RIO DE JANEIRO: Rio police will boost their presence in a violent slum controlled by drug gangs as authorities crack down on crime in the final countdown to the World Cup, an official source said yesterday.
The source said a specialist police battalion will be deployed in the notorious Vila Kennedy favela tomorrow as part of Brazil’s campaign to “pacify” violent neighbourhoods.
The battalion’s deployment in Vila Kennedy, home to around 100,000 people, comes ahead of the permanent stationing there of what will be the 38th Police Pacification Unit or UPP. The World Cup starts on June 12
AFP
