Quaest: Majority of Brazilians support the Security Amendment.

247 - Most respondents in the Genial/Quaest survey are in favor of the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) on Public Security, presented in April by the Minister of Justice, Ricardo Lewandowski. The survey was published by the newspaper. The GlobeThe data shows that 52% of Rio de Janeiro residents support the proposal, while 29% are against it and 19% did not know or preferred not to answer. The numbers indicate both approval and lack of awareness among the population regarding the content of the project.

The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to strengthen the federal government's role in formulating public security policies by creating autonomous internal affairs and ombudsman offices, as well as expanding the responsibilities of the Federal Highway Police. The text alters provisions of the Federal Constitution to broaden the federal government's competence and consolidate the Unified Public Security System (SUSP), currently regulated by ordinary law, as part of the Constitution—similar to what occurs with the Unified Health System (SUS) and the National Education System.

According to Lewandowski, including the SUSP (Unified Public Security System) in the Constitution will strengthen the integration between police forces, based on standardized databases and procedures. He believes the proposal offers tools for the federal government to more effectively coordinate public security actions in the country.

Processing and criticism

Drafted over 18 months ago, the proposal underwent internal adjustments before being sent to the National Congress. In April, the text was forwarded to the Chamber of Deputies and is under the purview of Deputy Mendonça Filho (União-PE). The parliamentarian, however, downplayed the pressure for expedited processing, even after the deadliest police operation in Rio de Janeiro.

According to Mendonça Filho, the proposed constitutional amendment "does not have the capacity to change the status quo" of the state and needs to be the subject of "in-depth discussion." He also argues that the text should preserve the autonomy of the states and aims to "decentralize" the content, maintaining the current structure foreseen in the Constitution.

Following criticism from governors and opposition parliamentarians, who stated that the proposal could strip powers from the states, the Ministry of Justice included a paragraph to reinforce that the Union does not intend to encroach on state competencies. The text clarifies that the PEC (Proposed Constitutional Amendment) "does not exclude the common and concurrent competencies of the other federative entities regarding public security and social defense, nor does it restrict the subordination of the military, civil, and penal police and the military fire departments to the governors of the States and the Federal District."

New assignments

Among the proposed changes is the replacement of the term "federal highway and railway police" with "Federal Highway Police." The measure creates the first visible police force under the direct jurisdiction of the federal government, responsible for patrolling highways, waterways, and railways.

The proposed amendment also expands the scope of the Federal Police, authorizing the agency to investigate environmental crimes and the activities of private militias, thus increasing the institution's capacity to act on sensitive issues.

Path in Congress

Officially presented to the Speaker of the House, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), the PEC was approved in July by the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ), with the removal of the section that granted the Union exclusive power to legislate on public security. After this stage, the progress of the proposal stalled.

A special committee was created to discuss the issue, and the initial expectation was that the vote would only take place in 2026. However, in light of the recent operation in Rio, the rapporteur stated that he intends to present his report in November.

Consensus under discussion

Mendonça Filho acknowledges the importance of improving cooperation between security forces and stated that he agrees with the provisions that address this integration. The version sent by Lewandowski is only eight pages long and was drafted to reduce friction between corporations and lessen political resistance.