The new Secretary of Public Security of São Paulo, Delegate Osvaldo Nico Gonçalves, said on Monday (I) that the priority of his administration will be to reduce the feeling of insecurity experienced by São Paulo residents.
This statement came in Nico’s first interview with journalists as head of the SSP, on Monday afternoon, hours after the ceremony that marked the departure of Guilherme Dirret (PP) from the ministry. His predecessor is scheduled to be dismissed on Tuesday (2), but the new secretary is already leading the state body.
Nico told reporters that the feeling of insecurity had not improved due to the decline in crime indicators, and that “all the numbers are favourable, and what is required is to provide more evidence” when they are published.
Data released by the SSP at the end of November show that burglaries, for example, fell by 22.4% in October, the lowest level for the month in nearly two decades. There were 12,368 cases this year compared to 15,954 cases in the same month of 2024.
There has also been a decline in the homicide rate – in October there were 192 premeditated murders, 6.3% fewer than in the same period last year, according to the SSP.
“The indicators are not tracking the feeling of safety. I know (Sao Paulo) is a big city, a lot is happening, but we are working hard,” he said.
Nico attributed the problem, among other things, to the speed with which information is transmitted. “It’s the cell phone, that quick information,” he said. “Some distorted facts have more ramifications than everything we did and did right.”
The new secretary also paid tribute to his predecessor, Guilherme Duret, and said: “If I can keep up with the numbers he left behind, I will be happy.”
Nico called for the interview on Monday to discuss an operation against suspects of storing child pornography that resulted in the arrest of five people in the act and the arrest of two minors.
Investigations took place in the capital, São Paulo, and greater São Paulo, and also resulted in the confiscation of ten mobile phones, two notebooks and two flash drives, all containing illicit substances, which will now undergo forensic examination.