Professional autonomy and civilian leadership in Latin American and Caribbean police forces

Abstract

This paper analyzes the link between the police and the ministries on which they depend, in order to determine the presence or absence of democratic civilian leadership in security institutions. The proper functioning of the police is a fundamental pillar for the strengthening of democracies, especially because of the authoritarian past present in most countries. For this reason, the analysis is carried out around police reforms, focusing on the decision space they possess and the control that other institutions can exercise over them.