O impacto das facções criminosas nos índices de criminalidade na zona sul de Teresina-PI

Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of criminal factions on crime rates in the southern zone of Teresina, Piauí, a region marked by social vulnerability, inequality, and the absence of effective public policies. The research aims to understand how these organizations structure themselves, expand, and directly influence the increase in urban violence, especially in crimes such as homicide, drug trafficking, and robbery. Methodologically, it is a qualitative and descriptive study based on interviews with civil police delegates from the Department of Homicide and Protection of Persons (DHPP), the Department for the Repression of Organized Criminal Actions (DRACO), and local police stations, as well as on data from the Piauí State Department of Public Security (SSP-PI). The interviews reveal that the arrival of criminal factions in the southern zone, starting in 2016, significantly changed the local crime profile, replacing former territorial gangs with organized and hierarchical groups connected to national networks such as the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho (CV). These groups established territorial control, imposed rules of social coexistence, and generated widespread fear, a phenomenon reinforced by institutional fragility and the collapse of the prison system. The expansion of criminal factions is associated with social exclusion, the lack of opportunities for youth, and the inefficiency of preventive public policies. Data show that although there has been a reduction in robbery records between 2015 and 2024, there was simultaneously a significant increase in drug trafficking and violent lethality, indicating the reorganization of crime into more structured forms. The study concludes that addressing criminal factions in the southern zone of Teresina requires integrated policies combining security, education, and social inclusion, since isolated repression has proven insufficient to contain their advance and restore the legitimate presence of the State in affected communities. Keywords: Criminal Factions; Urban Crime; Southern Zone of Teresina; Public Policies; Violence.