Who is interested in the end of the PRF, which seizes the most drugs in the world

The Federal Highway Police (PRF) is in a crossfire. Recent events involving police officers in the deaths of civilians, such as the suffocation of Genivaldo Santos, in Sergipe, and the 3-year-old girl shot, in Rio de Janeiro, have triggered a series of criticisms against the corporation, mainly from left-wing sectors, already irritated by the PRF for its action during the 2022 elections.

The campaign reached its peak when Minister Gilmar Mendes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), publicly expressed his view on the possible extinction of the PRF, stating that it “must have its existence reevaluated”.

Changes in the conduct of the corporation’s work were initiated in the first days of the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). In January, the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino, ordered the extinction of the five Regional Special Operations Commands (COEs) – created during the administration of Silvinei Vasques, former director general of the PRF under former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The COEs were present in the five regions of the country and their purpose was to expand the fight against crime at a regional level and intervene in emergencies that required an agile response. The Ministry of Justice and Public Security justified this measure by alleging the underutilization of PRF personnel in situations of absence of specific operations.

Given this scenario, experts and police officers from the corporation point out that changes in approaches are necessary, but the persecution is disproportionate – and can contribute to the strengthening of criminal groups.

But who is interested in the end of the PRF?

For public security specialist Fabrício Rebelo, the politicization of the corporation may be one of the causes responsible for the PRF’s inclusion in the crosshairs of critics.

According to him, the results achieved by the Federal Highway Police were linked to Bolsonaro’s government, a fact that can be seen as the main point responsible for the politicization of the institution.

“In the Bolsonaro government there was a very positive result from the PRF in repressing drug and weapons trafficking. This ended up being associated with previous government management. So, there was an association of the police’s actions with the previous Executive, and this – within a context that we are experiencing today in Brazil – became a true ideological persecution against the Federal Highway Police”, he observed.

According to the PRF’s Crime Combat Atlas, even in the midst of the pandemic, in 2020, the PRF seized a total of more than 736 tons of marijuana and 31 tons of cocaine. Additionally, approximately 11 thousand vehicles were recovered and around 115 million packs of smuggled cigarettes were seized. In the last 20 years, the PRF arrested 629,000 people and confiscated 28,000 firearms.

Rebelo also analyzes the excessive criticism made of the Federal Highway Police and the message this sends to organized crime barons, targets of record drug seizures carried out by the institution and who certainly have an interest in weakening the PRF’s actions.

“From the moment there is a demonization of the police forces, a message ends up being sent that their actions, in general, are not being well regarded. And this always happens in the area of ​​public security. When we have a public signal that the concern for those who fight is greater than that of those who actually commit the crime, it ends up sending a signal to criminals that their activities are tolerated. As a result, the tendency is for us to see an increase in the boldness of criminals, in confronting even those corporations that are being criticized, and consequently, the effects on security indicators end up being much worse.”

Corporation bothers the country’s main criminal organizations

In the fight against drug trafficking, the Federal Highway Police disturbs the largest criminal organizations in Brazil. Among them, the First Command of the Capital (PCC), the Red Command (CV) and the sinister partnership between the PCC and the ‘Ndranghetaa powerful Italian mafia.

Brazil’s roads, initially conceived as national connection routes, have become clandestine corridors for the flow of drugs. Criminal organizations found these extensive stretches to be an efficient way to transport large quantities of drugs from one part of the country to another.

The proactive intervention of the PRF, however, is a significant challenge for these criminal organizations. The record seizures carried out by the corporation signal not only a concrete blow against drug trafficking, but also cause billions in losses to the finances of these factions.

Furthermore, some of the PCC leaders are in the sights of the PRF. Last year, the institution arrested leaders of the criminal faction in Pernambuco and the state of São Paulo.

In January 2022, the person responsible for the PCC’s international operations was arrested during an attack in the municipality of Itapecerica da Serra, in the interior of São Paulo.

In April, the drug dealer known as “Colorido” was arrested on BR-116, in Salgueiro, in the backlands of Pernambuco. Considered number 2 in the faction, he had been on the run since 2014 and was involved in supplying PCC drugs to the Southeast Region.

“Defund The Police”

The idea of ​​extinguishing the PRF in Brazil bears similarities to the initiative “Defund The Police” (Defund the Police, in Portuguese), which gained notoriety in the United States. Left-wing groups, such as the movement Black Lives Matter (BLM) and the organization “Black Youth Project 100” (BYP 100), are among the main advocates of reducing police funding.

This initiative gained even more support after the death of George Floyd, which occurred in 2020, during a police stop in which an officer pressed his knee on his neck for almost nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Chicago was one of the cities that joined in reducing police funding. In 2020, Mayor Lori Lightfoot requested an $80 million decrease in the police budget.

The negative consequences of the initiative were quick to appear: in 2021, Chicago suffered the highest number of homicides in the last 25 years, with 836 victims, according to data from the Cook County Department of Forensic Medicine.

The Police Department recorded a 39% drop in the number of arrests for violent crimes in 2021 compared to 2019. Additionally, approximately 600 officers were fired from the Department, resulting in a shortfall of approximately 1,000 law enforcement officers.

Peer-reviewed research published this year in Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being indicated that several North American cities have backed away from their initiatives to reduce funding for local police.

The increase in homicide rates and the reduced sense of security among the population were some of the reasons cited by authorities in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles to reverse the trend and increase the budget allocated to the police, revoking measures to reduce police power. .