The director general of the Federal Police (PF) Andrei Rodrigues, asked, this Tuesday (18), in a session of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on Organized Crime in the Senate, that Parliament approve a 38% increase in the institution’s budget for next year. Andrei also suggested doubling the current PF staff.
“All the police have in resources is R$1.8 billion [no ano de 2023]and I understand, and I have already made this appeal so that, in the LOA [Lei Orçamentária Anual] which is here, under consideration by this House, we have an increase in this amount to at least R$ 2.5 billion, so that we have better conditions to carry out [o combate às facções]”, stated the head of the PF.
Rodrigues added that the Increased resources will serve to expand FICCOs [Força Integrada de Combate ao Crime Organizado]which are task forces coordinated by the PF in partnership with state security forces, to combat factions and militias and other organized criminal organizations.
This is the first hearing of CPI, installed in the Senate following the repercussions of the police operation in Rio de Janeiro against Comando Vermelho, which led to the death of 121 people. Hearings from state ministers, governors, experts and public security officials are also planned.
Still at the CPI session in the Senate, the head of the PF criticized the text of the Anti-Faction Bill currently being processed in the Chamber of Deputies, highlighting the need to prioritize the seizure of the economic assets of crime and to act in the digitalized financial market that facilitates money laundering.
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Minimal workforce
The general director of the PF still assesses that the institution’s staff is “small” as it currently has 13 thousand police officers, of which 2 thousand are administrative employees. In addition to this staff, there are plans to incorporate another 2,000 police officers who will begin the training process next year after a public competition held in July.
For Andrei Rodrigues, it would be necessary to double the number of 15 thousand police officers in the PF that is currently provided for by law.
“I estimate that we would need, to meet all the demands – thinking here in the medium and long term – to have twice as many staff so that we can, in fact, meet everything we do even more efficiently”, commented the head of the PF in the Senate.
Andrei recalled that, in addition to police investigation work, the PF also controls weapons, issues passports, controls chemical products, bank security and immigration..
“Last year alone, there were 40 million migratory movements throughout the country, in addition to border control, ports, airports, which are also missions of the institution.”
The rapporteur of the CPI on Organized Crime, senator Alessandro Vieira (MDB-SE), has highlighted that the commission’s work will be to make a diagnosis of the actions of factions in Brazil to estimate how much more resources the country’s public security needs.
PL Antifaction
The director general of the Federal Police also criticized the replacement of the Anti-Faction bill (PL), presented by rapporteur Gulherme Derrite (PP-SP), São Paulo’s Public Security Secretary licensed from the position to report the text originally sent by the Executive.
“There is the withdrawal of resources from federal funds, including Funapol, which is a Federal Police fund, but also from the Public Security Fund, the Anti-Drug Fund. And, in fact, this would bring a loss, a reduction of resources for the PF, when we seek the opposite, we seek to expand the PF budget in this context”, pondered Andrei Rodrigues.
The general director of the PF also pointed out that the text, as written, creates a conflict between existing rules that will harm the progress of criminal proceedings involving members of criminal organizations..
“It can cause great procedural confusion, nullities, changes of forum, of jurisdiction, in short, all sorts of losses instead of gains for the investigative system”, commented Andrei.
Decapitalization of organized crime
Responding to questions from the CPI rapporteur, senator Alessandro Vieira, the PF chief director argued that the Priorities for combating factions must be the decapitalization of organizations’ resources, the arrest of their leaders, as well as greater integration between the country’s police and international cooperation.
“With each investigation that the Federal Police carries out, for example, against drug trafficking, in parallel or concomitantly, we open a property investigation, so that economic power is also attacked.”
According to Andrei, the total seized from criminal organizations went from R$1 billion in 2022 to R$3 billion in 2023, reaching R$6.4 billion seized in 2024.
In this year’s Operation Hidden Carbon alone, almost R$4 billion were seized. The action combatted the money laundering of Primeiro Comendo da Capital (PCC) in the financial market and at gas stations.
“We should reach around R$9 billion effectively seized [em 2025]. It’s not blocking accounts where the money will never appear. This is money, these are properties, these are vehicles, aircraft and vessels effectively seized,” said Andrei.
Police integration
The head of the PF also informed that there is already integration between federal and state police, mainly through FICCOs, but considered that this integration can be improved. For Andrei Rodrigues, the Security PEC will improve this integration with the coordination of the Union.
“[A PEC da Segurança] it will allow for greater coordination, it will allow for greater responsibility on the part of the Union – and, therefore, of the Federal Police – in this fight against security, considering that the original Constituent understood to demand this role from the federated states”, he commented.
Digital economy
In the assessment of the head of the Federal Police, the digitalization of the world economy, through fintechs, cryptocurrencies and other technological financial mechanisms, has made it difficult to combat organized crime by facilitating financial transactions.
“We need to move from that moment of the tangible economy to today, this fluid economy, this digital economy. And we, the State, are often still in an analogue moment, while crime is in a digital phase. So, this advancement of all institutions is important to face this”, he added.
