ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE IN INCIDENTS HANDLED BY THE PARÁ MILITARY POLICE AND THE APPLICATION OF DIFFERENTIATED USE OF FORCE

Abstract

In police doctrine, force is a resource that must be used in proportion to the hostile actions of an offender against public security agents or third parties. From this perspective, the concept of "Progressive Use of Force" (UPF) emerged and gradually evolved into the "Differentiated Use of Force" (UDF)—a doctrine aiming to respond proportionately to unjust aggression based on the aggressor's level of hostility. This study, titled "Escalation of violence in incidents handled by the Pará Military Police and the application of differentiated use of force," discusses the concept of differentiated use of force and the levels of police response employed in incidents characterized by violence from an offender against police forces or third parties. The study aims to analyze the effectiveness of proportionate action by public security forces in situations requiring UDF techniques to contain resistance. The methodology employed combined qualitative and quantitative research methods, utilizing direct documentation analysis and statistical processing, respectively. The results suggest that the progressive model has limitations regarding the dynamics of police incidents—limitations not found in the UDF model, which operates proportionately based on the level of hostility. Finally, we conclude that the use of police force is legitimized by current constitutional principles, provided it does not exceed the limits of proportionate response.