Marginal Arrangements: Violence, Compromise, and Dependence in Police-Gang Relationships in Rio de Janeiro

“War” is perhaps the most frequently used term when describing urban violence in Rio de Janeiro. This word is popular among common citizens as well as within specific categories, including journalists, policymakers, police officers, and gang members. Admittedly, clashes between police forces and violent non-state groups are a regular occurrence; unsurprisingly, rates of violent and lethal crimes are among the highest in the country, surpassed only in recent years by those of the cities of Brazil’s Northeast. Looking at violence, however, means paying attention to only half of the picture. There are strong hints in academic studies and in the general press as to the pervasive presence of corruption in Rio’s police forces. This subject is scarcely studied, given the lack of transparency on the topic, hostile political rhetoric, and, at times, danger of physical harm. There are however occasional reports of large-scale corruption consisting in arrangements between trafficker gangs and local police forces. These reports point out to the existence of a wider phenomenon occurring in the whole metropolitan region. These arrangements are not entirely voluntary compromises sought by the gang members. Coercion by the police forces is also at play. This paper aims then at outlining the characters of police-gang relationships in Rio de Janeiro. It seeks to draw an encompassing picture of the mix of violence and compromise that characterises these links. By conducting an extensive historical survey of the cases of corruption within the police forces, and especially within the Military Police, the paper will outline the main forms of regular and occasional arrangements taking place between police officers and gang members. Based on this investigation, the paper will then highlight those parts of the police forces that engage more frequently in these arrangements, as well as the direct and indirect effects of such arrangements on the gangs themselves.