Tarcísio reduces funding for combating organized crime in São Paulo.
Tarcísio de Freitas' budget proposal allocates R$ 325 million against criminal factions, less than half of what was allocated in 2025.
247 - The São Paulo state government presented the 2026 Budget Bill to the Legislative Assembly (Alesp) with a significant reduction in resources allocated to combating organized crime. The proposal allocates R$ 325,8 million for combat actions, an amount equivalent to less than half of what was authorized this year, when the figure reached R$ 666,4 million.
The information was released by Metropoliswhich highlighted the contradiction between the budget cuts and the government's continued goal of acquiring more than 60 pieces of equipment, vehicles, and weapons to strengthen security. The project will still be debated by state deputies and needs to be voted on by December.
Violence and infiltration of the PCC
Governor Tarcísio de Freitas' (Republicanos) proposal was presented amidst a scenario of increasing violence attributed to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). Less than a month before the LOA was sent, former Chief of Police Ruy Ferraz Fontes was shot dead in Praia Grande, in an execution attributed to members of the faction. At the end of 2023, another high-profile crime exposed the group's activities: the murder of whistleblower Vinícius Gritzbach at Guarulhos Airport, with the participation of police officers.
Investigations into this episode revealed PCC infiltration within the São Paulo Civil Police itself. Furthermore, recent operations by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office (MPSP) indicate that the faction has expanded its influence into sectors of the formal economy, including the financial market, demonstrating an increasingly sophisticated level of operation.
Although resources directly allocated to combating organized crime have been reduced, the LOA (Annual Budget Law) foresees a total budget of R$ 21,2 billion for the Public Security Secretariat (SSP) in 2026, a 3% increase compared to the amount projected for 2025. This amount had already registered an 11% increase compared to the previous year.
What the government says
In a statement, the Public Security Secretariat emphasized that the priority in combating criminal factions remains. According to the agency, "from the beginning of 2023 until August of this year, more than R$ 1,1 billion has been allocated to actions to combat organized crime, with R$ 615 million already committed."
The statement also affirmed that there was an increase in the overall budget of the Public Security Secretariat: “The budget of the Public Security Secretariat was expanded by more than R$ 580 million when comparing the 2025 Budget Law and the 2026 Draft Budget Law, reaffirming the government's commitment to combating crime and protecting the population.”
The statement further adds that resources for security can be supplemented by parliamentary amendments, agreements with the federal government, and funds recovered in anti-money laundering operations.
Debate at Alesp will be decisive.
The text submitted by Tarcísio de Freitas will still be analyzed by state deputies, who can alter the amounts and allocations before the final vote. The issue is expected to generate intense debate, since the reduction of resources to directly combat organized crime occurs at a time when the São Paulo-based faction is expanding its presence inside and outside the country.
