Latin America: toward a more effective, professional, and legitimate police force

It has been traditionally considered that effective police actions are those that imply the use of high levels of force. However, the priority function of the police force, the only entity with a monopoly over the legitimate use of violence, is to guarantee the safe functioning of democratic societies.  To achieve this goal efficiently, it is necessary to maintain a balance between the effectiveness and legitimacy of police forces, that is, that citizens fully trust their security forces and that the latter perform their duties with integrity.  

In Latin america, one of the main problems with respect to citizen security is related to the weak legitimacy of the justice system (including the judicial, penitentiary, and police levels), according to Daniel Ortega, CAF's Director of Impact Evaluation, as explained in a recent article. Trust in the police forces of the region is very low, and this carries diverse consequences that prevent the security institutions to perform their duties adequately. 

A weak legitimacy of these public institutions implies, among other consequences, that criminal records are not reliable, as they are generated by low reporting rates. In addition, citizens tend to demand less from police entities, and there are even cases where criminal organizations replace the duties of the police and act as guarantors of peace in some communities. 

To calm this situation, which responds to multiple causes, actions must be developed that are focused on improving the actions of the police forces. Currently, there are cases in the region where some efforts have been carried out to train the police forces, which have had positive impacts. Maybe these programs are a starting point to generate reforms that enable an increase in legitimacy without compromising effectiveness, thus helping to eradicate the violence that erodes the democratic bases of any society.