The annual report from the NGO Fogo Cruzado highlights a worrying trends in police violence across the metropolitan areas of Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife, and Belém in 2025. The report cites that there were 346 deaths attributed to police massacres in these regions, which entails incidents where three or more individuals were killed by state security forces. This represents a staggering increase from the previous year's figures, which recorded 172 deaths under similar circumstances.

A notable driver of the rise in fatalities was a police operation targeting the Comando Vermelho, a criminal organization, that led to 121 deaths in the northern zones of Rio de Janeiro on October 28. This incident has been described as surpassing the infamous Massacre of Carandiru, highlighting how it became one of the deadliest police actions in Brazil’s history. The report indicates that such operations contribute to growing concerns about authoritarian practices and the legality of the actions carried out by law enforcement agencies, which often take years to be assessed by the judicial system.

As Brazil continues to grapple with violence, these figures raise crucial questions regarding public safety, accountability for law enforcement, and the overall strategy employed by the state to tackle organized crime. The increasing death toll from police actions poses threats not only to the communities affected but also to the rule of law, calling for urgent discussions on policing reforms and more humane approaches to crime prevention.