2nd Sergeant Sheila Muniz explains about the financial education course to combat debt among police officers. Starting this month, the Rio de Janeiro Military Police will offer a financial education course aimed at its troops. The proposal is to help agents deal with debts, organize the family budget and reduce the impacts of over-indebtedness on their professional and personal routine. The training, which will be carried out online, had demand above initial expectations. The 1st class, which anticipated 100 places, was expanded to more than 300 participants after the increase in demand. Saldo Azul was developed by 2nd Sergeant Sheila Muniz and was already being presented through lectures in battalions and teaching units of the corporation. Now, the initiative enters a new phase and could become a permanent discipline in the training of police officers. 📱Download the g1 app to see news from RJ in real time and for free According to the creator, the focus of the course is not only to teach financial control techniques, but also to work on habits and behaviors related to the use of money. "The problem is often not just in the financial spreadsheet, but in the way people deal emotionally with money. The objective is to create habits that can be maintained over time", says the sergeant. The initiative comes amid an increase in defaults in the country. Recent data shows that more than 80 million Brazilians have some outstanding debt. The reality also affects members of public security. In the corporation's assessment, debt can contribute to stress, emotional exhaustion and dependence on extra working hours to supplement income. In the PM, many agents resort to the Additional Service Regime (RAS), a modality in which police officers work on days off for extra pay. According to Sheila Muniz, in some cases these gains end up being incorporated into the family's monthly budget. "The police officer starts to depend on that extra money to pay bills. As a result, he loses periods of rest and family life", he explains. Finances and family relationships In addition to the impacts on mental health and work, the program also addresses the relationship between finances and family life. During classes, participants are encouraged to discuss household budgets, financial planning and long-term goals with spouses and children. "Financial education needs to involve the whole family. People often don't talk about money at home, which ends up generating conflicts and difficulties in organizing finances", says the sergeant. "Saldo Azul” will have online classes for military police officers and seeks to reduce the impact of debt on mental health PMERJ/Disclosure The training will last five weeks and combines theoretical content with practical activities. The intention is for participants to develop strategies to reduce debt, control expenses and create financial reserves. The initiative has also reached students from the Military Police education network. At the Second Military Police College, in Campo Grande, in the West Zone of Rio, students participated in lectures on conscious consumption and financial planning. The PM's expectation is to expand the scope of the project in the coming months and permanently incorporate financial education into the training of military police officers. 🟩g1 Rio is on GloboPop, Globo's new vertical short video app, available for free on your cell phone. On the app, you can follow the g1 Rio stage so you don't miss any episode. Download GloboPop.