ISP Study Finds Most Stolen Vehicles in Rio Were Recovered in Five Municipalities

Overview

• The Instituto de Segurança Pública released the study on Tuesday showing roughly 80% of stolen or robbed vehicles in 2025 were recovered in five municipalities: Rio de Janeiro city, Duque de Caxias, São Gonçalo, Belford Roxo and São João de Meriti.
• The state recorded 25,235 vehicle robberies and 17,490 vehicle thefts in 2025, with more than half of robberies concentrated in Baixada Fluminense and the North Zone.
• Incidents are spatially concentrated: half of the capital’s vehicle thefts and robberies occurred in just 4.3% of the city’s area, and similarly tight shares appear in Duque de Caxias, São João de Meriti, São Gonçalo and Nova Iguaçu.
• Reporting and recovery are swift, with about 92% of car and motorcycle incidents reported within three days and most recoveries happening within 72 hours, though cars are recovered faster than motorcycles.
• The ISP documents that many recovered vehicles were found inside or near territories controlled by criminal organizations and appear to follow planned routes to local receptation markets, suggesting police should combine hotspot policing with efforts to disrupt destination networks and inter‑municipal flows.