At least 47 people have already been arrested in Rio Grande do Sul, suspected of committing crimes amid the public calamity caused by the consequences of heavy rains that have hit the state since the 26th.
According to the state department of Justice, Citizenship and Human Rights, 41 people were arrested for allegedly participating in looting, and six men are suspected of committing sexual abuse.
According to Governor Eduardo Leite, the six cases of sexual violence occurred in shelters that are receiving people whose homes were affected by adverse effects of rain such as floods, floods, landslides and landslides and who had nowhere to go. Statewide, there are 67,563 homeless people and just over 400 shelters.
“In cases of reported abuse, our security teams immediately went into operation and people [suspeitas] were arrested”, said Leite, adding that, in the six cases, the victims were children related to the people detained.
“Unfortunately, they involve the children’s families. This signals the possibility of these abuses occurring previously and that the situation in the shelters has, in fact, opened up, revealing this, even giving the Public Authorities the opportunity to act”, said Eduardo Leite.
Faced with the large number of homeless people, the state government is considering opening exclusive shelters for women, children and young people, said the governor.
“It is one of our priority actions to provide the opportunity for a shelter in a very special situation for anyone who feels vulnerable and needs special care,” explained Leite.
Withdrawals
The state secretary of Public Security, Sandro Caron, highlighted the concern of security forces in curbing looting. According to him, in several cities, agents from the Military Brigade and Civil Police have used boats to carry out overt policing in a scenario of flooded streets and partially submerged buildings.
“As a result, withdrawals have already reduced a lot in recent days”, guaranteed Caron, without providing numbers of occurrences. According to the secretary, by Saturday (11), the department will qualify 1,000 reservists from the Military Brigade, called up through the More Effective Program, to work in policing, including to reinforce the security of public shelters.
“We now have this focus very much on shelters. In some of them, we already permanently have members of the Military Brigade and Civil Police. Those few who dare to commit crimes, especially inside shelters, will be arrested”, guaranteed Caron.
