Police and Democracy

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between police and democracy, a theme presented at a criminal justice conference in Costa Rica. It starts from the observation that the police are always an expression of power, capable of becoming an instrument of political repression when not representative of popular will. It analyzes the principles, purposes, procedures and mechanisms of subordination and control that must characterize the police of a democratic society, distinguishing it from that of force regimes. It discusses the need for organization as a civil body, subject to internal and external controls, including the Public Prosecutor's Office and the courts. It concludes that police effectiveness can only be achieved under the principle of equality before the law, with drug trafficking now the main challenge in this struggle, unattainable without democratic legitimacy.