A cross-reference of data on violence in the country helps to measure the distance between official statistics and reality. A study carried out by Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), when comparing numbers of incident records at police stations with victim reports made after IBGE questioning, shows that the number of people who declared to the institute that they had been victims of robbery or lived with someone suffered this type of crime is, on average, in the country, five times higher than the number of registered cases. In Rio, the situation is almost repeated: the so-called victimization rate is almost four times higher than the rate of total robberies recorded.
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Methodology
The work used information from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (Pnad) Supplement, from IBGE, from 2021, and from the Yearbook of the Brazilian Public Security Forum, to show the problem at a national level. The survey aims to help guide public policies.
Causes for Underreporting
Among the main causes for underreporting are victims’ fear of the actions of criminals — such as the armed groups that dominate regions of Rio — and a lack of trust in police authorities.
For Colonel Ubiratan Ângelo, the former commander Rio de Janeiro Military Police, problems of underreporting are directly related to the type of crime and the area where it occurred. People do not usually register a case of violence committed against or by a militia or drug leader, for example. On the other hand, car theft does not suffer from a lack of records. But not because people believe that the police will be able to rescue the vehicle, but rather to secure documents to seek insurance.
Feeling of Insecurity
The feeling of insecurity does not always come from a violent act. The presence of criminal activity alone can provoke fear.
The survey provides data on the population’s perception of safety. To census takers, one in every three residents of the State of Rio said they had heard gunfire near their home. Around 47% of residents considered the chances of being robbed on the street to be high or medium. And for 31%, there is the possibility of being in the middle of a shooting in their daily lives.
In the Federal District, 55% of residents said the chance of suffering a robbery was high or medium. And around 20% responded that they had a chance of being murdered. In Rio, the rates were 47% and 19%, respectively.
Cell Phone on the Street
The FGV survey also highlights the population’s perception of the use of cell phones in public places. According to the study, 59% of residents of the State of Rio reported that they avoid using the device on the street for safety reasons. In the Federal District, the percentage rises to 69% and remains at 56% in São Paulo.
Parallel Power
According to the survey, around 12% of residents of the State of Rio said they had seen someone who was not from the security forces armed on the street. And 7% witnessed extortion or saw someone charging illegal fees.
Analysis:
Security data analysis can help guide public policies. Researchers understand that underreporting is linked to victims’ fear of criminals. In Rio, for example, they dominate several regions, and this leads to a lack of trust in the police and government authorities. Furthermore, these numbers help reveal problems that are not usually measured. Witnessing a shooting or an illegal charge does not necessarily generate a police report, but it says a lot about the safety of a location. The survey on perception of safety is subjective, but it shows how residents of each state view the chance of suffering a crime and their relation with local security forces.
Source: O Globo.
