Municipalização da segurança pública no âmbito da prevenção situacional: o enfrentamento das violências na perspectiva da geografia do crime.

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze the process of municipalization of public security from the perspective of situational prevention, using the city of São Luís, in the state of Maranhão, as an empirical reference. The focus was on identifying crime hotspots in light of the theoretical contributions of Place Criminology and Crime Geography. It was understood that crime is not distributed homogeneously in urban space, but tends to concentrate in certain areas, influenced by structural, environmental, and social factors. In this context, the study sought to investigate how municipal management can play a strategic role in confronting various forms of violence, through the formulation and implementation of more territorialized and sensitive public security policies tailored to local specificities. From a methodological point of view, this is a qualitative study, guided by an inductive approach. The procedures adopted were based on socio-legal critical and descriptive-diagnostic legal methods, combining bibliographic review with documentary analysis of data from official public security institutions. It is expected that the research findings will contribute to a broader understanding of the role of municipalities in the construction of preventive policies, highlighting the potential of situational prevention in reducing opportunities for crime and improving urban security management. Thus, the study aims to strengthen the debate on public security at the local level, spatial criminology, and prevention policies, offering theoretical and empirical foundations that can support institutional action and the development of more effective strategies in addressing urban violence.