"Favelas" are unofficial districts of the metropolis Rio de Janeiro, illegally built neighbourhoods - seemingly worlds without rules. The drug mafia rules there for the most part. The police are now trying to bring order to the chaos. A mammoth task for authorities and security forces, but also for the residents themselves.

Every day, 16 people die of gunshot wounds in Greater Rio.

In the fight against violence and crime, the authorities are relying on the "shock team" of the Rio de Janeiro military police (Batalhão de Polícia de Choque - BPChq) as a first step. The special unit occupies the favelas and clears the way for the so-called "peace units". In a second step, they are to provide permanent security for the inhabitants of the favelas. Abenteuer Leben accompanies a military police officer of the shock team and a peace unit as they storm a problem favela until the opening of the new police stations.