Police Strike in Bahia

The state of Bahia, where I live, is currently in the midst of a police strike. The event has huge coverage in the news and reports of fantastic violence have come out of the Salvador area, where spikes in murder rates and other crimes were reported in the early days of the strike, more than doubling according to the AP. According to the same article and television news, soldiers brought in by the state government have surrounded a building occuppied by what they describe as rogue police officers, who the governor claims have promoted vandalism and violence during the strike.

Certainly, it's believable that the police are behind at least some of the surge in violence in Bahia. As they strike against low pay, offices are simultaneously desperate to convince the population of how necessary they are. And some of the crimes reported in Salvador are certainly suspicious. For example, Globo's news program last night reported the hijacking of a school bus - the criminal stopped the bus, ordered the driver and all the children off, drove it away and burnt the bus to a crispy black shell. Notably, he didn't steal anything. Why committ such an absurd crime? That a police officer's friend was hired to scare some children and increase the demand for security seems a lot more plausible than the theory that reduced security has allowed school-bus arsonists to run rampant.

Here in small Senhor do Bonfim, there is also a general feeling of unease without police protection, though it is nothing like in Salvador. There have been some reports of minor vandalism, but the same suspicions remain about police involvement. In any case, how effective are the police really in preventing crime here? How many would-be robbers are really deterred by a minor police presence when they aren't on strike? I'm not sure, but my personal experience is that the situation is extremely different from the United States. No one stands ready to call the equivalent of 911 and expects a speedy police response in a dangerous situation. Police might investigate crimes after the fact, and they might murder drug dealers on occassion, but do the intervene in petty crime? Not that I've ever seen personally around here.

Whatever the real role of the police in Brazilian society, the current situation is certainly bad for Brazil's development. The United States has warned tourists against visiting Brazil, and the Bahian tourism association claims that the strike has reduced the tourism take by 10%, and bars and restaurants have been hit hard as citizens become loathe to leave their homes. They say that uncoming Carnaval won't be affected, but the situation still remains ugly. Here's hoping that Carnaval will be canceled so we can see what happens in such an extreme situation!