Brazil Instigates Security Blitz In Preparation For World Cup

Security preparations for the Wold Cup have taken a massive step up in Brazil, ahead of the start of the tournament in less than a fortnight. The country are keen to improve the global image of armed gangs that has increased over recent years, and they are also looking for a way to help reassure visitors, following allegations of human rights’ breaches during the building of the stadia, and the fact that much of the building work is yet to be fully completed.

A World Cup is a major event, and Brazil is set to host the 20th tournament, starting on 12th June and ending on 13th July. 31 teams, as well as host nation Brazil are set to play in a total of 64 matches across 12 cities in the South American nation. There is a considerable distance to travel between some of the cities, and this has raised a number of challenges for the organising committee; not least ensuring that the appropriate infrastructure is in place. Such large events are typically marred by some problems during the build-up and Brazil has been no exception.

There was an almost inevitable protest regarding the amount of public money being spent on hosting the tournament. The booing of Sepp Blatter and the head of the Brazilian FA meant that FIFA announced there would be no speeches during the opening of the tournament. Workmen died during the preparations of several of the stadia, leading to global outrage at the working conditions and the apparent breaches of human rights. However, it is security that is now taking centre stage.

Security of any major event is always an issue, and hundreds of millions is usually spent on security preparations. Terrorism is always a threat, as it was during the London 2012 Olympics, but Brazil has added problems that it needs to deal with. The protestors have not yet been fully appeased, and Brazilian police have taken to arresting those that voice their concerns too loudly. Furthermore, drug gangs are commonplace in some Brazilian cities, and many countries have released specific information on how to ensure safety for their citizens that do travel to the World Cup.

More than €620m will have been spent on security surrounding the event by the time the tournament reaches its conclusion. Nearly 160,000 soldiers and police, as well as fighter jets, naval frigates, and drones, will be deployed to help ensure the safety of everybody that visits. However, many people still have concerns, and not least because Brazil is such a large country, and there will be considerable distances travelled between cities and from one match to another.

The Brazil World Cup not only features potential problems from terrorism; a threat that exists for any event with millions of visitors, but there is also an increased threat of public anarchy unsettling the tournament and causing major problems. In a bid to try and quell some of the concerns of travelling fans and global governments, the Brazilian security teams and police have undertaken a sting of anarchist groups and protestors to try and clean some of the threat up before it really begins.
 
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