Brazilian authorities have reached a deal to end a week-long police strike that has sparked violent anarchy and left more than 120 people dead.
Officials with the state of Espirito Santo, who had threatened striking police officers with criminal charges, said police were expected to return to work by 7am (8pm AEDT) on Saturday.
It was still unclear if most policemen would stand by the deal and return to work as the federal government dispatched more troops to the southeastern coastal state to try to quell the unrest.
Some relatives of striking officers told Reuters the police unions that clinched the deal did not represent them.
Espirito Santo is one of several Brazilian states grappling with a budget crisis that is crippling essential public services.
The police strike over pay during the past week left a security vacuum and led to rampant assaults, robberies and looting.
Limited protests by police in nearby Rio de Janeiro alarmed residents of the metropolitan area of 12 million people, many of whom live in fear of violence between rival drug gangs and other criminals.
Some mayors in Rio de Janeiro state even announced plans to help make up for unpaid police salaries by using city finances to cover the state's shortfalls.
In Espirito Santo, a spokesman for a local police union said the death toll from a week of unrest had risen to 122.
President Michel Temer, addressing the crisis publicly for the first time, on Friday called the strike "illegal" and said: "The right to protest cannot take the Brazilian people hostage."
Temer's comments came as the defence ministry mobilised hundreds more soldiers and federal police to help stem the chaos.
After an initial deployment of 1200 troops earlier in the week, the ministry on Thursday said as many as 3000 would be in place by the weekend.
Espirito Santo officials said charges of rebellion against 700 striking state officers could be dropped for those who returned to work by Saturday morning.
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