Rio Olympics fires security firm, turn to unpaid cops

The security firm that was supposed to protect people during the Rio Olympics has been fired, meaning the city’s unpaid police will have to do.

The debacle that has been the build up to the 2016 Rio Olympics continues to make news, and this time, it could be at the expense of the protection of the people. Rio fired the security firm that was supposed to keep the Summer Games safe, and will now turn to their unpaid police force for safety.

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The Brazil Ministry of Justice terminated the contract with the private security firm, citing “incompetence and irresponsibility.” The firm, Artel, was stripped of their duties, after failing to hire the correct number of people for the security detail.

The firm was supposed to hire 3,400 people as security personnel, but they fell very short, as only 500 were hired. With the Games scheduled to open up on August 5, the Rio police will now have the task of screening visitors outside of each Olympic venue.

These are the same police who told visitors they will not be able to protect them, and had this to say to visitors attending the Games.

This is not the first time the Summer Games have faced this issue, as the 2012 London Games security firm, G4S, was not able to hire enough people in time. However, other armed forces were hired, and there were no threats during the Games.

Rio may be a different story. Besides the fact that Rio has a high number of street crimes, there has been multiple terrorist attacks around the world lately, and Rio should have made security their highest priority.

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