Nearly half of homicides are committed in 176 streets of Curitiba

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Homicides are committed in certain places at a certain time of the day in Curitiba. The study carried out by Gazeta do Povo reporters who examined the inquiries of one thousands homicides which took place between 2010 and 2013 shows that crime is concentrated in 176 out of the 8,000 streets of Curitiba and are more frequent in squats, poor areas, river banks and railway tracks. Dates also follow a particular trend: a majority of the crimes analyzed by the reporters (55%) are committed during the weekend. Out of the one thousand homicides, nearly half of them (447) took place in 176 streets. The one with most cases is Avenida Juscelino Kubitschek, in the Industrial City (CIC) neighborhood which recorded 11 homicides, while the area with the highest concentration is the Vila Nova Barigui favela. Other areas with similar concentration are located between Curitiba´s Zoo and João Miqueletto Street, in the Alto Boqueirão neighborhood.

These areas are followed by Nicola Pellanda Avenue (which runs across the Pinheirinho, Sítio Cercado e Umbará neighborhoods) with seven homicides. Four other streets recorded four murders each: Comendador Franco Avenue (a.k.a. Avenida das Torres), Rua da Trindade (Cajuru) and Desembargador Cid Campelo Street (CIC).

Irregular area occupationSome 380 homicides took place within or near irregularly occupied land. These areas suffer from a lack of infrastructure and basic public services. In addition to Vila Nova Barigui, areas where the largest number of homicides was committed are: the surroundings of Vila Sandra (CIC neighborhood), Terra Santa (Tatuquara), Xapinhal, Campo Cerrado and Osternack (Sítio Cercado), 23 de Agosto (Ganchinho), Vila União e Jardim Icarai (Uberaba), Vila Acrópole e Vila Autódromo (Cajuru).

According to sociologist Pedro Bodê, coordinator of the Study Center of Public Safety and Human Rights at the Federal University of Paraná, the areas with most crimes coincide with the regions left out by the authorities. "There lacks the most basic public services such as schools, kindergartens, leisure areas and safety there is a lot worse. As the demand is strong, police end up working in areas that are more visible and receive more media coverage."

"Police cannot claim that crimes are unpredictable," says researcher Luís Felipe Zilli do Nascimento from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. "Homicides always take place in the same areas, at the same time. This is a trend in the state capitals. With better routing and a little more awareness, it is possible to reduce the amount of occurrences," he says.

According to specialists, reducing crimes in poor areas is crucial. "Knowing that there is a lack of resources and that giving the priority to some cases is necessary, these cases are the most important ones. Most crimes take place in favelas, but they are committed by a small amount of individuals, frequent criminals. If we focus on providing resources to these areas, the number of homicides will be reduced drastically," says Zili. According to the researcher, this measure would not only save lives but create a feeling of safety for the whole society.