RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 24 — The governor of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday vetoed a measure that would have given bonuses to police officers who killed “criminals” and caused an outcry from rights defenders in Brazil.
State lawmakers had in September approved the bonus of up to 150 per cent of their monthly pay, sparking alarm in a region where police brutality is already a concern, especially in poor areas dominated by powerful gangs.
The measure was dubbed the “Wild West Bonus”—after a similar initiative in the 1990s which was scrapped due to a sharp rise in deaths at the hands of police.
Protesting against the measure in September, Priscila Menezes recalled how her son Thiago, 13, was shot dead by military police in 2023 while riding his motorbike through the Cidade de Deus favela, made famous in the 2002 movie City of God.
Police reports portrayed him as an armed criminal, but investigations revealed a weapon had been planted on him by police officers.
“My son was killed for nothing. Those police officers didn’t receive money to kill my son, and they killed him anyway. Imagine if they started receiving money for that,” Menezes, 35, told AFP.
Heavy-handed police operations are common in Rio’s favelas, vibrant communities plagued by high levels of crime.
Rio has at least four criminal factions vying for territorial power and some 20 per cent of the metropolitan region is under control of these groups, according to the Fogo Cruzado watchdog.
Policing the dense, sprawling communities is at the same time highly risky for officers, highlighting the complex public security challenges in the city.
The veto came after warnings from the public prosecutor’s office that the measure was unconstitutional and violated Brazil’s international commitments on civil rights.
In 2024, approximately 700 people were killed during police operations in Rio de Janeiro, 86 per cent of whom were black, according to official sources.
Rio de Janeiro governor Claudio Castro—an ally of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro—vetoed the measure on ground that it would be too expensive, his office told AFP.
The state assembly can still attempt to override the veto. — AFP
