Rio 2016 Security Force Dwarfs London by 20K

(ATR) Rio de Janeiro plans to use around 20,000 more security personnel than the London 2012 Games.

According to a report from Reuters, Rio 2016 will deploy 60,000 security personnel for the Games due to safety concerns in the city. London only used 40,000 security personnel, although the figure is less than the 75,000 personnel Athens used for the 2004 Games.

The report said that security for the Games would not travel into the favelas like they did during the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio, and said that security had improved in the city since those Games. Since winning the Olympic Games, Rio has adopted a policy of "pacification" in the favelas through police intervention to increase safety and eliminate drug lords that control the neighborhoods.

Still, concerns remain about the safety in the city, after a rash of stabbings have occurred outside the rowing venue over the past 12 months.

Rio Murder Rates Stalls

Rio de Janeiro has not seen its murder rate go down since 2012.

A report from Reuters shows that, while the murder rate in the city declined by 50 percent from 2006 to 2012, it continues to remain at 20 murders per 10,000 people. Also, the number of robberies in the city rose 25 percent in 2014, the largest increase since 1991.

"The years when security improved were the years when the economy was booming, people's lives were getting better and they had hope," Theresa Williamson, head of the Catalytic Communities a Rio de Janeiro charity that works with favela residents, said to Reuters.

"Now that's disappearing."

Security for the Rio 2016 Olympics is estimated to cost $195.10 million, according to the national defense ministry.

Team Brazil Mascot

Brazilian athletes will be cheered on at the Games by a jaguar.

Ginga, a yellow and green jaguar, will support the Brazilian Olympic and Paralympic athletes during Rio 2016. It was unveiled at a ceremony in the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center in the Olympic Park on Jun. 23 with Brazil President Dilma Rousseff, according to a report from AFP.

The ceremony also served as a sendoff to the 600 Brazilian athletes going to the 2015 Pan American games in Toronto, Canada.

"The result will be a winner for Brazil. The result will be a Brazil proud of their athletes," Rousseff said.

"I am certain that Brazil will be together with you."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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