Secretary of Public Order Considers Drug War in Rio a Never-Ending Struggle

08/01/2017 - 09h40

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MARCO AURÉLIO CANÔNICO

FROM RIO DE JANEIRO

Colonel Paulo Cesar Amêndola, 72, who has dealt with several critical situations during the more-than-three decades he has worked for the Military Police in Rio de Janeiro, believes that the most serious crisis, currently, is of a moral order and has been prompted by the wide scope of corruption which Operation Car Wash has revealed.

The operation led to the arrest of former Rio governor Sérgio Cabral (PMDB).

"When society stops believing in politicians, everything falls apart", said Mr. Amêndola, who created the Bope (Battalion of Special Operations) and is currently the Secretary of Public Order.

Mr. Amêndola is currently in charge of the Municipal Guard -the very Guard which he created back in 1993 during the Cesar Maia administration- and has increased the role his department has when it comes to public security.

He is in favor of army troops patrolling the streets of the city, but points out that they aren't there to do police work.

Among the solutions encountered for fighting the war on drugs, the colonel has stressed the importance of intel when conducting interventions in the slums.

"I think it's time Congress started considering the possibility of decriminalizing drugs. I'm still not entirely sure where I stand on the matter, but [the war on drugs] is really a never-ending struggle", he said.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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