State Governor, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), reduced the amounts to be invested in the program throughout 2023
O government of São Paulo cut at least R$37.3 million from the body camera program used in Military Police uniforms. The project began in 2021 and, for 2023, the initial forecast was that R$152 million would be invested in the system that monitors the work of police officers in real time.
Over the past year, 4 decrees were issued by the governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), reducing the amounts that would be spent on cameras and transferring the money to other expenses.
The last decree of 2023 was published on December 9, and transferred around R$2.5 million from the body camera program to actions such as health care for military police officers.
The other cuts allocated the resources to pay police officers' daily wages and to purchase the corporation's consumables.
The biggest change was made in October, when R$15.2 million was removed from the program, equivalent to 10% of the initial budget for the cameras in 2023, which was R$152 million.
Forecast 37% lower
The committed amount, that is, actually committed to making the monitoring equipment available, ended up being significantly lower, just under R$95.2 million.
The current forecast, on the State Secretariat of Finance and Planning of SP What allows budgetary execution to be monitored is that not a single dollar more is spent on the camera program. This new allocation means a reduction of 37% in relation to the initially stipulated amount.
are in operation, according to SSP-SP (São Paulo State Department of Public Security), 10,125 portable operational cameras.
The body also stated that the state government “plans to increase investments in technology and monitoring in 2024, integrating solutions and ensuring greater protection for citizens”.
Without numbers or details, the secretariat stated that “the body camera program continues, with active maintenance contracts, foreseen in this year’s budget”.
Increase in deaths
In 2023, deaths caused by military police officers on duty rose again.
Until November 2023, PM officers on duty had killed 313 people across the state, a number that already exceeds the 256 cases recorded in 2022.
Even without December data, the increase in lethality is already 18.2%
Positive impacts
Organizations that monitor the area of public security point to the use of cameras in uniforms as an element that helps reduce deaths caused by the police.
Research launched in May 2023 by Unicef (United Nations Children's Fund) and by FBSP (Brazilian Public Security Forum) showed a 62.7% decrease in deaths caused by police officers in the State, which went from 697 deaths in 2019 to 260 in 2022.
According to the study, deaths fell by 76.2% in battalions in which the technology was adopted and by 33.3% in companies that did not use the equipment.
A previous study – from FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas) and released at the end of 2022 – demonstrated a 57% drop in police lethality after using the equipment.
With information from Brazil Agency
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