In this article I will present a summary of my main findings from research on the use of lethal violence in Venezuela, which was carried out within the framework of a regional comparative study monitoring the use of lethal force in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico and Venezuela.
From a normative point of view, Venezuela could be considered an advanced country in terms of regulation on the use of force by security forces. The constitution and other institutions of the State have at their core a defence of life. They include accountability on the part of the state and there are norms and protocols for how state forces should act. However, none of this is effectively applied, as evidenced by our studies on deaths at the hands of state security forces.
Analysis of official statistics show a clear trend that highlights the increasing number of deaths at the hands of the security forces. Complaints of excessive police violence are often based on old data, but new data shows a clear increase in the number of deaths by State security forces in 2013 and even bigger increases in 2015 and 2016, when the emphasis is placed on militarized police operations.
