The State of São Paulo recorded a 120% increase in the number of deaths of children and adolescents due to police interventions between 2022 and 2024. The data are from the report “Body Cameras in the São Paulo State Military Police (2nd edition): changes in politics and impact on adolescent deaths”, produced by United Nations Fund for Childhood (UNICEF) and the Brazilian Public Security Forum (FBSP) .
Growth occurred at the same time when changes were implemented in the protocols of use of body cameras and other mechanisms for controlling the police force. According to the study, 77 children and adolescents between 10 and 19 years died in police interventions in 2024, more than double the 35 victims recorded in 2022.
The report also points out that, among all violent deaths of children and adolescents, 34% were caused by military police last year, an increase over 24% of 2022. Among adults, the proportion also rose from 9% to 18% in the same period.
“Police interventions are the second main cause of violent death among children and adolescents in Sao Paulo, with 1 out of 3 deaths in this age group due to actions by military police officers in service. This scenario reinforces the urgent need to invest in public security policies that actually protect the lives of boys and girls, and that guarantee priority in investigating and liability of the guilty,” says Adriana Alvarenga, chief of office of the office UNICEF in São Paulo.
The report also highlights the growth in the number of military police officers killed in service. In 2024, 14 agents were murdered while performing their duties, representing an increase of 133% compared to 2022.
Changes in security policies
The first edition of the study, published in 2023, pointed out that between 2019 and 2022 there was a 66.3% drop in deaths of children and adolescents in police interventions, attributed to the use of body cameras and the adoption of stricter policies to control police force.
However, from 2022, this scenario changed. Between 2022 and 2024, the total number of deaths from military police officers in service grew 153.5%, from 256 victims in 2022 to 649 by 2024. Increased police lethality was recorded in both battalions using body cameras (+175.4%) and those they do not use (+129.5%).
“Recent changes in force control policies have resulted in the growth of police lethality in both battalions that use cameras and others, which shows that technology is important, but it needs to be associated with other control mechanisms. Interactions between military police and citizens have become more violent, so it generates great concern for the replacement of cameras with a new technology that has no uninterrupted recording. From the use of the robust force, with supervision of the agents, ”warns Samira Bueno, executive director of the Brazilian Public Security Forum.
The report also points to other changes in the control structure of the police force in the state. Between 2022 and 2024, there was a 46% reduction in the number of discipline councils, which judge offenses committed by military police squares, in addition to a 12.1% drop in the number of disciplinary administrative proceedings. The volume of military police inquiries (IPMs) recorded in 2024 was the smallest of the last eight years.
Another significant change was in the Military Police Office, which, since June 2024, has depends on the authorization of the PM’s Deputy Commander General to dismiss police involved in serious cases, which may impact the agility of decisions and investigations.
In addition, the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP-SP) proposed changes in the body camera program. A notice issued in 2024 provides that the recording is no longer continuous, depending on manual activation by a police officer or a remote team. According to the study, this modification may compromise the transparency and effectiveness of monitoring police approaches.
Victims Profile
The report also reveals that police lethality grew disproportionately among the black population. While the mortality rate of white people increased by 122.8% between 2022 and 2024, that of black people grew 157.2%.
Among children and adolescents, the Military Police Police Letter rate was 0.33 for every 100,000 whites, while for blacks this number rose to 1.22 per 100,000 – ie black children and adolescents are 3.7 times more victims of lethal police interventions than whites.
The growth of police lethality remained even compared to the pandemic period. In 2022, every thousand arrests or seizures in the act, 2.3 people were killed by police. In 2024, this proportion more than doubled, reaching 5.3 deaths for every 1,000 arrests or seizures.
The report highlights that there is no unique solution to the problem of lethal violence and that public security policies should be based on scientific evidence to protect both society and police.
What SSP says
In a statement, the SSP reported that “State security forces do not compact withdrawals of conduct or excesses by their agents, punishing with absolute rigor all occurrences of this nature.”
The portfolio also points out that “since 2023, more than 550 police officers have been arrested and 364 dismissed or expelled, reinforcing the commitment of the Secretariat of Public Security to legality and transparency” “
NOTE – SSP
State security forces do not condone deviations of conduct or excess their agents, punishing with absolute rigor all occurrences of this nature. Since 2023, more than 550 police officers have been arrested and 364 dismissed or expelled, reinforcing the commitment of the Secretariat of Public Security to legality and transparency.
Police institutions maintain robust training and vocational training programs, as well as specialized risk mitigation committees, which act in identifying nonconformities and improving operating procedures. By determination of the SSP, all cases of MDIP are investigated by the Civil and Military Police, with monitoring of the Corregedorias, the Public Prosecution Service and the judiciary.
Regarding operational cameras, the current management increased by 18.5% the number of equipment. The new devices, currently in the testing phase, have new features, such as signs reading, bilateral communication and remote drive, which will be activated as soon as the team is dispatched for an occurrence. In addition, every patrolling police officer should trigger the camera whenever it comes across a situation of public security interest. The use of equipment follows rigid rules, and any agent that fails to comply with them will be subject to appropriate sanctions.
*Under supervision
This content was originally published in deaths of children and adolescents by PMs grow in SP, says study on the website CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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