The Ministry of Justice published an ordinance that links the transfer of funds from the National Fund for Public Security to the 27 states and the Federal District to the reduction of police lethality. The document was made official amid the repercussions of police actions in Rio, Bahia and São Paulo that led to the death of innocent people, but it was not publicized. According to the new ordinance, all federation units must present their action plans for the use of resources in 2024.
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In theory, according to the text, those who do not meet the goals will not be able to qualify to receive the money in the following year. In addition to devoting 80% of resources to reducing intentional violent deaths, the new rule published by Flávio Dino allocates 10% to combating violence against women and another 10% to improving the quality of life of public security professionals.
Values
In all, the portfolio will allocate R$ 1 billion per year to finance weapons, ammunition, hospital supplies and vehicles. Each state should receive from R$ 35.3 million to R$ 42 million, depending on some technical factors.
Criteria
But, to receive the money from 2024, each state must present an action plan that meets, among other criteria, the reduction of deaths caused by police officers. Of the total, 80% of the amount must be used to reduce intentional violent deaths, including those caused by the police.
Recent Cases
Between the end of July and the beginning of August, police actions in Bahia, Rio and São Paulo resulted in at least 59 deaths. Among them, those of four children shot in the metropolitan region of the capital of Rio de Janeiro.
Parliamentarians Linked to the Weapons Industry
Parliamentarians linked to weapons industry did not like the ordinance. For them, linking the transfer of funds to police lethality would not be good because the police officer has no interest in putting his life at risk. When confronted with a criminal, when this lethality occurs, he is still penalized for having put his life at risk.
Analysis:
The Ministry of Justice’s stance intrigued public security experts and parliamentarians. According to these observers, an explanation for the discretion could be the fact that Congress is about to approve the organic law of the Military Police and Firefighters. The law is considered by public security experts to be timid in addressing the use of force and police lethality, in addition to not advancing transparency mechanisms. Another important point is that the ordinance is still vague and does not detail the deadlines for the delivery of these plans or how the inspection of police lethality rates will be carried out. Another issue is difficulties in integrating statistics compiled in different ways by each federative unit into the National Public Security Information System, Sinesp. The prediction of targets for reducing police lethality is positive but will require commitment from the Federal Government. Like any monitoring system, it is essential that it is effectively used to reward good practices and that resources are only released if the objectives are achieved. The key to successful follow-ups of this type is transparency, audit, and accountability.
Source: O Globo
