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A special unit of the military police operating in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, in July 2018. Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP

Some 6160 people were killed by police last year in Brazil. That's 935 more than in 2017 (5,225). At the same time, 307 police officers were murdered in 2018, a figure lower than the previous year (374).

The number of people killed by the Brazilian police has increased in 2018, while the number of police officers killed, in the line of duty or outside, has declined. This is the teaching of official statistics published this week and reported by the O Globo press group .

Rio , like the Nordeste , is particularly affected by violence. The police, supported by the army, is facing great insecurity and is among the most brutal in the country, according to a researcher interviewed by the newspaper O Globo . Agents receive a bonus for each drug dealer killed.

The fight against crime now led by President Bolsonaro

While the far right has been in power since January 1, should we expect a police out of control?, Asks the NGO Brazilian Forum of Public Security . " A police force that makes lethal force a common practice to fight crime becomes itself criminal, " says the director of the NGO.

Jair Bolsonaro promised to provide a tough response to insecurity. Judge Moro, known to have led the fight against corruption " Lava Jato " and investigates the case Lula, has agreed to be Minister of Justice . A decision justified in particular by its ambition to fight against organized crime and violence.

► To listen also: Jean Wyllys denounces the situation of the human rights under Bolsonaro