Organizational conditions for evidence-based policing: a proposal from the international literature

Abstract

Many areas of study, particularly the field of public administration, have demonstrated how shared evidence has gained relevance in academic research. Against this backdrop, police organizations - responsible for sustaining the political order and being the body with legitimacy to use force - are characterized by supporting their decision-making processes in traditions and conventions. Faced with the various problems of legitimacy, which result in trust issues with its different audiences, the notion of evidence-based policing (EBP) has gained notoriety. Although Brazil has traditions in the field of public security studies, this debate is incipient. In this sense, this theoretical essay aims to reflect on the organizational conditions necessary for implementing EBP based on international experiences. We present a history of EBP and discuss a matrix that enables its practical application. We propose a framework regarding implementation requirements based on four fields: assessment, leadership, technology, and networks. Finally, we consider the need to centralize intelligence activities in the decision-making contexts of these organizations to establish professionalism that takes place through planning actions based on the use of science as ballast for organizations of police agencies.