The Bahian state government released, last Tuesday (5), the results of the “Bahia Pela Paz” program, which recorded a drop in the total number of violent deaths in April, the lowest rate in the last 14 years. Although, Bahia remains in second place in the ranking of victims of intentional homicides, considering the first quarter of 2026according to data from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
Ranking of intentional homicides in Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro, with 881 victims
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Bahia, with 818 victims
- São Paulo, 562 victims
- Minas Gerais, 496 victims
- Ceará, 453 victims
- Maranhão, 452 victims
- Pará, 376 victims
- Paraná, 303 victims
During the ranking period, the country recorded 7,289 victims of this type of crime.
The Bahian project is part of the government strategy, in partnership with the Justice system. According to authorities, the program is aimed at preventing and reducing fatal violence, focusing on young people who are in socially vulnerable situations. In the last two years, around R$270 million were invested to execute the program.
“The Executive has to make it happen, but the puzzle is being put together with suggestions, criticisms and contributions from the actors of this forum, which is achieving a great degree of maturity. And it is very important when we are able to fit actions from the police, the prison system, the Public Defender’s Office, the Public Ministry, Justice and the Assembly into this debate”, says Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT), governor of Bahia.
Record drop
According to information from the Public Security Secretariat (SSP), the month of April 2026 had 256 violent deaths, for the department the first four months of the year marked the drop in serious crimes against life, going from 1,449 cases in the same period of 2025 to 1,119 this year.
The “Bahia Pela Paz” program, in its first year of operation, was responsible for the inclusion of more than 14 thousand people in public policy, with more than 30.9 thousand assistances.
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Police violence still concerns
According to a 2024 report from Amnesty International, the state of Bahia, along with São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, killed 394 people in operations. The body criticizes the excessive use of force by Brazilian police and points out a certain ineffectiveness in combating violence. Amnesty also points out that the federal government continues to ignore measures to reduce police violence, including the use of body cameras.
In 2025, only 7.5% of Bahian police officers used bodycams, according to a report by the MPBA (Public Ministry of Bahia). At the time, the MJSP (Ministry of Justice and Public Security) recommended to the SSP-BA (Bahia Public Security Secretariat) and the Civil and Military police commands measures to improve the policy on the use of CCOs (Operational Body Cameras) by the state’s public security forces.
*With information from Tomaz Coelho
