Army Police Battalion to surround Rocinha
The request for the Army to participate in operations in Rocinha was made by the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Fernando Pezão. The community has been the target of daily operations by the Military Police since last Sunday (17), when there were clashes between rival criminal groups for control of sales points in the community.
The commander of the 1st Army Division, General Mauro Sinott, said that the Army will arrive this afternoon (23) at the Rocinha community, to surround the community. According to the general, the armed forces will also help in controlling traffic on the surrounding streets and air traffic over the hill in the south zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro.
“[We will act] in order to free up police contingents for more specific police actions,” the general said.
The request for the Army to participate in operations in Rocinha was made by the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Fernando Pezão. The community has been the target of daily operations by the Military Police since last Sunday (17), when there were clashes between rival criminal groups for control of sales points in the community.
This morning, there was an intense shootout between police and criminals, which led to the closure of the Lagoa-Barra Highway, connecting the São Conrado and Gávea neighborhoods. Five schools and three municipal early childhood education centers closed their doors, leaving nearly 2.500 students without classes.