The article seeks to explore the interconnections between police, crime, and urban territory, discussing their crucial importance in the current public policy scenario for security in large Brazilian cities. The author draws on observations of a monthly series of violent crimes in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, in a regression model with structural breaks to estimate the impact of the so-called "Results-Based Police" Program in reducing crime. According to the findings, police intervention in urban territory was responsible for a significant reduction in violent crimes (5,675) from January 2001 to October 2003.
crime; police; urban territory; "Results-Based Police"; law enforcement program
