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The Brazilian government has pledged $1.7bn (£850m) to improve conditions in Rio de Janeiro's shantytowns and counter the grip of the drugs gangs.President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that investing in running water and other basic services was the best way to beat organised crime.He also defended police action in the slums just days after 19 people died during a major raid against the gangs.More than one million people live in Rio's sprawling slums."If the state doesn't fulfil its role and does not provide (adequate) services for the people, drug traffickers and organised crime will," President Lula said."We want people to have road access, street lighting, hospitals and schools." Such investment, the president said, was the only way to win against organised crime.The BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo says the government now seems determined to ensure the drugs gangs cannot take responsibility for services which the state would normally provide.Rio state security chief Jose Beltrame said last week that slum residents were "at the mercy of a parallel state, where criminals dictate their will". As in the days of Noah...
