In a bid to tackle spiraling crime in Brazil's major cities, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced a £1.5 billion policy change.
With drug-related violence nearly jeopardizing the recent Pan-American Games and Live Earth concert, government plans will work to improve policing standards, as well as funding education programs in the inner cities.
A cautious President Lula admitted that the plan was "not enough to compensate for centuries of inequality that gave rise to violence".
However, he promised that the plan would "treat urban violence with the firm hand of the state".
Some 400,000 people will receive job training and financial aid, reports the BBC.
The strategy is also intended to confront police corruption, by offering grants for training and housing to poorly paid officers.
Brazil has one of the highest murder rates in world, with around 45,000 people killed annually.
