Violent deaths across Ceará fell by 48.6% this October compared to the same month last year, marking the lowest figure for October in the state’s historical series, according to data released by the Secretariat of Public Safety and Social Defense (SSPDS) and reported by G1.
The state recorded 146 violent deaths in October 2026, dropping 138 fatalities from October 2025, when 284 people were killed, as detailed by G1. The Superintendence of Research and Public Security Strategy (Supesp) compiled these figures, which encompass intentional lethal violent crimes (CVLIs) including homicide, femicide, robbery resulting in death, and bodily injury resulting in death.
Harley Filho, coordinator of Operational Planning for SSPDS, says that the state has been registering reductions in indices of crimes such as robberies, thefts, and femicides since 2021.
“Seria muito injusto dar mérito dessa queda à ausência de conflitos [entre facções],” said Harley Filho, coordinator of Operational Planning for SSPDS, in an interview with UOL Notícias.
“Aqui, qualquer viatura entra em qualquer local,” said Harley Filho, coordinator of Operational Planning for SSPDS, in an interview with UOL Notícias.
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Filho explained to UOL Notícias that the SSPDS established specific operational protocols to curb extortion by criminal groups, leading directly to targeted arrests. Police operations now focus heavily on mapping and cutting off financial pathways used by faction leaders hiding out in Rio de Janeiro, aiming to choke off funding to criminal networks.
According to the coordinator, information exchange with Rio de Janeiro, where the faction leaders are located, is also important for understanding how the Red Command operates.
Statewide statistics for the broader January through October 2026 period show a 46.9% decrease in CVLIs, with 1,339 cases registered compared to 2,523 in the same months of 2025, according to Repórter Ceará. In the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza, cumulative violent deaths fell by 70% over the ten-month span, while the capital itself saw a 62.6% drop from 642 deaths down to 240, Repórter Ceará noted.
Property crimes saw similar downward shifts. O POVO reported that Ceará recorded its lowest number of robberies for an October since 2009, with total property robberies falling 53.3% across the state between January and October 2026 to 11,232 occurrences compared to 24,056 the previous year.
According to Roberto Sá, Secretary of Public Safety and Social Defense, the results are attributed to structural changes within the security forces and the adoption of new operational strategies. The measures involved strengthening the corporations, actions to value professionals, and implementing protocols to improve both preventive policing and police investigations using intelligence information and criminal analysis.
“A gente vê um sistema de proteção que envolve outros atores, do terceiro setor e sociedade civil, que tentam também trabalhar contra a expansão da violência,” said Harley Filho, coordinator of Operational Planning for SSPDS, in an interview with UOL Notícias.
“Às vezes uma lâmpada, um telhado que a gente bota em uma casa, vai evitar uma morte,” said Sérgio Farias of the Homeless Workers’ Movement (MTST), speaking to UOL Notícias about local anti-violence initiatives such as the Zona Viva project in the José Euclides housing complex.
National Ministry of Justice and Public Security figures place Ceará 14th among Brazilian states for CVLI rates at 12.87 per 100,000 residents between January and September 2026, a sharp shift from its position as the highest-ranking state in 2025, according to Repórter Ceará.
