Brasília, June 21, 2022 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil held last Wednesday (15) the international workshop on "Best practices in the integrity of the use of force: the experience of the Police Activity Compliance Index of Rio Grande do Sul". Held in a hybrid format, event took place at the PUCRS Science and Technology Park (Tecnopuc), with further expert participation online.
The event was attended by authorities in the areas of public security and justice in Rio Grande do Sul and presented an assessment of the experience of monitoring the use of force in the territories where the Opportunities and Rights Programme (POD) is active.
The Secretary of Justice, Penal and Socio-Educational Systems, Mauro Hauschild, participated in the opening session of the event and highlighted the role of social exclusion as a reproducer of violence. The Public Safety Secretary of Rio Grande do Sul, Vanius Cesar Santarosa, spoke about the importance of the presence of the state, as well as investments in education, health and job opportunities. Additionally, UNODC Brazil Representative Elena Abbati highlighted UNODC's support in improving crime detection and prevention, in line with national and international best practices.
During the second part of the workshop, the coordinator of the Compliance and Integrity Area of UNODC in Brazil commented on the importance of the compliance index for police activity, the ICAP, operationalized by UNODC.
UNODC also highlighted recent trends, stating that, "in the last three years, we have observed a global policing crisis. On the one hand, the pandemic has led police officers in several countries to implement health measures and reduce their deployment. On the other hand, police services have experienced an increase in work with the pandemic. In addition, there was a global movement against police violence, which led many countries to reform their institutions."
Major Roberto Donato, head of the 3rd Section of the Rio Grande do Sul State Military Brigade and focal point of the POD in the Secretariat of Public Security and Deputy Antônio Lápis, focal point of the POD in the Secretariat of Public Security, were also present at the event.
