With security concerns around the Rio Olympics mounting, unhappy security personnel is something organizers, athletes and visitors would rather not hear about. Unfortunately, this is the latest issue facing the Games in Brazil.
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Morale among some officers of the National Force, which is part of the overall security team charged with protecting this summer’s Olympics, is at “rock bottom,” as they are dealing with delayed paychecks and insufficient living accommodations, one officer told Reuters.
The officer said dozens of his co-workers have returned to their home states because they have not been paid on time and/or have been forced to sleep on floors. The officer did not want his name mentioned in the report for fear of being punished.
Brazil’s Justice Ministry, which oversees the National Force, said in a statement that pay and board for security officers is guaranteed. Video footage, however, seems to confirm some of the anonymous officer's claims, showing National Force members carrying mattresses and driving refrigerators to unfurnished public housing, according to the Reuters report.
"I'm having to sleep on the floor, our food arrives late and I still haven't been paid," the officer said. "We're not being treated like professionals.”