RIO DE JANEIRO, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Families and friends of Brazilian police officers took part in a spontaneous demonstration here Sunday to protest the high death rate among members of the force.
Hundreds of people gathered at the city's famed Copacabana Beach just hours after the latest police death raised the death toll so far this year to 91.
Wearing white and carrying photos of their deceased family members, inscribed with the message "Save the PMERJ" (Military Police of Rio de Janeiro State), protesters denounced the lack of state aid for the widows and children of officers killed on duty.
Demonstrators also planted crosses on the beach, one for each of the victims, and called for better and safer work conditions.
A financial crisis has led the state to severely cut back on its budget.
The death toll among police officers means one is being killed every 54 hours so far this year, with the latest victim being a 46-year-old officer who perished in a clash with drug traffickers in Vidigal, a slum in the south of the city.
The police operation at Vidigal aimed to capture criminals believed to be responsible for the killing of police officers.
According to the Sao Paulo-based Association for the Defense of Public Security Agents, 477 police officers were killed in Brazil last year.
