Educação superior para policiais: uma revisão da literatura

Abstract

It was conducted a literature review on higher education for police officers. It was found that the issue has been subject of studies in developed countries, notably in the United States, since the beginning of the 20th century. Despite numerous positive impacts attributed to higher education, in the attitudes, behaviors and professional practices of police officers, it has not been possible, until now, to find conclusive and direct evidence of this relationship. In Brazil, in comparison to developed countries, studies on the effect of higher education on police officers work are scarce, which seems to indicate it is not a topic of interest to the academia. Nevertheless, the number of police officers seeking higher education as a form of personal and professional improvement, as well as the increasing number of organizations that have been establishing higher education as a requirement of entry, either through the perspective of improving the quality of the service provided, whether due to the simple need to match wages and status with similar organizations. Regardless of what the reason for the adoption of higher education for police officers in Brazil, the studies analyzed, although not conclusive, do not point to any negative factors that contraindicates it as a requirement.