POLICE CULTURE, PROPORTIONAL USE OF FORCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS: AN ANALYSIS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE AMAZONAS MILITARY POLICE

Abstract

This article examined the extent to which the institutional culture of the Amazonas Military Police (PMAM) shapes the proportional use of force by its officers, generating tension between respect for Human Rights and operational efficiency. The spatial scope is the state of Amazonas during the 2023-2024 biennium, a setting marked by high violence rates, the presence of criminal organizations, and complex geographical logistics that impose dilemmas on ostensive policing practice. The research adopted a qualitative, bibliographic and documentary approach, articulating three progressively convergent theoretical axes: police culture, proportional use of force, and human rights. The theoretical framework drew on national and international scientific articles addressing culture and violence, studies on Amazonian public security, as well as normative instruments of the United Nations and the Brazilian legal system. The research found that, in 2024, Amazonas recorded reductions in Intentional Violent Deaths (IVD) and Deaths Resulting from Police Intervention (DRPI) compared to 2023, outperforming the national average with percentage drops exceeding those recorded nationally. Nevertheless, the results indicate that, despite these quantitative advances, the absence of use-of-force protocols, combined with the militaristic matrix inherited from the Armed Forces, constitutes a structural vector of arbitrariness. It is concluded that doctrinal modernization, continuing training with emphasis on human rights, and qualified institutional control are necessary conditions to align PMAM operations with the Democratic Rule of Law.