Two police forces, now working as one organism
Em Brasília, a capital federal que se orgulha de ser a mais segura do Brasil, as forças de segurança deram um passo incomum: uniram duas instituições historicamente separadas — a Polícia Militar e a Polícia Civil — em uma operação conjunta e contínua nos bairros da Asa Norte e do Setor Noroeste. A Operação Unitas, cujo nome evoca precisamente essa fusão, não é apenas uma resposta tática ao crime, mas um experimento institucional sobre se a integração pode superar décadas de culturas policiais distintas. O que começa como um piloto localizado carrega a ambição de redesenhar como a segurança pública funciona em toda a capital.
- A criminalidade persistente na Asa Norte e no Setor Noroeste forçou o governo do Distrito Federal a abandonar a lógica de operações pontuais e apostar em uma presença policial permanente e imprevisível.
- A tensão central não está nas ruas, mas nas estruturas: unir policiais militares do 3º Batalhão com delegados da 2ª DP da Asa Norte significa fundir hierarquias, métodos investigativos e culturas institucionais que raramente dialogam.
- A operação mira simultaneamente criminosos em flagrante, foragidos com mandados em aberto, armas ilegais, drogas e veículos roubados — uma agenda ampla que exige coordenação precisa entre inteligência e policiamento ostensivo.
- Autoridades posicionam a Unitas como piloto de um modelo replicável: se funcionar, outros bairros de Brasília poderão adotar o mesmo formato, transformando a exceção em regra.
- O general Rômulo Palhares celebrou Brasília como a capital mais segura do Brasil, mas alertou contra o relaxamento — um sinal de que a vitória simbólica não dispensa o esforço contínuo.
Na tarde de quarta-feira, a secretaria de segurança de Brasília apresentou a Operação Unitas, uma iniciativa conjunta entre a Polícia Militar e a Polícia Civil voltada para a Asa Norte e o Setor Noroeste. O nome escolhido — Unitas, unidade em latim — resume a filosofia: duas forças com históricos separados, agora operando como um único organismo.
Na prática, policiais militares do 3º Batalhão e delegados da 2ª Delegacia de Polícia da Asa Norte realizarão patrulhas conjuntas, montarão barreiras em pontos estratégicos e abordarão suspeitos em dupla — combinando o faro investigativo da polícia civil com a presença ostensiva da militar. As ações serão orientadas por estatísticas criminais e denúncias, com foco em foragidos, armas ilegais, drogas e veículos roubados.
O tenente-coronel Fernando Vitor Passos, comandante do 3º Batalhão, sublinhou que a operação não tem data para terminar e funcionará em horários variáveis para dificultar a adaptação dos criminosos. Paulo Noritika, delegado-chefe da 2ª DP, situou a Unitas dentro da Operação Presença, programa mais amplo do governo da governadora Celina, e sinalizou que o modelo poderá se expandir para outros bairros da capital caso o piloto se mostre eficaz.
O general Rômulo Palhares aproveitou o lançamento para reafirmar que Brasília é a capital mais segura do Brasil, atribuindo esse posto ao trabalho coordenado das forças de segurança. Mas também advertiu que a conquista exige vigilância permanente — não há espaço para complacência.
O verdadeiro teste da Operação Unitas está além dos números de apreensões e prisões: está em saber se duas instituições com culturas, treinamentos e cadeias de comando distintos conseguem sustentar a integração no dia a dia, ou se as velhas divisões institucionais acabarão por prevalecer.
On Wednesday afternoon, Brasília's security apparatus unveiled a new strategy for two neighborhoods that have demanded attention: Operation Unitas, a joint deployment of military and civil police designed to saturate the North Wing and Northwest Sector with coordinated enforcement. The operation pairs officers from the Military Police's 3rd Battalion with detectives from the North Wing's 2nd Police District, creating a unified front against theft, drug trafficking, and other crimes that have taken root in these areas.
