Brazil: Spate of Robberies on Rio’s Beaches

A series of robberies took place over the weekend on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. The incidents heightened concerns about security in the city less than a year before the Olympic Games. Groups of teenagers snatched mobile phones, wallets, bags and jewelry from tourists and ran off into the crowds. Two weeks ago Rio’s military police were ordered not to detain minors as a preventive measure, as they had done in the past. teleSUR