FROM PUBLIC SECURITY TO CITIZEN SECURITY:

A PARADIGMATIC ANALYSIS OF INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION

Abstract

This article examines, through the application of the dialectical and historical methods, by qualitative approach with analytical-descriptive orientation, the conceptual and practical transition from the traditional model of "public security" to the "citizen security" paradigm in Brazil, focusing on the role of the police delegate as a catalytic agent of this transformation. Utilizing Thomas Kuhn's theoretical framework on paradigm shifts, the analysis incorporates the contributions of Weber, Foucault, Durkheim, and Bourdieu to understand how this change represents not merely a terminological alteration, but a reconfiguration of institutional practices, power relations, and the very conception of the State's role in guaranteeing security. The study argues that this paradigmatic transition implies the resignification of police work, especially that of police delegates, from agents of state control to promoters of citizenship and human rights. The analysis demonstrates that, despite institutional and structural resistances, conditions exist for the consolidation of the new paradigm, particularly through the transformation of social representations surrounding the figure of the police delegate and the implementation of innovative public policies in police stations.