Brazilian police killed 3,148 people in the first semester

At least 3,148 people were killed by Brazilian police in the first half of this year, up 7% from the corresponding period in 2019, news portal G1 reported on Thursday.

The number of police officers killed rose from 83 to 103.

After declining for several years, the total number of killings in the country increased by 6% to 22,680 in the first six months of this year, according to an earlier report by the Violence Monitor run by the media company Globo, the University of Sao Paulo and the Brazilian Forum for Public Security.

The figure includes homicides, deaths in robberies and injuries leading to death.

Coronavirus restrictions have not prevented violence in the country, where police kill more people than anywhere else in the world.

A man stands next to a police armoured vehicle in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Fausto Maia/dpa.

A logic of war

"The logic used is that of war, where the framework of democratic controls and limits imposed by the law do not fit in," said Renato Alves and Fernando Salla from the University of Sao Paulo.

"The narrative presented by the police is that the enemy is always well armed and confronts police with firepower and risk for the police officers," G1 quoted the two as saying.