March 11, 2022

07:03

Priscilla Peixoto – from Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – In the 4th episode of the show CENARIUM INTERVIEW, journalist Liliane Araújo receives the General Commander of the Military Police, Colonel Marcos Vinicius. In the weekly interview that is aired every Tuesday, from 7 pm, on TV Cenarium’s YouTube channel, Marcos Vinicius shares part of his career as a military police officer and other activities performed during his professional journey.

Born in the city of Atalaia do Norte (1,136 km away from Manaus), the PM commander tells that he is inspired by his own father, who was the first military police officer in the city where he lived: “He was 01 in all courses, he became for me an example that with study, knowledge, and dedication we could take bigger steps in life”, remembers Marcos.

According to the interviewee, the professional growth and recognition came from the experience with the troop, doing operational work, specialized troops and specializations in intelligence area. “Besides that, I worked in the North Area Police Command; we also created the traffic battalion, and this gave us a background in the institution, of knowing that an administrative decision often impacts the life of the police officer on the street”, he highlights.

SEAP

Before assuming the General Command of the Military Police of Amazonas, he was ahead of the Secretariat of Penitentiary Administration (Seap). During the period in which he was manager of the unit, Marcos participated in the creation of some programs that promoted improvements in the place.

“In January 2019, when Wilson Lima gave us this secretariat, which was extremely problematic, and bad example for all Brazil, had a bloody rebellion in 2017. We needed to do something for that secretariat. So, we created, initially, the programs “The knowledge that sets you free” and “Freedom Work”. One focused on education, where there were cases where the person basically learned to read, and some even finished college, and the other focused on giving job opportunities to these people who studied,” explains the commander.

According to Marcos, at the beginning of the project, in 2019, of the total of 5,500 inmates, at the time, only 20 inmates between closed and provisional regime worked. Currently, there are more than 1,200 inmates who work and the prison units of the female system, in Amazonas, are the first in Brazil in which 100% of women are in remission of sentence. “As well as the Penal Institute Antonio Trindade (Ipat) also in 100% remission and the system as a whole in 80%. Today, we are a reference”, Marcos emphasizes.

Challenges

According to the general commander, the main challenge facing the Military Police of Amazonas is the PM’s structuring so that it can advance with more quality. After the peak of the pandemic period, Marcos remembers that the Military Police has been helping the population in the hospital gates and in the streets, keeping the security of the society as a whole. He points out that there have been almost 11 years without a public contest allied to the lack of a public security plan that works effectively.

“Some people had the opportunity to make it happen and spent billions on miraculous plans without leaving a minimum legacy, which is a plan for hiring human resources (…) Now, this plan that you have was made by people from here, ‘caboquinhos tucumã eaters’ who know when the river rises and falls. We built the security plan and we didn’t need anyone from New York to teach us how to do it, no”, he says.

According to the commander, in the month of December 2021, the homicide rate in Manaus decreased by 12%. In January this year, the rate fell to 32%, being the most pacified month in the last ten years in the city. “If we continue along this line, there may be a reduction of more than 20% in the homicide rate”, explains Marco Vinicius.

To watch the complete interview, access TV CENARIUM on Youtube. In addition to this episode, all the other interviews and programs are available on the website for you to stay on top of everything that happens in the Amazon, Brazil, and the world.