PN #58 - Operation Shield in Guarujá

The Arns Commission expresses its deep concern about “Operation Shield,” launched after the death of a military police officer in the city of Guarujá, São Paulo. The death of the police officer cannot be tolerated and requires rigorous action by the authorities, but within the strict limits of the rule of law.

The high number of deaths of “suspects” in the wake of this operation last weekend, as well as reports of torture against members of the community, including teenagers, besides threats of retaliation against the civilian population, require immediate investigation, not only by the police authorities, but also by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, with extensive monitoring by civil society and Federal agencies responsible for the guarantee of human rights.

The statements made by the state governor, Tarcísio de Freitas, and the secretary of public security, Guilherme Derrite, in defense of the operation, even before the results of the investigations were known, caused perplexity. According to the governor, “there was no excess, there was professional action.” This is a conclusion that he could only reach after rigorous and independent investigations. Such a priori endorsement of police conduct only contributes to the relaxation of much-needed control over police activity.

In recent decades, the government of São Paulo has made an enormous effort to build a more effective public security policy, in accordance with the imperatives of the rule of law. The result has been a sharp reduction in homicide rates, as well as a significant reduction in police lethality, making São Paulo the safest state in the Federation.

This entire process of professionalizing the police and improving the justice and public security system cannot be put at risk. Lack of control over police activity will only strengthen organized crime, putting the integrity of the population at risk. One only has to look at other states where violence and police corruption go hand in hand with militias and organized crime to understand.