According to minister Flávio Dino, resources will be used to pay expenses that the RN would have in security works and that will be reallocated to contain attacks.| Photo: Elisa Elsie/RN government

The Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, announced this Monday morning (20) that he will transfer R$ 100 million to Rio Grande do Norte to expand security and penitentiary structures due to the criminal attacks carried out a week ago. The resources come from extra contributions to the national Public and Penitentiary Security funds.

According to the minister, most of these resources will be allocated to three works that would be carried out by the Potiguar government, such as the Technical-Scientific Institute of Expertise (Itep/RN), the Cavalry Regiment of the Military Police and the Civil Police complex.

“These expenses will be covered by the federal government, by the National Secretariat for Public Security, which will allow the governor to [Fátima Bezerra, PT] direct those resources that would go to these works towards the acquisition of vehicles and weapons immediately”, said Flávio Dino.

Still according to him, the federal government is also going to invest R$ 20 million to acquire and rent police vehicles and weapons immediately. Resources are also foreseen for the construction of a new penitentiary, the expansion of the number of vacancies in the existing prisons, and the purchase of equipment such as x-rays and electronic anklets for monitoring prisoners in a semi-open regime.

Over the weekend, the minister says he has already sent 700 police officers from different forces and that he can double that amount as necessary. According to Flávio Dino, the federal government has already spent BRL 5.3 million on the operation to contain the attacks that began a week ago.

According to the State Secretariat for Public Security and Social Defense, 284 attacks have already been registered, with 137 suspects arrested. The motivation would be a reprisal for police actions against drug trafficking.