The proposal's rapporteur, senator Rogério Carvalho, from PT, followed the government's guidance and presented the same text that was approved in the Chamber, leaving out the proposals to reduce the age of criminal responsibility. In October, the opposition announced that it would vote in favor of the Security PEC, but presented an amendment to reduce the age of criminal responsibility to 16 for most crimes and to 14 in the case of heinous crimes - such as drug trafficking and homicide. In an attempt to reduce the impact of the opposition's strategy, the leader of the PT in the Senate, Camilo Santana, presented another amendment reducing the age of majority to 16, but only for heinous crimes.
This Tuesday (3), Senator Rogério Carvalho proposed that they be discussed in another PEC, separately, at another time, as he understands that the topic needs to be further debated. The president of the Senate put the withdrawal of the amendments to a vote. By 38 votes to 36, the senators decided that the issue will be dealt with at another time, in separate PECs. Any change to the text would force the Security PEC to return to the Chamber for a new vote by deputies. This would postpone President Lula's plans to create, in 2026, the Ministry of Public Security. Senators spoke of the importance of approving the PEC.
"This is the result of what all of us, senators, parliamentarians, politicians, gather from the streets. Because it is, without a doubt, one of the priority agendas of the Brazilian people, along with public health and education, is public security in this country, so that Brazil can begin to respond in public security to the people who are vulnerable on the streets, in the avenues, in the houses, in the alleys of our country, and in the rivers of our country", says senator Eduardo Braga, MDB - AM.
Then, the senators unanimously approved, in two rounds of voting, the Public Security PEC, which is now going to be promulgated to come into force. A victory for the government after the elections.
The PEC gives the federal government more power to act against criminal organizations; allows assets used in criminal activities to be expropriated without compensation; expands the Federal Police's duties in combating organized crime and expands the Federal Highway Police's activities on waterways and railways; places in the Constitution the Unified Public Security System, the SUSP, which will integrate the actions of the security forces of the Union, states and municipalities; and also allows the creation of municipal police forces. It also provides for more severe punishments for leaders of criminal factions, who must serve their sentence in a maximum security prison. They will not be able to progress through the regime and are left out of the so-called "sadinha". The government leader celebrated the result.
"We are creating, through the PEC, the Unified Public Security System. We are, therefore, involving the three federated entities in control, promoting security and combating violence. Now with the system articulated, yes, our expectations are very positive in relation to this system, because the system is not loose. It will exist in the Budget, it will exist in the Ministry of Security, where issues pertinent to the effective fight against organized crime and factions will also be dealt with", says Senator Teresa Leitão, PT - PE.