The mechanics are straightforward. Military and civil police will conduct joint patrols, set up checkpoints at strategic points, and approach suspects together—combining the detective's investigative intelligence with the patrol officer's street instinct. The work will be guided by crime statistics and tip-offs, targeting not just active criminals but also fugitives with outstanding warrants. The goal extends beyond arrests: recovering stolen vehicles, seizing weapons and narcotics, and dismantling the networks that move contraband through the city.
Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Vitor Passos, who commands the 3rd Battalion, framed the operation as an expression of institutional unity. He emphasized that the work would be continuous and without a fixed end date, conducted on unpredictable schedules to keep criminals off balance. The name itself—Unitas, meaning unity—signals the philosophy: two police forces, historically separate in their methods and jurisdictions, now working as one organism. Passos described it as ordinary police work elevated through integration, a permanent commitment rather than a temporary surge.
Paulo Noritika, the chief of the North Wing's 2nd Police District, positioned Operation Unitas within a larger framework. It is part of Operation Presence, a broader security initiative launched by Governor Celina to reinforce public safety across the capital. Noritika suggested this pilot program in the North Wing and Northwest Sector may eventually expand to other districts, making it a template for how Brasília's police forces could operate going forward. He acknowledged the symbolic importance: residents in high-crime neighborhoods would see police presence intensify, and that visibility itself matters.
The operation's launch drew remarks from Rômulo Flávio Palhares, the Military Police's commanding general. He used the occasion to assert that Brasília ranks as Brazil's safest capital, a distinction he attributed to the coordinated work of its security forces. That claim carries weight in a country where violent crime remains endemic in many urban centers. Yet Palhares also sounded a note of caution, warning against complacency. The work is permanent, he said, and requires sustained effort from every officer.
What remains to be seen is whether integration at this level—two distinct police hierarchies operating in the same neighborhoods on the same schedule—can overcome the institutional friction that has historically kept them separate. The operation begins with clear objectives and the backing of the state's top security officials. But sustained coordination between military and civil police, each with different training, different command structures, and different investigative methods, presents a management challenge that goes beyond the symbolic unity the operation's name suggests. The coming weeks will test whether Brasília's police forces can maintain this integration or whether old patterns reassert themselves.
Notable Quotes
Operation Unitas is unity. It's the integration of the 3rd Battalion with the 2nd District, demonstrating our ordinary effort in fighting crime with the goal of reducing criminal indices and arresting those wanted by the courts.— Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Vitor Passos, 3rd Battalion Commander
Today, we are the safest capital in the country. This is due to the work of each of you. It is a joint, permanent effort, and we cannot falter.— Rômulo Flávio Palhares, Military Police Commanding General
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Brasília need a special operation now? Isn't there already police presence in these neighborhoods?
There is, but it's fragmented. Military police do patrols, civil police handle investigations. They don't coordinate. Crime thrives in that gap. This operation forces them to work the same streets at the same time.
What makes the North Wing and Northwest Sector different from other parts of the city?
They have higher crime rates. The sources don't spell out exactly what crimes, but the operation targets fugitives, stolen vehicles, weapons, and drugs. These are neighborhoods where those problems are concentrated enough to warrant a coordinated response.
The operation has no end date. Doesn't that suggest it's permanent?
Officially, yes. But in practice, operations like this often lose intensity over time. The commander said it will happen on unpredictable schedules to keep criminals guessing. That's harder to sustain indefinitely. We'll know in six months whether it's truly continuous or whether it's faded.
Is this actually new, or is it just rebranding existing work?
The integration is new. Military and civil police have always worked in the same city, but not as a unified team. This forces them to conduct joint patrols and joint suspect approaches. That's a structural change, not just a name.
The governor is mentioned. Is this political?
It's part of her Operation Presence initiative, so yes, it has political dimensions. But that doesn't make it cynical. Governors are responsible for security. This is how they demonstrate they're addressing it. Whether it works is a separate question.
What happens if it works? What's the forward look?
Officials suggested it could expand to other districts. If crime drops measurably in the North Wing and Northwest Sector, the model becomes a template for the whole city. That's the bet they're making.