Policía Pacificadora, legitimidad y prácticas de ocupación territorial

This article analyzes the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) which, beginning in 2008, took over control of some of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro that were previously ruled by armed drugs gangs. Local authorities have implemented a “community and proximity police” program, in order to attain pacification...

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Main Author: Sebastian Saborio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá) 2017-09-01
Series:Antípoda: Revista de Antropología y Arqueología
Subjects:
Online Access:http://revistas.uniandes.edu.co/doi/full/10.7440/antipoda29.2017.05
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author Sebastian Saborio
author_facet Sebastian Saborio
author_sort Sebastian Saborio
collection DOAJ
description This article analyzes the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) which, beginning in 2008, took over control of some of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro that were previously ruled by armed drugs gangs. Local authorities have implemented a “community and proximity police” program, in order to attain pacification and put an end to a violent and militarized approach to policing in marginalized urban areas. However, contrary to the institutional rhetoric, the pacification of the favelas has manifested itself as a militarized occupation with clear limits on its territorial reach and effectiveness. An analysis of police strategies and practices shows that the UPPs have not sought to convince the residents of the favelas to regard them as a legitimate force, a fact which in turn has been responsible for the major failure of the project: it has failed to put an end to the power of the gangs in these pacified territories. Therefore, this article contributes to the debate on the legitimacy of the police, one of the key subjects of the “policing studies” undertaken in the field of social sciences. Our observations are the result of a an ethnographic study of five months, during which the author observed the daily work of the policemen of three UPPs and conducted 93 indepth interviews with them and 25 with residents of the pacified favelas.
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spelling doaj.art-275721765f5e499a845d37e295c9ba442022-12-21T18:49:51ZengUniversidad de los Andes (Bogotá)Antípoda: Revista de Antropología y Arqueología1900-54072011-42732017-09-012910512210.7440/antipoda29.2017.05Policía Pacificadora, legitimidad y prácticas de ocupación territorialSebastian Saborio0Universidad de Costa RicaThis article analyzes the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) which, beginning in 2008, took over control of some of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro that were previously ruled by armed drugs gangs. Local authorities have implemented a “community and proximity police” program, in order to attain pacification and put an end to a violent and militarized approach to policing in marginalized urban areas. However, contrary to the institutional rhetoric, the pacification of the favelas has manifested itself as a militarized occupation with clear limits on its territorial reach and effectiveness. An analysis of police strategies and practices shows that the UPPs have not sought to convince the residents of the favelas to regard them as a legitimate force, a fact which in turn has been responsible for the major failure of the project: it has failed to put an end to the power of the gangs in these pacified territories. Therefore, this article contributes to the debate on the legitimacy of the police, one of the key subjects of the “policing studies” undertaken in the field of social sciences. Our observations are the result of a an ethnographic study of five months, during which the author observed the daily work of the policemen of three UPPs and conducted 93 indepth interviews with them and 25 with residents of the pacified favelas.http://revistas.uniandes.edu.co/doi/full/10.7440/antipoda29.2017.05Thesaurus: violenceAuthor's keywords: Pacifying Police UnitsmilitarizationfavelasRio de Janeiropolice violence
spellingShingle Sebastian Saborio
Policía Pacificadora, legitimidad y prácticas de ocupación territorial
Antípoda: Revista de Antropología y Arqueología
Thesaurus: violence
Author's keywords: Pacifying Police Units
militarization
favelas
Rio de Janeiro
police violence
title Policía Pacificadora, legitimidad y prácticas de ocupación territorial
title_full Policía Pacificadora, legitimidad y prácticas de ocupación territorial
title_fullStr Policía Pacificadora, legitimidad y prácticas de ocupación territorial
title_full_unstemmed Policía Pacificadora, legitimidad y prácticas de ocupación territorial
title_short Policía Pacificadora, legitimidad y prácticas de ocupación territorial
title_sort policia pacificadora legitimidad y practicas de ocupacion territorial
topic Thesaurus: violence
Author's keywords: Pacifying Police Units
militarization
favelas
Rio de Janeiro
police violence
url http://revistas.uniandes.edu.co/doi/full/10.7440/antipoda29.2017.05
work_keys_str_mv AT sebastiansaborio policiapacificadoralegitimidadypracticasdeocupacionterritorial