RIO FAVELAS CRIME CLAMPDOWN

            Brazilian security forces occupied one of the biggest slums in Rio on Sunday. The operation was part of a major clampdown on organized crime ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

            Authorities in Rio launched a fresh attack on organised crime by taking over the Mangueira slum close to the city's famous Maracana Stadium.

            Around 800 police and Special Forces occupied the slum without firing any shots. The vast majority of residents co-operated fully with the authorities; they want their community pacified and free of drug dealers.

            The police had pre-announced the raid, a strategy that gives criminals the chance to leave the area rather than being confronted in densely populated areas. Rio's authorities are making an effort to win the trust of those living in the slums who after decades of abuse have got used to seeing the police as their enemy.

            The Mangueira is the 18th slum in Rio to be reclaimed by the authorities. But there is still a lot to be done. With hundreds of slums known as "favelas" still in the hands of organised criminals, drug dealers have vast areas in which to hide and thrive.

                                                                       (BBC News – June, 2011)