Rio de Janeiro City Hall and state security forces expand the Zero Tolerance program.

The Rio de Janeiro City Hall and state security forces announced, this Monday (08/03), the expansion of the Zero Tolerance Program in the neighborhoods of Copacabana, Leme, Ipanema and Leblon. The action aims to provide more security to the population when traveling to the beaches, while staying on the shore and when returning home, with monitoring of departures from bus stops that concentrate the largest number of passengers.

"The first two weeks of Zero Tolerance were very successful, with the use of intelligence, surveillance, information, prior occupation of the territory, and access control to areas where criminal groups were active, using a network of illegal storage facilities. Zero Tolerance is an ongoing effort that is not limited to the perimeter of the coastline and will continue to expand to other areas of the city," said Rio's mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere.

Starting this Wednesday (August 5th), nearly 600 municipal agents will be integrated with 140 agents from the State Government's Security Forces through the State Integration Program in Security (PROEIS). Police officers from the 19th and 23rd Military Police Battalions will also participate in the operation. There will be 151 Military Police officers on weekdays, 289 on Saturdays, and 263 on Sundays. All agents involved will work daily on urban order inspections, combating the illegal exploitation of public space by organized crime, preventive patrolling, and traffic control. The agents' operations will also be expanded to Nossa Senhora de Copacabana and Rainha Elisabeth Avenues in Copacabana, Prudente de Morais Street in Ipanema, and General San Martin Avenue in Leblon.

— The coastline of Rio de Janeiro is a heritage of the state and one of Brazil's main tourist attractions, as well as one of the greatest assets for tourism and the state's economy. Strengthening security in this area is a strategic measure to preserve public order, protect those who work legally, combat crime, and ensure an increasingly safe environment for residents and visitors — said the state Secretary of Public Security, Victor Santos.

In July, the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, in conjunction with the state secretariats of Security, the Military Police and the Civil Police, as well as the Institutional Security Office, initiated a new permanent urban planning policy for the Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon beachfront areas.

The program has daily actions to reclaim public spaces, combat unauthorized activities, protect those who work within the law, and prevent the reoccupation of monitored areas. In this third phase, the Zero Tolerance Program will have an additional 220 agents from the Municipal Secretariat of Public Order, totaling 540 in its daily operations. Traffic enforcement focused on illegal motorcycles will also be implemented in the Zero Tolerance area and its main access points, every day of the week.

– Zero Tolerance is a territorial intelligence and strategic data program, with strong integration with the State Government, so that we can definitively break the criminal logistics chain that has been established in various points along Rio's coastline. We cannot allow criminal factions to charge for sales points, or to rent stalls and spaces in warehouses. The Rio City Hall and the State Government will not back down in their fight to reclaim public space, which belongs to all citizens – highlighted the Municipal Secretary of Public Order, Marcus Belchior.

Also participating in the press conference were the State Secretary of Government and Secretary of the Institutional Security Office (GSI), Roberto Leão, the Secretary of Civil Police, Delegate Delmir Gouvea, the State Secretary of Military Police, Colonel Sylvio Guerra, the Secretary of the Civil House of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, Leandro Matieli, and the Inspector-General of the Municipal Guard, Itaharassi Bomfim Júnior.

Roberto Leão highlighted the importance of integration between municipal and state agencies for the program:

— The GSI is the link between the institutions that make up the Zero Tolerance Program. Our job is to integrate capabilities, align strategies, and ensure coordinated action among state agencies. This coordination strengthens the presence of public power where it is most needed, expanding the capacity to respond and the results for the population — he stated.

— Operation Zero Tolerance reinforces the Military Police's commitment to preserving public order and effectively combating crime. In this third phase, we continue to act strategically, in an integrated and permanent manner, to increase the public's sense of security and curb criminal practices throughout the state — stated Colonel Sylvio Guerra, Secretary of State for Military Police.

Civil Police, with the help of image from CIVITAS Rio, arrested two people involved in an attack on a SEOP patrol car in Copacabana.

In its second week of operation, there were acts of retaliation by criminals against the Zero Tolerance policy. But the municipality and state security forces worked together to curb these actions. Civil police officers from the 12th Police Station (Copacabana) arrested two men involved in the attack with a Molotov cocktail on a vehicle belonging to the Municipal Secretariat of Public Order (Seop), on July 23rd, in Copacabana.

The Intelligence, Surveillance and Technology Center in Support of Public Security (CIVITAS Rio), of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, with its integration of data and images, managed, in 48 hours, to reconstruct the entire dynamic of the attack and helped the Civil Police to identify the perpetrators of the crime. In the images, it is possible to see the group's movements before and after throwing the incendiary device under the police car.

Investigations have uncovered an organized scheme to promote attacks in retaliation for urban planning actions on the coast of Rio's South Zone. The operation was the result of intelligence work carried out in conjunction with the Military Police.

The Secretary of Civil Police, Delegate Delmir Gouvea, emphasized the institution's mission to investigate crimes and said that the attack on the SEOP (Special Operations Secretariat) vehicle was promptly investigated and quickly resolved by teams from the 12th Police Station (Copacabana) and the Military Police.

 "We will identify and arrest all those who act against the city's property or against the population and are committing crimes on the South Zone coastline," the secretary stated.

The Zero Tolerance Program shut down five illegal warehouses.

In its first phase, the Zero Tolerance Program permanently occupied the boardwalk in the South Zone, ensuring that residents of Rio de Janeiro, the state of Rio de Janeiro, and tourists have free passage through this area, which is a protected heritage site. Since then, more than a thousand pieces of equipment and objects without invoices have been seized, in addition to food and beverages without proof of origin and quality.

In the second phase of the program, the Rio de Janeiro City Hall intensified its fight against illegally used storage spaces in the region, focusing on dismantling the criminal logistics chain responsible for supplying and financing illegal commerce on the South Zone coastline. So far, five illegal warehouses have been shut down, three in Copacabana and two in Leme, with the capacity to generate a monthly revenue of approximately R$ 655 for organized crime.

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August 3th, 2026

Appointments: Expansion News Public Order Urban planning beaches Safety Zero tolerance