Brazil Murders Spike During Police Strike

SAO PAULO — The murder rate in Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia has soared during a state police strike that has entered its fourth day.

The state's Public Safety Department says on its website that 51 people have been murdered in and near the capital city of Salvador since the strike began on Wednesday. The government news service Agencia Brasil says that's a 117 percent increase over the same period last year.

Some 2,000 Brazilian army soldiers and a contingent of 650 elite federal police troops are patrolling the nation's third-largest city while officials and strike leaders negotiate an end to the strike.

State officials have said that about 10,000 of the state's 30,000 police are on strike. They are demanding better pay and bonuses.

Comments

[sfsmurf]

01:13 AM on 02/06/2012

Salve Salvador!

[Mansa]

08:39 AM on 02/05/2012

Maybe it was the police--looking for extra contract work while they were on strike.

[Xylem44]

07:32 AM on 02/05/2012

Meu Deus!!

[sparkybrown7877]

06:25 PM on 02/04/2012

Progresso, yes, Ordem, not much!

[BCEXHAX]

03:38 PM on 02/04/2012

Only in Brazil the corrupt police can go on strike