Over 70% of police officers support demilitarization.

Flávia Albuquerque, from Agência Brasil - A survey, released today (30) by the Brazilian Public Security Forum, indicates that 73,7% of Brazilian police officers are in favor of separation from the Army. Among military police officers, 76,1% responded that they were in favor of demilitarization and 93,6% believe that it is necessary to modernize the regulations and disciplinary codes.

When questioned about the regulation of the right to unionize and strike, 86,7% of those interviewed said they were in favor. For 87,3%, the focus of the military police's work should be reoriented towards protecting citizens' rights. The data also indicate that 66,2% of the approximately 21 respondents believe that police careers are not adequate as they are currently organized; 80,9% believe that the police should be organized into a single career path with entry through public competition; 58,3% believe that the hierarchy in the police forces causes disrespect and professional injustices; and 86,2% state that management should be more efficient.

According to the research, 65,9% said they had suffered discrimination for being police officers, and 59,6% stated that they had been humiliated or disrespected by superiors. Another finding shows that 43,2% believe that a police officer who kills a criminal should be rewarded and acquitted by the Justice system, while 83,7% stated that a police officer who kills a suspect should be investigated and prosecuted.

Among the difficulties at work, 99% point to low salaries, 98,2% to deficient training and education, 97,3% to insufficient police personnel and lack of funds for equipment and weapons. Inadequate penal laws (94,9%) and corruption within the police force (93,6%) were also cited.

The coordinator of the Brazilian Public Security Forum, Renato Sérgio de Lima, explained that military police are often confused with militarized police. "The police officers said that this is important for police work, that it's necessary to have rules, to be parameterized on what they can and cannot do. They want autonomy, but it's necessary to modernize the regulations so that their rights are also preserved."

Oscar Vilhena Vieira, a professor of constitutional law at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, pointed out that there are several definitions of what demilitarization means. "We are not saying that there has to be a police force without hierarchy. It has to be hierarchical, uniformed, and it has to have an adequate disciplinary code compatible with the democratic standards that exist today. The separation is from the Armed Forces, not from the State."

According to the National Secretary of Public Security, Regina Miki, what police officers mean by the term demilitarization will not always reflect what society expects from it, which is why the debate must be very thorough. "Perhaps we will have internal changes within the police force, and society will not be happy. Rank-and-file officers and the top brass certainly see demilitarization differently for various reasons. Certainly, even within the corporations, there is no consensus."

The survey polled 21.101 military police officers, civil police officers, federal police officers, federal highway police officers, firefighters, and forensic experts across all states, from June 30 to July 18.