RIO DE JANEIRO, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government said Thursday it was sending 800 police officers to the state of Rio de Janeiro to help contain a rising wave of violence.
At a press conference, it was announced that Brazilian President Michel Temer had authorized the dispatching of 420 officers from the national security forces, belonging to the Ministry of Justice, and 380 officers from the federal highway police to help stabilize the situation.
These new agents will join 200 other federal cops already on the ground in Rio de Janeiro, bringing the total number of reinforcements to 1,000.
The announcement was made by Rio de Janeiro governor Luiz Fernando Pezao alongside Defense Minister Raul Jungmann.
They announced that Temer also asked for all areas of the government, including intelligence services, to help reinforce security in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil's most popular tourist destination is undergoing a wave of violence, coinciding with the country's ongoing financial crisis. The state of Rio de Janeiro declared a state of financial emergency a year ago as it did not have the money to meet its obligations, including paying staff.
This has led to a smaller police presence on the streets, with homicides, assaults and robberies spiralling upwards, leading to the city's worst violence in a decade, according to government data.
