IMPACT OF PACIFYING POLICE UNITS (PPU) ON DAILY SCHOOL ROUTINE

Abstract This study verified what happens to daily school routine when there is an abrupt reduction in violence around schools supposedly promoted by the implementation of Pacifying Police Units (PPU), a Public Security policy that began in late 2008. The PPUs’ effect on the average number of school days lost specifically due to the violence around the school was evaluated as a direct measure of the influence of armed violence on the daily routine of school communities. The main finding was a reduction in class interruptions due to violence. Future studies should evaluate the possible mid- and long-term effects of PPUs, as well as the effects of their downfall, and the subsequent policies of intensifying armed confrontations.