A sign of Rio Olympics: military police security drills

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Faced with concerns about security for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, special tactical units of Brazil's military police went through emergency drills on Wednesday in the western suburb of Barra where most of the Olympic events will take place.

Violent crime in Rio de Janeiro has soared in recent months. This often involves street robberies and muggings across the city - including on the famous beaches.

Despite attempts to police Rio's sprawling favelas - or slums - crime has become a worrying trend for Olympic organizers. Several people were killed last month when they were hit by stray bullets during shootouts in poor areas.

Organizers of last year's World Cup used 150,000 heavily-armed soldiers and policemen to control crowds.