Evidence-based policing can contribute to rational public security, study finds
In Brazil, there is strong social pressure for the police to act as “vigilantes,” based on a feeling of revenge and the use of excessive force, but policing centered on rationality and science can change this situation, according to an article written by several authors, including Rafael Alcadipani, a researcher at Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Sao Paulo School of Business Administration (FGV EAESP), and published in the journal “Cadernos EBAPE.BR.”
The authors carried out a theoretical review of the international literature on public security. They focused on the concept of evidence-based policing, in which public decision making involves strategies that are often anchored in management and information technology systems to ensure the efficiency of actions.
The article presents the main requirements for implementing evidence-based policing. The first step is to evaluate crime rates and intelligence activities, to facilitate the construction of governance rates. This information can help restore the legitimacy of police organizations.
Other important elements for this process include training of organizational leaders and the development of technologies to facilitate the circulation of information among police organizations for decision making with minimal chances of error. Finally, the authors cite the creation of collaborative networks with universities and research centers, allowing police organizations to take advantage of useful studies and analyzes to support their work.
