Six out of every ten homicides in Brazil go unsolved, says institute

Only four in every ten intentional homicides registered in Brazil result in a complaint filed by the Public Ministry by the end of the year following the crime. The percentage is around 40%, according to an unprecedented study by the Sou da Paz Institute - that is, around six out of every ten murders in the country remain unsolved.

The research analyzed indicators from the 26 states and the Federal District using as a reference the average percentages of homicide clarifications between 2020 and 2023 and, for the first time, sought to identify which factors are associated with differences in performance between the units of the federation.

According to the study, states with higher per capita income, better human development indices (HDI), higher education levels and higher urbanization rates tend to present better results in investigations.

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Conversely, social inequality, unemployment, illiteracy, homicides of young people and murders committed with firearms appear associated with lower rates of enlightenment.

Firearms make investigations difficult
Another fact that caught the attention of researchers was the relationship between firearms and investigation.

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States with a higher proportion of homicides committed with firearms tend to solve fewer crimes. Furthermore, even when resolved, these cases tend to require more time and resources to complete.

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On the other hand, the survey identified an association between the increase in firearm seizures and better homicide clearance rates.

"This result reinforces the importance of initiatives aimed at removing illegal weapons from circulation, such as the creation of police stations specialized in this topic, already existing in six units of the federation, and the integration of intelligence and investigation actions", says Carolina Ricardo, executive director of the Sou da Paz Institute, citing instruments such as the National Ballistic Analysis System (SINAB), which integrates ballistic information between the civil police and the Federal Police and allows crimes committed with the same weapon to be linked.

According to Rafael Rocha, coordinator of the study, the research sought to answer a different question from previous editions.

"Until now, our effort was to measure how many homicides were solved. This time, we wanted to understand what leads some states to have much better results."

High violence does not prevent good investigation
The survey also shows that high levels of violence do not necessarily mean low investigative capacity.

Rondônia, for example, records a higher homicide rate than the Federal District, but manages to clarify around 67% of murders. States such as Mato Grosso, Sergipe and Paraíba appear among those that most increased their clarification rates throughout the historical series.

For researchers, the results indicate that strengthening expertise, management based on indicators, integration between security forces and specialization of investigation teams are associated with better clarification rates, even in states that experience high levels of violence.

Source: CNN