2014 FIFA World Cup - Security Plan

Security Plan

The Brazilian government said authorities will have an efficient security plan in place for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardoso said in an interview with Brazilian radio stations that "the 2014 World Cup will be a very safe event." One of the security measures that the government plans to implement is facial recognition software, in which Brazilian police will use futuristic glasses fitted with facial recognition equipment to identify and root out troublemakers at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

A small camera fitted to the glasses can capture 400 facial images per second and send them to a central computer database storing up to 13 million faces. Minister Cardoso said the government is developing a public safety plan that will be unveiled "soon."

Secretary José Ricardo Botelho is facing perhaps the most important mission of his life as a civil servant. Heading the newly created Special Secretariat for the Security of Large Events, Botelho has the task of ensuring the safety of Brazilians and tourists during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. To this end, he has developed what might be called an obsession: to integrate the security forces of a country with continental dimensions like Brazil. To prove that the goal will be achieved, he draws on History, his other obsession: "People who have a history know where they want to go."

Integration is the keyword in the Strategic Security Plan prepared for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In addition to ensuring quick responses, the plan provides for an integrated security system that can be left as a legacy to the country. In total, an estimated 45,000 men linked to the security forces will be mobilized, not to mention reinforcements from the Brazilian Armed Forces and Civil Defense. "The country does not need to create anything new, but just to integrate its existing tools," he said. According to José Ricardo Botelho, the databases of federal and state security forces will be integrated with the Interpol database, which means connecting Brazil to 188 countries. In addition, the government has already sent documents to the United States, Germany, England, Holland, South Africa, Poland and Argentina requesting information about terrorists, "troublemakers" and hooligans.

"We want to work proactively rather than defensively; hence the importance of technology. We are linking everything so that when a person fitting this profile applies for a visa, for example, we will already have the first barrier in place. But in the case of a country for which an entry visa is not required, when the person gets to our borders he or she will not be allowed into Brazil. But what if he or she does? We are working with state-of-the-art equipment to identify these people. We do not want them among us," says the commissioner. Technology pervades all discussions of the Security Plan for the World Cup. Teams from the Special Secretariat for the Security of Large Events are visiting the 12 host cities to follow civil works in the stadiums that will be hosting World Cup games. Anti-bomb groups are monitoring the works up to delivery, in order to ensure that no artifacts are hidden inside pillars and foundations.

In addition to security in the stadiums, the Secretariat for the Security of Large Events is keeping a close eye on fan fests. Each host city will have an operational command center with representatives of the police, the Armed Forces, the Fire Department and Civil Defense. There, decision-making promises to be quick. The central command headquarters will be located in Brasília and Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil is training of 53,000 public safety professionals for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The professionals will be made by the state governments for each individual games venue. They will be trained in three categories: experts, multipliers (who will help to transfer knowledge to other professionals) and operators. The training courses will include "Public safety without homophobia", application of human rights in policing, Brazilian Sign Language and foreign languages.