on edge today, sparking fears of chaos similar to that seen in a neighboring state where police are in revolt and criminals have run amok.

Morale among street police is low as a result of nearly bankrupt Rio state's inability to pay full wages, as well as brutal crime fighting that has seen more than 3,000 officers killed in Rio since 1994 -- a casualty rate exceeding that of US troops in World War II, according to a recent study.

Police, who are classified as military, are barred by the constitution from going on strike or demonstrating.
 

To get around that law, female relatives of officers blocked the entrances to several Rio police bases, including the elite Shock Battalion -- and personnel made no effort to come out.

"We're demonstrating to demand police get their rights back, especially security, payment of salaries on time, and better equipment, not weapons that are out of order and cars that are not maintained," said a woman outside the 6th Battalion station.

The woman, who like other protesters did not want to be identified, said her husband had been killed on duty last year.

"We've had enough!" said another police widow helping blockade the station. "They don't get salaries, they don't have money, they don't even have what they need to work."

There and at the imposing Shock Battalion headquarters, women prevented cars and anyone in uniform from exiting.

"If you come in, we won't let you leave," one woman warned two thick-set policemen returning to base with rifles and other combat gear carried by Shock Battalion troopers. They meekly agreed, while two others who attempted to leave with uniforms in their bags offered no resistance when told to go back in.

Police authorities said in a statement that protests were taking place outside 27 of Rio's 100 police stations, with five reported by Globo television as blockaded. Spokesman Major Ivan Blaz told journalists that "95 percent" of officers were working as normal and that the city was secure.