The State Government of Rio de Janeiro has announced that it will implement the community policing program in over 40 new locations across Rio de Janeiro. The project is based on the concept of "proximity policing" which, rather than traditional methods of control, relies on social intervention and interaction with young people. The scheme already operates in five communities in Rio de Janeiro with the participation of 500 police officers.

The new program forms part of the security project of the Rio de Janeiro bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In April, the model was presented to the International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission. "The Rio 2016 security proposals will ensure the execution of the Olympic Games with precision and technical excellence, and provide a legacy for the transformation of the city and country," explained Rio 2016 president, Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

Selected police officers undertake courses in community policing and human rights and have practical training with Rio’s Special Operations Battalion. "For the peacekeeping units, we opted for officers fresh out of the academy. The training is very well structured," said State Secretary of Security, José Mariano Beltrame.

Uniting security and culture, the Rio state government promotes events and concerts in communities served by the program. On Sunday, April 23, residents of the community known as Cidade de Deus (City of God) attended a presentation by the Municipal Theater Orchestra, which performed popular songs, music from West Side Story and a special arrangement of the National Anthem using different Brazilian rhythms.

The program, put into operation in late 2008, has already had an impact on the lives of residents in the communities it serves. Research conducted by the Fundação Getúlio Vargas, one of the Brazil’s most respected socio-economic research institutions, found that the local population approved the program. According to the study, 80% of residents in the communities of Cidade de Deus and Santa Marta said the safety of their families had improved with the presence of community police. For the residents of both communities, security is as important as health and education.