Safety: without prevention, there is no solution.

Francisco Garisto *

In Brazil, every time we face a tragedy, the great "experts" of all kinds appear, with easy solutions and fierce criticism pointing out the possible errors that led to or contributed to tragic events.

In this truly tragic event that occurred in Realengo, Rio de Janeiro, where a deranged individual coldly executed more than a dozen children, the situation is no different.

Some staunch advocates for disarmament are already citing statistics on crimes involving firearms and emphasizing that gun ownership is the main culprit in the tragedy in Rio de Janeiro.

Some politicians are taking advantage of the moment to ideologize the debate by attacking presidents, governors, and mayors who are not from their political party.

Politicians, without pointing out practical and effective solutions, present themselves as critics when they should be the ones being criticized, since there are hundreds of bills in the National Congress that could improve Brazil's chaotic public security. These deputies who occupy the media pointing fingers at those responsible for the tragedies are the same ones who, through inertia, omission, partisan political interests, and even commercial interests, do not vote on, much less debate, solutions to the problems they point out. They only appear to talk about public security when faced with tragedies that move public opinion.

No sane person can be against gun control. However, a tragedy like the one that occurred in Rio de Janeiro cannot serve as a banner for groups opposed to or in favor of this or that issue. The event cannot be analyzed simplistically with a single solution. There is much more to be analyzed, researched, and studied about what happened.

By following the news and dozens of interviews, I was able to gather some "recipes" given by "experts," who only appear when tragedies occur.

Some of them suggested placing a police officer in each school. Of course, that would already be a healthy and even preventative measure, but we don't have enough police officers even to guard our own police stations, so it's obvious that this suggestion won't be heeded and everything will be left to the mercy of the next tragedy.

Hypothetically, if we had enough police officers to place in every school in the country, and considering the tragedy that occurred in Rio de Janeiro, the first one to die would be that same police officer, since the stealthy method used by the schizophrenic killer would have a high chance of going unnoticed by any security agent.

In Brazil, public safety is only debated after tragedies occur. Similarly, the solutions adopted are temporary, serving as a way to provide an answer to the population. Beyond that, cynicism and hypocrisy prevail when it comes to consolidating effective and lasting preventive goals and plans regarding the administration of the nefarious public safety service.

To corroborate my observation, I ask that you analyze the following example with me:

The day after the Realengo tragedy, I came across two headlines which I will now transcribe:

• O Globo newspaper - "Government plans to remove weapons from circulation"

• Zero Hora Newspaper – “Federal Police may close border posts”

You don't need to be an expert to conclude that those responsible for public security policy in Brazil are lost and completely misguided in their intentions, or are playing with the wisdom of the people.

Research from analysis centers, statistics departments, and public safety studies at universities and some serious non-governmental organizations (NGOs) unanimously reveals that many of the weapons seized from criminals belonged to citizens who had legal registration to carry them, and others who did not comply with the voluntary surrender proposed by the disarmament campaign and kept them illegally. However, we cannot ignore and turn a deaf ear to the countless weapons that originate from countries that do or do not border Brazil.

Arms trafficking is one of the fastest-growing and most profitable illegal activities for organized crime today, even competing with drug trafficking and prostitution.

Disarmament campaigns, especially after a tragic and macabre event like the one in Rio de Janeiro, will be supported, but ignoring and failing to observe international arms trafficking is an unparalleled irresponsibility.

The Federal Police, whose budget was recently drastically reduced by the federal government, is already announcing the closure of border posts. These locations will be at the mercy of arms traffickers, drug traffickers, and car thieves, to name just a few crimes. To make matters worse, in the border areas that will not be closed, the federal police force is always insufficient.

Who hasn't heard state security secretaries and politicians in general shout that "Brazilian states do not manufacture weapons or produce illicit drugs"?

Unfortunately, this recurring complaint is true, since buying a gun in countries like Paraguay, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, and other "illustrious" neighbors is as easy as buying any electronic device. Getting these smuggled weapons into major cities is also a simple task.

Here's another example of an administrative error by the federal government: instead of investing in the federal police, military police, and state and federal highway police, it prefers to create a new police force, the National Security Force. Without any constitutional basis to act, and therefore illegal, the Force is only called upon after events have occurred; in other words, its real usefulness in terms of prevention is nil, and public security without prevention has no solution.

Acting by drawing up plans for instant "solutions" to Brazil's crumbling and outdated public security system, driven by the most recent tragedy, will not lead the country to have a real, planned, and lasting policy.

A public safety project, to be truly effective, must be planned for a decade or more, and never for days or to address the clamor and complaints arising from various tragedies. Patchwork solutions are never permanent.

To fail to consider planning a new public security system, eliminating the flaws and erroneous customs inherited from the colonial era, which still persist over time, is to speak with the sole purpose of seeking votes during election season.

In Brazil, unfortunately, a greater tragedy overshadows a lesser one, and as soon as the most recent one fades from the media's memory, the government's voracious desire to definitively solve the problem of public safety will also be forgotten, as always happens.

Every man for himself!

Francisco Garisto is a federal police officer.