Police force autonomy is incompatible with democracy, says Lewandowski
For the minister, the independence of the police could favor coup attempts
247 - Justice and Public Security Minister Ricardo Lewandowski criticized the autonomy of police forces on Wednesday (19), arguing that these forces should be subordinate to governments. According to the minister, police independence could encourage coup attempts.
"In my view, it's incompatible with democracy for armed corporations to have autonomy. Because ultimately, they have more power than the State, and no one can stop them. We saw this with the Federal Highway Police in the last election. They blocked all the highways, and today the person responsible is being prosecuted by the Supreme Federal Court," he said at a meeting of the Deliberative Council of the Confederation of Commercial and Business Associations.
As minister, Lewandowski is working to approve the Public Security Amendment Proposal (PEC). Among its measures, the proposal seeks to include the Unified Public Security System (SUSP) in the Constitution and expand the powers of the Federal Police and the Federal Highway Police.
Back in January, the government adjusted the text of the Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) after criticism from governors, ensuring that states have autonomy over their security forces. At the time, however, Lewandowski declared that allowing states to legislate on criminal matters contradicts federal principles.
