Niteroi Strategy Indicators are declining or stabilizing

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According to the ISP, Niteroi recorded 57 cases of street robbery in September 2025 and 84 cases in September 2024, a decrease of 32%. With successive increases in the first months of this year, this indicator began to decline in the second half of the year. But the latest declines have not yet surpassed the year’s total, which, with 909 cases, represents a 13% increase from the January-September period of last year, with 805 cases.

Vehicle theft decreased significantly in September this year, with 24 cases recorded, 57% fewer than the 56 cases recorded in September last year. Overall, there was practically no difference, with 198 cases between January and September 2025 and 197 between January and September 2024.

Merchandise thefts recorded a decrease in the monthly comparison and in the cumulative score. There were 11 cases in September last year and two cases in September this year, i.e. 81% fewer. In total, there were 22 registrations from January to September 2024 and 12 in the same period in 2025, a decrease of 45%.

With one more case in September this year (four), compared to September last year (three), violent deaths fell by 24% in Niteroi in the year to 2025, with 41 cases, compared to 54 cases recorded in the January-September period in 2024.

Even with signs of stability and improvement, the numbers of strategic indicators are still far from declining, according to experts, and still pose a challenge to the public security forces.

– There are two hypotheses. The first is that these signs of improvement occurred due to some random cause or factor that we are not aware of and that disappears in the near future. The second, which seems more logical, is that there is a rationality behind this, a team that is attentive, monitoring, paying attention to these numbers, has prioritized some indicators, and is working to try to control these factors that enable and provide opportunities for crime to increase. I know there is a qualified team on the city council and it is possible that a merger with state forces may have happened at some point. We must monitor what made these indicators improve and what will happen from now on, as we see state security forces participating in many operations in the capital. It is possible that there will be a depletion of resources and then work that has been successful, at least on the surface, can be stopped, muses Robson Rodriguez, an anthropologist at the Orge Violence Analysis Laboratory and a retired military police colonel.

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Cell phones are still among the most sought-after items for criminals. Mobile phone theft decreased slightly in September, with 19 cases recorded compared to 25 cases in the same month last year, but it jumped by 37% this year, from 219 to 299 incidents. Mobile phone thefts are growing: there were 141 cases in September this year, 18% more than the 120 cases recorded in September last year, and 1,370 cases in 2025, 53% more than in January-September 2024, with 893 cases.

Professor Jacqueline Muniz, specialist in public security at the Federal University of Fluminense (UFF), highlights that mobile phone theft is targeted by criminals because the device is a work and payment tool that also contains citizens’ financial data. She explains that intelligence work must be done with the help of technology to recover stolen devices.

— Overt policing is very limited in dealing with cell phone theft, which is a dynamic and fast-moving crime. There is no point in increasing the number of police officers on the streets in medium and large cities like Niteroi, which limits the ability to respond quickly. He explains that appearances are not enough, but there must be intelligence work with the help of technology to track where stolen devices go, determine who receives these mobile phones, and inspect stores to find out where they are being resold.

Residential burglaries also increased this year, with 25 cases recorded compared to 11 cases in the same period last year, an increase of 127%. In September 2025, as well as in September 2024, there was only one record.

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The municipality said that “although it is a constitutional responsibility of the state government, public security is a priority for the city of Niteroi and it is investing in the area to support security forces.” Among the investments, the establishment of the Integrated Public Security Center (CISP) stands out, which monitors the city with more than 600 cameras, 24 hours a day, and sends real-time information to the security forces.